Published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, a team led by Kunto Wibowo of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, part of Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), has formally described Tomiyamichthys oriens sp. nov., a small reef fish characterised by radiant orange blotches along its flanks and a pair of elegant filaments trailing from the first dorsal fin of males. Its name pays tribute to both its fiery colouration and birthplace.

The latests assessment of South Africa’s marine biodiversity has added more than 1,000 marine benthic invertebrate species to the country’s known fauna since 2010, bringing the total known marine diversity to more than 14,000 species. The study highlights the critical role of taxonomy, museum collections, and DNA-based approaches in uncovering hidden biodiversity, while revealing significant gaps in our understanding of South Africa’s marine life.

What gives sharks their extraordinary speed, agility and endurance? It’s not just their muscles or powerful tails – it’s the hidden architecture inside their spines. Using high-resolution micro-CT imaging, researchers found that great white, shortfin mako and porbeagle sharks have rigid, mineral-rich spines built for speed, while sand tiger sharks evolved more flexible vertebrae for maneuverability. Common thresher sharks have reinforced spinal structures for powerful tail strikes, and basking sharks possess lightly mineralized spines adapted for slow, energy-efficient cruising.

More than 120 fish species have already migrated from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean since the opening of the Suez Canal over 150 years ago. Now, researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a statistical model capable of predicting which species are likely to be next.

Invasive rats on tropical islands are creating winners and losers among the tiny underwater animals near the bottom of the food chain that inhabit surrounding coral reefs.

Researchers at Lancaster University and the University of Texas say the changes to these marine ecosystems can rewire food chains on the reefs.

Results show that the main mode of seabird nutrients moving up food webs is through fish, which feed both specialised fish-eating predators and more generalised carnivores. As such, when seabird nutrients are added or taken away from ecosystems, there is a rewiring of how energy travels up food webs, and a reconfiguration of larger fish communities.

Wild seabirds that face high energy demands during the breeding season go on to migrate farther and raise more chicks the next year, but at a cost to their own survival. An international team, led by researchers from Nagoya University, raised the energy cost of flight for some birds and tracked them through the next year of their annual cycle. The researchers introduce a concept called "energetic flexibility" and offer rare experimental evidence for how the costs of one season carry over to shape the next. The study appears in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Researchers at Reichman University have developed an innovative biological method for protecting marine infrastructure from corrosion caused by prolonged exposure to seawater. The study, published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell Reports Physical Science, presents an environmentally friendly alternative to the chemical corrosion inhibitors currently used to protect metals — materials that can be both polluting and costly.

The Office of Naval Research has released its new Science and Technology Strategy, which serves as a roadmap for the future to meet complex challenges facing the Department of the Navy and broader Department of War.

New research from the University of St Andrews and Université de Neuchâtel, has uncovered the mechanism which allows sperm whales to sleep in a unique vertical position, just under the ocean surface.