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NZ has a vast sea territory but lags behind other nations in protecting the ocean
15 June 2025 @ 7:20 pm
For the past fortnight, the city of Nice in France has been the global epicenter of ocean science and politics.
Universal framework enables custom 3D point spread functions for advanced imaging
15 June 2025 @ 3:40 pm
Engineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have introduced a universal framework for point spread function (PSF) engineering, enabling the synthesis of arbitrary, spatially varying 3D PSFs using diffractive optical processors. The research is published in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
'Like an underwater bushfire': South Australia's marine algal bloom is still killing almost everything in its path
15 June 2025 @ 3:40 pm
South Australian beaches have been awash with foamy, discolored water and dead marine life for months. The problem hasn't gone away; it has spread.
Amazon canopy trees reveal complex strategies for managing intense light and heat
15 June 2025 @ 2:40 pm
In a recent study published in New Phytologist, researchers at Michigan State University have uncovered how Amazon rainforest canopy trees manage the intense sunlight they absorb—revealing resilience to hot and dry conditions in the forest canopy while also offering a way to greatly improve the monitoring of canopy health under increasing extreme conditions.
Feather-legged lace weaver spider kills prey by covering it with toxic silk
15 June 2025 @ 12:00 pm
A research team has found that a common spider kills its prey with poison but does not inject it into them—instead, it covers them with a web of silk and then covers the silk with regurgitated toxins. In their study published in the journal BMC Biology, the group collected several spider samples to study under a microscope in their lab and observed as the spiders killed prey.
Galapagos tortoise celebrates his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day at Zoo Miami
15 June 2025 @ 11:20 am
A South Florida zoo's oldest resident celebrated his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day on Sunday.
As Antarctic sea ice shrinks, iconic emperor penguins are in more peril than previously thought
15 June 2025 @ 11:10 am
When winter comes to Antarctica, seals and Adélie penguins leave the freezing shores and head for the edge of the forming sea ice. But emperor penguins stay put.
France's final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on
14 June 2025 @ 7:20 pm
In recent months, the viability of France's nuclear arsenal has been making headlines with talk of a French "nuclear umbrella" that might shield its allies on the European continent. In the face of the Russia-Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements regarding the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in that conflict, the question of how to best defend Europe has taken on an urgency not seen since the height of the Cold War.
Carbon dioxide removal methods could worsen marine oxygen loss, study warns
14 June 2025 @ 4:40 pm
Methods to enhance the ocean's uptake of carbon dioxide (CO₂) are being explored to help tackle the climate crisis. However, some of these approaches could significantly exacerbate ocean deoxygenation. Their potential impact on marine oxygen must therefore be systematically considered when assessing their suitability.
Saturday Citations: Chatbots easily tricked; better strength training; dynamics of a neural 'reward map'
14 June 2025 @ 12:30 pm
This week, the state of Florida reached a "startling milestone" in the effort to eradicate invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades. Archaeologists found the 6,000-year-old remains of a teen girl with cranial modification. And a study of the moons of Uranus provides more confirmation that the planet is just really weird.