Revealing the Swimming Secrets of the Ageless, Brainless Jellyfish

Medicine & Technology Jan 23, 2015

They may lack brains, bones, and even a heart, but jellyfish are undoubtedly some of the most interesting creatures marine biologists have come to research. Even in spite of their major deficits, and their obvious downfalls, jellyfish have an incredible talent for swimming. So much so that no other creature under the sea can quite compete in terms of efficiency and skills. Though their tactics have long been misunderstood, a new study adds to the working knowledge that these brainless creatures are far more clever than we give them credit for.

"Living Fossil" Frilled Shark Comes Up From Ocean Depths

Jan 23, 2015

A rare frilled shark was caught off the coast of Australia in a fishing trawler. This rarely spotted living fossil dates back 80 million years with a face that won't win it any beauty contests and looks like something that might come out of a Hollywood horror movie.

Dust on the Ocean Floor Reveals Ancient Supernova

Jan 21, 2015

Scientists have made a startling discovery while exploring the ocean floor that could change how we understand supernovae. Researchers now believe that exploding stars, often far beyond the confines of our solar system, have deposited extraterrestrial dust at the bottom of the oceans, and that could give us better insights into the composition of far off galaxies.

Giant Sea Animals Are Not So Giant After All

Jan 15, 2015

The oceans largest creatures aren't quite as large as we often image, according to a new study. According to a report published in the journal Peer J, humans are not very good at visualizing the size of creatures like the giant squid or whales, and media reports usually exaggerate their size too. The team of researchers from the U.S. and Canada compared popular reports and scientific reports for 25 different species of marine creatures, including whales, sharks, squids and other giant ocean dwellers, and found that most of the animals were actually smaller than what was reported.

Sea Turtles Reveal A Sixth Sense—Finding Their Way Home & Sensing The Seasons

Jan 15, 2015

As a migratory species, Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochely coriacea) are a rare oddity of nature that spend their lives mostly in travel, between their breeding grounds in open ocean and their tropical places of birth. Travelling back and forth between the tropics and their hunting grounds to the north, the unique species follows the cool waters, as they flow throughout the oceans they inhabit. But that doesn't even begin to unravel their mysterious origins or how they know to traverse the seas.

New Research Started After Rare Beaked Whale Washed Ashore Near Sydney

Oct 16, 2014

When a whale washes ashore, researchers and government agencies are usually the first on scene to assess the causes of death. However, when a rare beaked whale washed ashore in Australia earlier this week, Tuesday Oct. 14, researchers were eager to get to the scene for an entirely different reason — the opportunity to learn something about a deep diving mammal we know so little about.