New research into the anatomy of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) reveals a unique nanostructure in their skin that produces their iconic blue colouration, but intriguingly, also suggests a potential capacity for colour change.

Researchers from the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK) have suggested that a combination of sewage overflows and coastal winds could be sending billions of airborne microplastic particles into the world’s coastal towns and cities. Their study has for the first time drawn together existing research which has highlighted the presence of microplastics in sewage overspills, and the role of the wind in picking up and transporting sea spray and sea foam into the air and onto land.

The Greenland shark – the world's longest-living vertebrate – is most often associated with cold Arctic waters. However, a new international study led by researchers from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and the University of Copenhagen shows that Skagerrak probably serves as a nursery area for young Greenland sharks. The study also points out that Greenland sharks are not born in Greenland or anywhere else in the Arctic.

We investigated the composition of fish life history strategies across 14 major rivers worldwide and found that variation in environmental factors plays a key role in shaping riverine fish assemblages and life history strategies. In the Yangtze River basin, we observed a shift in environmental conditions from stable to unstable states. These findings highlight the potential of life history strategies as effective indicators for monitoring riverine ecological conditions.

Ecosystems are characterized by interconnected structure and functions. A study published July 8^th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Casey Benkwitt at Lancaster University, United Kingdom and colleagues suggests that restoring seabird populations via eradication of rats may help coral reefs by restoring nutrient connectivity in disrupted food chains.

Are opinions on controversial political issues as divided as many people perceive them to be? Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen and the University of California Merced have addressed this question in a study recently published in PNAS Nexus.

While well documented in the Northern Hemisphere and Antarctica, much less is known about killer whales  (Orcinus orca) in Australia. However, orcas are actually sighted year-round in all coastal states and territories and a new Flinders University study has now mapped this across three key regions.

Research led by Flinders University’s Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) models the distribution of killer whales in Australian waters, shedding light on habitat preferences and uncovering ecological distinctions between populations.

Fish make hanging motionless in the water column look effortless, and scientists had long assumed that this meant it was a type of rest. Now, a new study reveals that fish use nearly twice as much energy when hovering in place compared to resting. This more robust understanding of how fish actively maintain their position could inform the design of underwater robots or drones.

A contribution of 1 per cent of all global investments in offshore wind projects by 2050 is sufficient for large-scale restoration of marine nature. That was revealed by an international study led by The Rich North Sea program (De Rijke Noordzee) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), and published in the scientific journal Bioscience on 7 July.

A new autonomous underwater vehicle imaged a previously unexplored portion of the seafloor in ultra-deep waters near the Mariana Trench. Operationalizing this technology for the first time was part of a mission led by the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, based at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the U.S. Geological Survey.