EurekAlert! Marine Science - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Oct-2026 17:15 ET (19-Oct-2026 21:15 GMT/UTC)

Nature’s capacity to ‘bounce-back’ when species are lost vastly overestimated

King's College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The idea that ecosystems carry plenty of back-up, so if a small number of species become extinct there is little harm, has been greatly overestimated.

Journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution

A symbiotic marketplace: Stability through flexibility

Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Brand loyal yet flexible: Small marine worms that live in close symbiosis with various bacteria are always open to new partnerships – and are therefore extremely successful.

Journal: Science Advances

Forests are dying along North Carolina’s coast – and it’s speeding up

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study finds that coastal forest loss in North Carolina’s Albermarle-Pamlico Peninsula began accelerating after 2010 and may still be speeding up. The study also found that N.C. lost more than 20% of its coastal forest between 1985 and 2021.

Journal: PLOS One

Reading the ocean’s snowflakes: How AI decodes marine snow

University of Rhode Island
Grant and Award Announcement

A steady “snowfall” of tiny particles carries carbon, nutrients and pollution from the ocean’s surface toward the deep sea. Scientists can see those particles sinking, but determining exactly what they contain is much harder. University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Research Professor Melissa Omand is turning to artificial intelligence to help solve that problem. The National Science Foundation awarded nearly $700,000 to the team for the three-year project, which is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and run through December 2029.

Warmer oceans and increasing disease put coral reefs at risk

University of Georgia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Disease and heat pose a deadly combination for coral reefs, according to a new University of Georgia study.

Journal: Coral Reefs

Underwater umbrellas for coral reefs could help protect against heat damage, study finds

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Historically high sea temperatures are damaging coral reefs around the world. Very high heat stress leads to coral bleaching, and prolonged bleaching can lead to coral colony death. But now scientists have found a simple method that can help protect the most vulnerable Caribbean corals: the installation of temporary shades, which protect against UV and irradiance damage, over particularly delicate corals. In an experiment in the Florida Keys, carried out in 2024 — the second-hottest summer on record in those waters — they found these shades minimized bleaching and even helped corals recover some of their color, indicating improved health.

Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science
Funder: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

SUTD researchers develop robot that falls like a maple seed and sails like a boat

Singapore University of Technology and Design
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at SUTD have built a robotic platform that can be dropped from the air onto remote waters and sail autonomously using wind energy, pairing rapid aerial deployment with the potential for long duration marine monitoring.

Scientists develop ‘floating scarecrow’ to protect threatened seabirds

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research has shown that a “floating scarecrow” developed by UK-based scientists and a repurposed bird-scaring kite can help save threatened seabirds from getting caught in fishing nets.

Journal: Conservation Letters

Researchers uncover the mechanics behind the oarfish's unusual swimming style

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell University researchers have revealed how the oarfish generates the wave-like motions that power its distinctive style of swimming. A new study, published in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology, is the first to describe the anatomy and series of muscles that allow each of the oarfish’s fin rays to rotate independently in a full circle, like a joystick.

Journal: Ichthyology & Herpetology

How sea squirts perceive underwater noise

Ruhr-University Bochum
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Shipping, construction work, and other human activities are altering the acoustic conditions in our planet’s seas. Sound pressure is often examined to determine the effects that this underwater noise has on marine organisms. However, these observations may not be thorough enough for creatures that live on the sea floor. A research team working alongside Dr. Mareike Huhn from the Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology at Ruhr University Bochum thus wanted to find out how sea squirts respond to underwater noise. Sea squirts are small tunicates that live a sedentary existence, attaching themselves to the seabed, rocks, or other substrates. The researchers discovered that these animals do not respond to the sound pressure so much as they do to vibrations. The team published their findings in the scientific journal Marine Biology from August 18, 2026.

Journal: Marine Biology

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