EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

In celebration of #SharkWeek, we’re exploring the incredible world of sharks. From their vital role in marine ecosystems to the myths that surround them, join us as we explore all things shark in celebration of #SharkWeek!

Meat from critically endangered sharks is commonly sold under false labels in the US

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the US determined the species of 29 samples of shark meat bought in shops or online. 93% had been labeled ambiguously as ‘shark’, and 31% overall were from four endangered or critically endangered species. Several of these species are known to contain dangerous levels of heavy metals. The authors call for better regulation of labeling and greater consumer awareness.

Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

10-Sep-2025

Study finds critically endangered sharks being sold as food in U.S. grocery stores

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers reveal widespread mislabeling and public health concerns linked to shark meat sales.

Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science

8-Sep-2025

Reproductive flexibility in sharks and rays complicates conservation predictions

Newcastle University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sharks, skates and rays adapt their growth and reproduction to changing food availability, a new study reveals.

Journal: Ecology Letters

4-Sep-2025

This common fish has an uncommon feature: Forehead teeth, used for mating

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New findings call into question one of the core assumptions about teeth. Adult male spotted ratfish, a shark-like species native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, have rows of teeth on top of their heads, lining a cartilaginous appendage called the tenaculum, in addition to those in their jaws. They used their tenaculum teeth to grip females while mating in water.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

4-Sep-2025

Ghost sharks grow forehead teeth to help them have sex

University of Florida
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Male “ghost sharks” — eerie deep-sea fish known as chimaeras that are related to sharks and rays — have a strange rod jutting from their foreheads, studded with sharp, retractable teeth. New research reveals these are not merely lookalikes, but real rows of teeth that grow outside the mouth.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

4-Sep-2025

Two ERC Grants for Goethe University: Why a sharks becomes extinct and how to study the dynamics of biomolecules

Goethe University Frankfurt
Grant and Award Announcement

Two outstanding researchers at Goethe University have each successfully secured a prestigious fellowship from the European Research Council (ERC) for their pioneering research projects: Geoscientist Dr. Jeremy McCormack, within the framework of his ERC Starting Grant, is investigating to what extent the ecology of prehistoric sharks increased their risk of extinction. Chemist Dr. Andrei Kuzhelev is advancing an ultra-high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the dynamics of complex biomolecules in nanoliter-sized samples. The grant are each endowed with around 1.5 million euros.

Funder: European Research Council

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest news releases

Meat from critically endangered sharks is commonly sold under false labels in the US

Study finds critically endangered sharks being sold as food in U.S. grocery stores

Reproductive flexibility in sharks and rays complicates conservation predictions

This common fish has an uncommon feature: Forehead teeth, used for mating

Ghost sharks grow forehead teeth to help them have sex

Two ERC Grants for Goethe University: Why a sharks becomes extinct and how to study the dynamics of biomolecules

When sharks lose their bite