Dinos might have been beachcombers that dined on washed-up seafood, a new study has found. Marine plants have higher carbon isotope values than land plants and these reflect in the bodies of the animals that eat them. Researchers showed that carbon isotope traces in fossilized teeth and bones from coastal assemblages were consistently higher than the carbon isotope values of fossils from land-locked assemblages – a signature that could be linked to the consumption of seafood. The authors said the study highlights the connections terrestrial and marine ecosystems have and have had for millions of years.

UC Santa Cruz researchers adapted a new technique to measure chemical “alarm cues” from marine predators and forecast toxic algal blooms up to seven weeks in advance. This monitoring approach could be integrated into existing programs, providing coastal managers and shellfish growers with more than a month of extra warning time. The results contribute a new, top-down perspective on harmful algal bloom monitoring to help protect marine wildlife from fatal neurotoxin poisoning and prevent costly emergency shutdowns of California’s coastal fisheries.

Where are the great marine animals of the Mediterranean, such as the fin whale, the sperm whale or the bottlenose dolphin? How does their distribution change over the course of a few weeks? All indications suggest that these species shift between marine areas in a remarkably short time and over relatively small spatial scales. Some species, such as the striped dolphin, maintain a relatively stable presence in certain areas, while others, such as the fin whale, move and concentrate in different areas between one observation campaign to the next.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded DRI’s Alison Murray, molecular microbial ecologist and biological oceanographer, $18.4 million to lead a project that will pave the way for the next generation of Antarctic research. Titled “Genome Infrastructure catalyzing next Generation Antarctic Data, Access, Tools, and Analytics” (GIGA DATA), the work will produce an extensive database of genetic information. More than 250 Antarctic species’ genomes will be sequenced (including algae and mosses, terrestrial and marine invertebrates, birds, fish and marine mammals) alongside 600 ecosystem samples representing tens of thousands of microbial and viral genomic datasets. This project will unite these new data together with existing Antarctic sequencing efforts under a new, artificial intelligence-enabled cyberinfrastructure. The resulting digital platform will serve as an open, accessible data science gateway to Antarctic life. 

Scientists have helped solve a longstanding mystery about how Earth remained habitable after oxygen first accumulated in its atmosphere more than 2 billion years ago, providing evidence that an ancient ocean chemistry sustained life-friendly conditions.

Sultan Qaboos University researchers developed micro- and nanoscale surfaces that reduced bacterial and microalgal attachment under laboratory conditions. The findings offer a promising step toward developing more effective antifouling materials for marine and industrial applications.

Marine plastic debris can persist for long periods and gradually break down into microplastics that are difficult to remove. Researchers from Ritsumeikan University used a system dynamics model to examine how reducing marine plastic inputs and varying the timing and intensity of cleanup could affect plastic accumulation by 2050. The findings show that halting plastic inputs is essential but insufficient on its own. Earlier cleanup of legacy macroplastics can reduce accumulation, but at higher costs.