Throughout the first week of August, 12 organizations came together in an unprecedented collaborative effort to protect the future of Florida’s Coral Reef during one of nature’s most elusive events, coral spawning. Scientists across the organizations worked tirelessly to propagate and conserve the next generation of corals by collecting eggs and sperm (gametes), strategically fertilizing embryos, and cryopreserving sperm to safeguard invaluable genetic diversity for generations to come.

Researchers at the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) have shown how a metabolic mechanism underlying thermal tolerance in intertidal oysters sheds light on malignant proliferation in human lung adenocarcinoma.

New research from Aarhus University shows that blue mussels reduce their filtration activity when they detect the risk of parasites – a response linked to the “ecology of fear”. Because mussels filter large volumes of seawater and shape coastal ecosystems, this behaviour could have wider ecological consequences. The findings may become increasingly relevant as warming seas alter parasite distribution. The study has just been published in the scientific journal Journal of Helminthology.

Kyoto, Japan -- Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing the habitats of amphibians. Yet, small-scale water bodies managed by people -- such as those found in the gardens of Japan's temples, shrines, and schools -- remain within urban areas, providing oases for our moist neighbors.

Though the ponds and streams found in the gardens of Kyoto's temples and shrines are maintained as cultural landscapes, their function as habitats for urban amphibians has not been fully explored. This inspired a Kyoto University-led research team to examine the habitat capacity of these gardens. The team saw their potential as biocultural aquatic landscapes, where culture and biodiversity intersect.

The researchers utilized both visual and DNA analyses in their search for local amphibians, as some species are difficult to observe directly while others are hard to detect at certain times of the year. They conducted visual surveys at 80 water bodies located within 31 temples, shrines, and associated facilities in Kyoto's Higashiyama area, which helped them identify adults, eggs, and larvae, while an auditory element helped them identify calls. The team also performed environmental DNA analyses at 43 of these water bodies, in addition to recording the type of water body, water source and flow, distance from forest, riparian structure, and the presence or absence of carp in order to analyze the relationship between species and environmental conditions.

Zebrafish have become one of toxicology's most powerful tools for studying emerging contaminants, from PFAS and microplastics to pharmaceuticals and nanomaterials. But translating what happens in a laboratory zebrafish into meaningful predictions for wild species remains a major challenge, according to a new perspective published in New Contaminants.

Rat poisons were detected in 78% of 102 Cape Town caracals, revealing widespread contamination of the urban food web. Researchers call for tighter South African controls on anticoagulant rodenticides, including restricted retail sales, purchase limits, traceable distribution and limited use only with evidence of efficacy.

The narwhal’s impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international team of researchers led by Aarhus University has solved the mystery of how the tusk acquires its twisted structure. It turns out that the tooth does not contain just one spiral, but two.