Biologging is transforming wildlife research, yet stingrays have been overlooked due to their unusual body shapes. For the first time, researchers successfully developed and field-tested a biologging tag for the whitespotted eagle ray. The multi-sensor device stayed attached for up to a record 60 hours, revealing how they feed, move and interact with other species. Virtually impossible to capture before, these insights now shed light into this threatened, understudied species that plays a vital role in marine ecosystems.

Researchers at Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have taken a great stride in supporting earthquake prevention research by developing a system for seafloor position measurements with centimeter-level precision. Combining the Global Navigation Satellite System–Acoustic and an unmanned aerial vehicle, the proposed system eliminates the need for manned surface vessels.

Magellanic penguins use ocean currents to save energy and find food on their way home, often following curved paths shaped by tides. They adjust their swimming based on current strength, showing a flexible strategy rather than always heading straight to their nests. This behaviour suggests they can sense and respond to changing ocean conditions.

Researchers installed coloured concrete panels on Sydney Harbour seawalls to test whether red, yellow, green and grey surfaces attract different marine life. The year-long experiment revealed surprising differences in which species chose each colour.

Finely preserved brain features in a tiny marine arthropod fossil suggest that arachnids – spiders and their close kin – may have first evolved in the ocean rather than on land, challenging conventional wisdom. The fossilized brain shows the reverse arrangement of the front-to-back organization found in present-day crustaceans, insects and centipedes, and horseshoe crabs.

Researchers in China have uncovered the first direct evidence: Approximately 436-million-year-old brachiopods from the early Silurian period used tiny, bristle-like structures called setae to maintain orderly, "checkerboard" spacing—ensuring they had enough room to thrive on the ancient seafloor.

Researchers have demonstrated a new eco-friendly plastic that decomposes in deep ocean conditions. In a deep-sea experiment, the microbially synthesized poly(d-lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) (LAHB) biodegraded, while conventional plastics such as a representative bio-based polylactide (PLA) persisted. Submerged 855 meters underwater, LAHB films lost over 80% of their mass after 13 months as microbial biofilms actively broke down the material. This real-world test establishes LAHB as a safer biodegradable plastic, supporting global efforts to reduce marine plastic waste.

Submarine canyons are among the most spectacular and fascinating geological formations to be found on our ocean floors, but at an international level scientists have yet to uncover many of their secrets, especially of those located in remote regions of the Earth like the North and South Poles. Now, an article published in the journal Marine Geology has brought together the most detailed catalogue to date of Antarctic submarine canyons, identifying a total of 332 canyon networks that in some cases reach depths of over 4,000 metres.