Deep sea fish rely on a molecular strengthener to prevent being crushed

How water pressure affects the body

The extreme conditions of the deep sea include increasing amounts of pressure as explorers and organisms descend into its depths. The major danger for both fish and humans is the way pressure changes how body tissues absorb chemical molecules...

The Southern Ocean's powerful circular current isolates organisms in its environment

The spiralling current churns up nutrients across the frigid waters, leading to the evolution of fantastical organisms, including century-old starfish and colossal squid, and unique adaptations, including the icefish's clear blood and organic antifreeze, over the past 30 million years.

The hormone that spreads love and helps fish share fear

Scientists consider emotions like fear and empathy to be among the oldest evolutionary behaviors observed in mammals. Yet to date, how these reactions are processed in the brain, regardless of species, is not well understood. A new study reveals how the chemical oxytocin—known as the "love hormone" in humans—helps let fish know when their friends are in danger.

Breaking down the challenges of alkaline environments and how extremophiles survive them

These areas are far less acidic than the interiors of most organisms' cells, and this imbalance draws protons that are needed for various metabolic processes, including energy production, out of cells. To counter these effects, some alkaliphiles have developed stronger proton regulation across their cellular membranes and proteins that drive these processes with greater stability amid such acidity imbalances.

Synthetic pheromones may protect coral reefs by attracting their predators

Researchers in Australia and Japan have developed these nontoxic chemicals to attract crown-of-thorns starfish, which consume corals that make up the Great Barrier Reef. As of 2026, synthetic pheromones have been shown to be effective in lab trials, and future field trials will attempt to lure starfish into areas for mass removal.

Explore the animals that populate the depths of the ocean, from fish and coral in the first few hundred feet, all the way down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

A look at how fish less than two inches long climb up 50-foot waterfalls

Shellears use tiny hooks on their front pectoral fins to grip rock like Velcro and take many pauses to recover energy between bursts of movement. Their pectoral girdle—an arch of bone—supports the muscle system needed for the roughly ten-hour climb.

Odor blockers use nonpolar oils to trap smelly polar molecules

In the case of feces, gut bacteria produce compounds such as skatole and hydrogen sulfide, which the brain registers as unpleasant. Because oils do not dissolve in water, they can be used to create a layer on the surface that prevents smelly compounds underwater from escaping into the air.

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

Watch how deep-sea mining equipment collects and processes polymetallic nodules—metal-rich, potato-shaped rocks—from the ocean floor and creates environmentally damaging plumes of sediments.

Mermaid tears are a lasting and hazardous form of ocean plastic pollution

Also known as nurdles, these tiny plastic pellets are extremely difficult to remove once spilled. Their chemical composition, which enhances absorption, causes them to contain higher concentrations of certain toxins than the surrounding environment.

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

Deep-sea trenches form when one tectonic plate subducts another underwater

Oceanic plates sink when colliding with less dense continental plates, bending the seafloor into steep depressions that can be almost 11 kilometers deep. Many of Earth’s strongest earthquakes occur at these plate boundaries, often featuring volcanic activity.

Tardigrades’ intrinsically disordered proteins may help preserve biological matter

Researchers have attempted to create more drought-resistant crops by introducing proteins that help protect tardigrades in their dehydrated tun state. The proteins’ ability to stabilize molecular degradation may allow scientists to develop refrigeration-free storage for vaccines, insulin, and blood.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.

An overview of the metals obtainable through deep-sea mining of nodules and crusts

Polymetallic nodules are a source of manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, molybdenum, and platinum, which are used in batteries, fuel cells, and metal alloys of electric vehicles. Seamount crusts contain rare-earth elements deemed essential to US national and economic security, including neodymium and dysprosium used to make permanent magnets.

Protein content and multiple fermentations create beer foam stability

Single-fermentation beers rely on protein viscosity for foam, with lipid transfer proteins transforming into stabilizing structures during fermentation. Scientists believe foam research may result in safer lubricants for electric vehicles.

Listen to recordings of different fish species

Scientists have captured and curated this collection of species-specific recordings, helping us gain a deeper understanding of underwater ecosystems. Uncover their sounds, which include a lot of thumps, burps, and grunts.

How helium enables MRI machines to look inside organisms

By cooling the machine's magnets with liquid helium to extremely low temperatures, they can generate and maintain powerful magnetic fields that align the hydrogen atoms in living things to point toward a patient's head or feet. A radio pulse nudges these atoms, which realign and induce a measurable signal in nearby electrical coils. These signals are captured in slices and then stacked into a 3D reconstruction.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

Adhesion molecules and intercellular junctions allow cells to connect together

While some organic structures are mostly composed of non-cellular components (e.g., collagen and calcium phosphate minerals in bones), tissues and organs composed of connected cells rely on specialized proteins and connections to create watertight seals that protect cells within the interior from environmental molecules.

Underwater data centers may provide an alternative to energy-intensive air cooling

By submerging electronic hardware into a non-conductive fluid, such as an oil with strong thermal transfer properties, significant thermal energy can be quickly drawn away from a chip and brought to the surface as warm materials rise. Thermal energy can then be removed from the fluid with a heat exchanger before it is recirculated.

Ozone protects against the sun's UV radiation and enhances the greenhouse effect

In the stratosphere, trioxygen molecules can absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching Earth's surface, where it can harm organisms and raise surface temperatures. In the lower atmosphere, ozone acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping thermal radiation.

Bluefin tuna, now used in high-end sushi, was once reserved for cat food

Until the ‘70s, the enormous fish were the base for cat food or, at times, thrown into the trash. Now it’s the most expensive fish in the ocean and is a popular topping for nigiri sushi thanks to the abundance of fat in its belly.

When experiencing turbulence, fluid elements undergo stretching and folding

Simulations show patches of fluid particles, such as splashes of milk, bend under turbulent flow, creating curvature that grows linearly then exponentially. This accelerated deformation enhances folding and mixing faster than other methods, such as stirring or beating.

Umami synergy—combining glutamates and nucleotides—can amplify a meal

While glutamates are known for triggering the umami taste through specific taste receptors, nucleotides like IMP and GMP can bind alongside glutamates to enhance the receptor's response. This union explains why certain classic food combinations like bacon and eggs taste exceptionally savory.

Stagnant lids found on Mercury, Mars, and the moon prevent tectonic activity

Unlike Earth’s lithosphere, which is composed of plates dragged by convection, the outer shells of observed terrestrial bodies in the solar system are not exposed to sufficient stress to be pulled apart. Earth is expected to develop a stagnant lid in about 1.45 billion years.

Why most atoms do not spontaneously break apart, despite protons repelling one another

At small scales, the strong nuclear force overwhelms electromagnetic repulsion between positively charged particles, keeping the nucleus intact. However, because the force's range is limited, it cannot provide the attraction needed to hold onto protons that are spread out across very large atomic nuclei.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Microtears in muscles from exercise cause fibers to grow back larger

Placing muscle under increased load or stress causes damage that requires rest to repair, leading to stronger, more enduring muscle over time. Muscles adapt to such increasing demands by improving their efficiency with approaches that include increasing the number of mitochondria housed in hundreds of thousands of muscle cells.

Engineering tall structures requires managing wind, earthquakes, and other destabilizing factors

Reinforced concrete, energy dampers, braced frames, flexible structures, and aerodynamic decks were among the methods implemented when building structures such as the Shanghai Tower, the Texas Super Skyscraper, and the South Rangitīkei Viaduct.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states