Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), in collaboration with international partners, have developed a novel approach to addressing uncertainties in ecological and environmental projections, providing a more robust assessment of extinction risk for emperor penguins. The study, which accounts for the unique life history and critical dependence of emperor penguins on the Antarctic environment, reveals that emperor penguins meet the criteria for uplisting to a category ranging from Vulnerable to Endangered under the IUCN guidelines on risk and uncertainty (IUCN, 2024). This represents a significant and urgent change from their current classification of Near Threatened, highlighting the elevated risk emperor penguins face due to future changes in their Antarctic habitat.

Imagine the world’s oceans with their beautiful blue color. Now, imagine that the same oceans were green. This is the intriguing possibility suggested by new research from Nagoya University in Japan. A research group has found evidence that cyanobacteria, important bacteria in the evolutionary process, flourished in green seas. Their findings not only tell us about the history of our planet but also suggest a new way to look for alien life on other planets.

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, has uncovered evidence of far-reaching ecosystem consequences following the disappearance of Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) from False Bay, South Africa. The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, spans over two decades and documents cascading ecological disruptions, underscoring the crucial role apex predators play in maintaining ocean health.

This study achieved CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), China's most economically vital freshwater fish. Targeting the tyrb gene critical for pigmentation were performed. Mutations confirmed by sequencing caused a golden phenotype with melanophore reduction. Using multiple gRNAs enhanced mutation rates (88.9%) and triggered large DNA deletions. This successful gene editing in grass carp enables rapid creation of golden germplasm, addressing industry demands for improved aquaculture varieties.

For new research, published in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, ten fishermen working around islands in the Aegean Sea were asked to pinpoint areas where they believed seagrass beds could be found along the coastlines of their respective islands. The maps they produced were then compared with satellite data of the same regions, with analysis showing an average accuracy of 78% – and a high of 92%. Researchers from the University of Plymouth and the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation say the results are a clear demonstration of the value of tapping into local knowledge, and how doing so can be a low-cost means of generating environmental data without compromising the high accuracy needed for the data to be still valuable for policy use.

Researchers have documented the northernmost record of the highly invasive silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus, in the Mediterranean, raising concerns about its impact on marine biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal tourism.

A research group led by Prof. DANG Fei from the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. ZHONG Huan from Nanjing University, has uncovered a significant yet often overlooked consequence of microplastic pollution: its detrimental impact on photosynthesis—a critical process underpinning Earth's primary productivity and food security.

Great hammerhead sharks are slow to grow and slow to reproduce, which makes them very vulnerable to overfishing — worldwide populations have shrunk and genetic diversity is dangerously low. To conserve these sharks, identifying the habitats they use and when they use them is critical. Scientists tagging and tracking sharks near Andros Island in the Bahamas have now discovered that although some sharks travel to the east coast of the US, others prefer to stick closer to home, living in the warm waters around Andros and returning to the same sites year after year.