Marine life
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Genes help some coral cope with low oxygen
Researchers study varied stress susceptibility on reefs.
Low oxygen levels in the ocean prevent coral from respiring properly and could be as much of a threat to the world’s ...
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Conversation
Sea sponge with quite a story to tell
Unravelling a very old mystery of evolution.
By Emily S Wong, UNSW, Australia Many human traits, such as height and disease susceptibility, depend on genes tha...
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Rare Bigfin Squid in Australian waters
Scientists record some striking footage.
Australia is home to a host of weird and wonderful creatures, and now it can add the rare Bigfin Squid to its invento...
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Some (coral) like it hot
New CRISPR technique isolates heat tolerance gene.
Warming oceans are bad news for coral, but an improved CRISPR-Cas9 technique has revealed a “heat shield” gene that c...
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How crown-of-thorns starfish get around
Homing behaviours linked to coral abundance.
Marine time-lapse photography has given scientists more clues to the movements and habits of crown-of-thorns starfish...
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Focus
Cosmos Q&A: Saving our fishes
There’s much to learn about life in inland waterways.
Australian freshwater fishes have a tough time of it. The thing they most need – water – is regularly in short supply...
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Yes, megalodons were really big
Researchers confirm gigantism of the extinct species.
The megalodon (Otodus megalodon) has a long-standing reputation as one of the largest sharks to have roamed the ocean...
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Heading south? You’ve changed your tune
Acoustic signatures linked to blue whale migration.
Changes in whale song may predict planned migration, a new US study suggests. Researchers from Stanford University...
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Dives of distinction
Cuvier’s beaked whales continue to surprise.
Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) are continuing to prove why they’re considered the superstars of the div...
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Conversation
A new genetic tool to help classify coral
To conserve our reefs you first have to understand them.
By Tom Bridge, Andrew Baird and Peter Cowman (James Cook University) and Andrea Quattrini (Smithsonian Institution) ...
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Citizen Science
Keeping track of moving marine life
Let Redmap know if you see something out of place.
Each week Cosmos takes a look at projects and news about citizen science in Australia. This week, we talk to Gretta P...
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When sea anemones behave like plants
If they overeat, they put on tentacles.
The number of tentacles, or arms, that a sea anemone has depends on how much food it has eaten, researchers have disc...