After Shark Attack, Mother and Newborn Sperm Whales are Put Down on Neptune Beach

Medicine & Technology Apr 14, 2015

A story that should have celebrated the birth of another whale into the world ended in tragedy Monday, after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made the decision to put two sperm whales down. Though often rapid response units are able to successful push whales back out to shore after a brief beaching, the circumstances surrounding the beaching led local officials to make the life-or-death decision.

The Nonstop Flight Down South—How One Songbird Species Commutes Thousands of Miles Without a Break

Apr 01, 2015

Think that you’ve got a long commute into the office every morning? Think again. While you may be used to sitting in traffic for hours on end, it turns out that one little songbird’s lengthy migration will put your commute to shame.

The NonStop Flight Down South—How One Songbird Species Commutes Thousands of Miles Without a Break

Mar 31, 2015

Think that you’ve got a long commute into the office every morning? Think again. While you may be used to sitting in traffic for hours on end, it turns out that one little songbird’s lengthy migration will put your commute to shame.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria—Could Swimming This Spring Break Land You In the Hospital?

Mar 30, 2015

Using coastal waters can often be quite a finicky endeavor. Working your plans around algal blooms, red tides and even the occasional sewage mishap, can often be a pretty unpleasant mess. But it turns out that swimmers and surfers may have more to fear than getting a little dirty at the beach. Aside from Giardia, a parasite that is often passed in coastal waters, it turns out that recreational swimmers at local beaches may also be at a significantly higher risk of transmitting deadly antibiotic resistant bacteria—landing them in the hospital or worse.

Gulf Stream Slowed by Greenland Ice Sheet Melting

Mar 26, 2015

The 2014-15 winter was one of the warmest ever recorded in history according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, there is one area of the North Atlantic that hasn't been affected by this warming trend and the phenomenon has been the same since around 1970.

How the Neurons of A Sea Slug Could Change Neurobiology Forever

Mar 26, 2015

It’s a common belief that when you think of neurobiology you often imagine the brain and the central nervous system one neuron at a time. And for many years, that’s exactly how researchers had to approach the larger questions. By tagging in particular neurotransmitters, that would convey the passing of one signal from neuron to neuron, researchers were able to follow the path of a signal back and forth along an axon. But now, with new imaging technology and a new model organism in mind, researchers in neurobiology are seeking new ways in which we study the brain—mapping neural circuits and their functions in great detail, on the large scale.

Tide of the Decade Sweeps Across France’s Atlantic Coast, Turning Islets into Islands

Mar 21, 2015

How strong are the sun and the moon’s pull on the tides? A lot stronger than you may have ever believed. In what happened to be a perfect trifecta of cosmic events, this Friday’s alignment allowed for a supermoon, a total solar eclipse, and perhaps one of the greatest ocean surges our generation has seen since the turn of the 21st century. In fact, in what happened to be a tourist’s dream, the picturesque Mont Saint Michel Abbey on the coast of France was turned into a island for a brief while as the “tide of the century” submerged the path that leads to its fortified walls.

Arctic Winter Ice Reaches All Time Low

Mar 14, 2015

While much of the northeastern and central United States froze to death this snowy winter, the cold chill didn't extend to the north as scientists have discovered that the winter ice levels are at record lows.

Tropical Cyclone Pam Devastates Vanuatu in the South Pacific

Mar 14, 2015

In the midst of unimaginable destruction, meteorologists say that a cyclone, designated “Cyclone Pam”, will continue to devastate islands in the South Pacific even after the storm brought torrential rains and fierce winds hour after hour since the start of the weekend.

SeaWorld Researchers Change the Conversation—Saving Stranded Sea Lion Pups

Mar 08, 2015

Though animal rights activists have questioned the capacity of the aquarium and the living situation of the performers, SeaWorld researchers and trainers are proving that the company’s main concern is the health and well-being of the animals. And with a new decision that has suspended sea lion and sea otter shows in the weeks to come, SeaWorld’s employees are taking a stance for what they know is right.

Why Southern Californians and Researchers Aren’t Too Thrilled About News of El Niño

Mar 08, 2015

It appears that while officials with the NOAA are declaring the event an El Niño class, this year’s events won't exactly be a repeat of the 1998 El Niño that many had hoped for.

El Niño Has Officially Arrived

Mar 07, 2015

El Niño has finally arrived according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associations. The report by the NOAA was issued nearly a year after it was forecast that El Niño would occur sometime last year.

Mars Once Had More Water Than the Arctic Ocean

Mar 06, 2015

Scientists believe that the Red planet once had more water on its surface than is found today in Earth's Arctic Ocean. However, over time Mars has lost 87% of this water to space.

Arctic Ice Thinning Much Faster Than Scientists Thought

Mar 05, 2015

Scientists have discovered that Arctic sea ice, the ice that freezes and floats on waters in the Arctic, is thinning at much faster rate that they previously thought.

“Alien of the Deep” Makes Its Way to the Australian Museum

Mar 04, 2015

A rare sea creature found off the coast of Australia in January has finally made its way to the Australian Museum for study. The creature, a rare goblin shark often referred to as an "alien of the deep" was originally found off the coast of Australia by a fishermen that has since donated it to the museum.