An international research team led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) investigated how the shape of black corals influences the functions of their cilia. By combining an unusually comprehensive suite of imaging and microsensor techniques, the researchers were able to visualize both, water flow and oxygen transport, from individual cilia to entire coral fragments. They found that the cilia allow corals to create and direct the flow of water around and within them, thus optimising oxygen supply, feeding and internal transport. The study was recently published in Communications Biology.

New research from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa used high-resolution modeling that includes small-scale processes to examine projected heat stress on coral reefs over the 21st century. Comparing this heat stress to previous estimates of the rate at which corals may adapt to changing conditions, the authors found that Hawaiian corals have the possibility of adapting to future heat stress, even under a high emissions scenario.

Veterinary antibiotics help protect animal health and support food production, but residues released from farms and aquaculture facilities can enter the environment and contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. A new study has developed a high-resolution, county-level inventory of veterinary antibiotic emissions across China, offering researchers and policymakers a clearer picture of where these pollutants originate and where they may accumulate.

Researchers surveyed more than 500 Salt Lake County residents and found that 69% are concerned about the shrinking lake, with habitat loss and dust-related health risks emerging as the top worries. The study also found that concern varies significantly by age, gender, race and ethnicity, birthplace, and people's personal experiences with the lake. Researchers say the findings show how lived experience and background can shape views about rapid, environmental changes, and that policies for the Great Salt Lake will gain stronger public support if they are framed as actions needed to protect wildlife or other key values rather than actions to stabilize water levels.

In many urban areas, low-income neighborhoods have more mosquitoes, making residents more vulnerable to mosquito-borne diseases. A new study co-authored by scientists at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies found that invasive, nonnative plants, which tend to be more common in low-income areas, boosted mosquito populations in Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC. The results, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, suggest that cities and their residents could reduce mosquito infestations by planting native tree species.