Science News Roundup
A roundup of science news stories including making ethanol from nitrogen out of thin air, and an uptick in mercury levels in tuna.
Resilient Reefs
Researchers apply principles of agricultural science to conserve coral reefs.
Magnetic Sea Turtles
Loggerhead sea turtles use the Earth’s magnetic fields to find their way back to the beaches where they were born, many years later.
Penguin Genomes
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of two penguin species, revealing much about how they’ve adapted to inhospitable environments.
Ocean Plastics
Scientists are getting a better handle on how much plastic we put into the oceans, and what effects it’s having.
Ocean Chemicals
The U.S. has banned some fire retardants because of their toxicity. But the same chemicals are also produced naturally by marine life.
Podcast for 9 October 2014
OCEAN SCIENCE (Encore Presentation) - Old warships become new habitats. An ocean quadcopter gives researchers a sky-high view of the stormy North Atlantic. And, autonomous underwater vehicles that search for sunken treasure. Also, behind the untimely death of the octopus.
Yacht Data Collection
A plan to turn recreational sailors into citizen scientists.
Sniffing Out Reefs
Saving degraded coral reefs may be difficult, because juvenile corals and fish won't return to them.
TB’s Unexpected Journey
Marine mammals brought tuberculosis to South Americans from Africa more than 1000 years ago.
Terminator Fish
The red lionfish is hunting small reef fish to local extinctions.
Octopus Supermom
A deep-sea octopus sits on her eggs for four and a half years - possibly without eating.
Toxic Microplastics
Plastics in the ocean soak up toxins, and could harm sea life.
Inside of a Whale
Scientists are just beginning to understand the specialized anatomical features that allow whale songs to propagate underwater.
Ocean Chemicals
The U.S. has banned some fire retardants because of their toxicity. But the same chemicals are also produced naturally by marine life.
Phylochip
A computer chip can test for a wide variety of microbes in the environment.
Robo-Clam
The Atlantic razor clam, famous for its digging prowess, is a model for potentially useful robots.
Fisheries Bycatch
A global perspective is needed to cut down on the unintentional casualties of commercial fishing.
Sea Turtle Tracking
Scientists are using satellites to track the mysterious migrations of young sea turtles.
Detecting Fish
An image processing algorithm helps find fish in a sea of data.
Shark Isotopes
Researchers are testing better ways to find out what sharks eat.
3-D Underwater Microscope
Scientists are testing a new 3-D underwater microscope to study tiny marine predators.