New research reveals the unusual shape, size and pattern of the dermal denticles that cover basking sharks – thought to be unique to this species. Researchers propose that the shape and arrangement of the skin’s scales protects the skin while also allowing for the stretchiness required to open and close their colossal mouths during ram filter feeding.

An international study by scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has identified a fundamental mechanism that regulates how the body uses stored fat to produce energy.

The findings, published in The EMBO Journal, show that calcium levels within mitochondria determine whether these organelles remain attached to or detach from lipid droplets, the cellular structures where fat is stored.

Scientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of “right-handedness” in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism from the Ediacaran Period that lived about 550 million years ago.

A recent study by the University of Granada reveals that the fall in water levels in Mediterranean reservoirs is causing a dramatic increase in methane emissions. Using a floating platform equipped with advanced technology, scientists were able to continuously monitor gas exchange between the water and the atmosphere for the first time in Spain. The findings show that, whilst carbon dioxide levels remain stable, methane levels surge during droughts due to biogeochemical processes in the sediments. This research highlights that climate change and water scarcity could turn these ecosystems into sources of pollution far more potent than previously estimated. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing water management strategies that help to mitigate global warming more effectively.

Kyoto, Japan -- In the late 1990s in the Ajimu region of Japan's Oita prefecture, researchers discovered three fossilized vertebrae belonging to the Cryptobranchidae family of giant salamander. These were embedded in the Tsubusugawa Formation, Pliocene-era strata of lake deposits dating back approximately 3.5 million years. The strata have also yielded fossils of animals that no longer roam Japan, such as elephants and crocodiles, revealing a glimpse of an era much warmer and humid than Japan's current climate.

Researchers originally assigned the three Ajimu specimens to the genus Andrias, which includes the world's largest living amphibians, but at the time, a lack of comparative specimens and research prevented their precise taxonomic identification. Now, more than two decades later, a new research team at Kyoto University has succeeded in shedding more light on these mysterious fossils.

After comparing the Ajimu specimens to the skeletons of extant Cryptobranchidae species, the team found that the three fossils belonged to an anterior trunk vertebra, a mid-trunk vertebra, and a sacro-caudal vertebra. Further comparisons revealed that the mid-trunk vertebra possessed unique morphological characteristics not seen in other Cryptobranchidae species. This led the researchers to conclude that the Ajimu specimens represent a new species and genus.