http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from NOAA have discovered a potent and highly-debilitating toxin in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, a first-of-its-kind chemical finding that is now prompting investigations of other marine mammals in the state. http://phys.org/news226750029.html Biology Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:20:02 EST news226750029 Marine species facing threats from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico far exceed those under legal protection in the United States, a new paper in the journal BioScience finds. University of New Hampshire professor Fred Short and others found 39 additional marine species beyond the 14 protected by federal law that are at an elevated risk of extinction. These species, which range from whale sharks to seagrass, should receive priority for protection and restoration efforts, the authors advocate. http://phys.org/news224339665.html Biology Wed, 11 May 2011 13:34:49 EST news224339665 A paleontologist suspects foul play in the death of two seals found along the shoreline in Santa Cruz County. http://phys.org/news219519278.html Other Sciences Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:34:53 EST news219519278 In the first census of its kind, research led by UC Davis and Stanford University found that there are far fewer white sharks off central California than biologists had thought. http://phys.org/news218863792.html Biology Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:50:11 EST news218863792 Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said. http://phys.org/news217660403.html Space & Earth Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:13:37 EST news217660403 Catalan researchers have studied the marine trophic network in Mauritania, on the north west coast of Africa, which is an extremely heavily exploited fishing area, as well as being home to two of the world's most threatened species of marine mammal – the monk seal and the Atlantic hump-backed dolphin. The results of the study show that industrial and traditional fishing activities along the coast are putting these mammals and local marine ecosystems at great danger. http://phys.org/news214828515.html Biology Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:10:01 EST news214828515 Sharks may be unable to distinguish between colours, according to a lab study published on Tuesday that could benefit swimmers, surfers and sharks themselves. http://phys.org/news214567038.html Biology Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:57:37 EST news214567038 (AP) -- The weak and woozy California sea lion found on a San Francisco Bay-area beach in December with buckshot embedded in its skull has become an all-too-common sight for wildlife officials. http://phys.org/news213196763.html Biology Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:19:58 EST news213196763 Without maps or GPS, great white sharks travel thousand of miles roundtrip from California to Hawaii or Australia to South Africa. Sea turtles hatched on the beaches of Florida travel the currents of the North Atlantic Gyre to Europe, Africa and South America before heading home. http://phys.org/news212739719.html Biology Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:23:44 EST news212739719 Dolphins along coast of Argentina could experience a significant loss of genetic diversity because some of the animals that accidently die when tangled in fishing nets are related. According to a new genetic analysis published this week in the journal PLoS One, Franciscana dolphins that die as by-catch are more than a collection of random individuals: many are most likely mother-offspring pairs. This result, which suggests reduced genetic diversity and reproductive potential, could have significant implications for the conservation of small marine mammals. http://phys.org/news211655792.html Biology Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:16:49 EST news211655792 In the 24-hour news cycle era, the Deepwater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico already feels like an event from yesteryear, an event that had its 15 minutes of news domination during the summer of 2010 then made room for the next big story once the wellhead was capped. http://phys.org/news211628725.html Space & Earth Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:45:53 EST news211628725 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers recently completed a two-month research project off the Southern California coast, part of a collaboration to study marine mammal behavior and responses to sounds in the ocean. http://phys.org/news206894864.html Biology Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:00:01 EST news206894864 Whale feces -- should you be forced to consider such matters -- probably conjure images of, well, whale-scale hunks of crud, heavy lumps that sink to the bottom. But most whales actually deposit waste that floats at the surface of the ocean, "very liquidy, a flocculent plume," says University of Vermont whale biologist, Joe Roman. http://phys.org/news206096435.html Biology Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:30:01 EST news206096435 (AP) -- Only 24 of several dozen pilot whales stranded on a remote northern New Zealand beach survived a stormy first night ashore despite rescuers' desperate efforts to save them, officials said Thursday. http://phys.org/news204436935.html Biology Thu, 23 Sep 2010 05:02:37 EST news204436935 A potent toxin produced by bright-green blooms of freshwater bacteria has been flowing into the ocean and poisoning sea otters, according to a team of investigators led by scientists at the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the University of California, Santa Cruz. http://phys.org/news203595019.html Space & Earth Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:10:37 EST news203595019 Scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of marine mammal travel patterns using a large-scale tracking network. A new PLoS collection, created in conjunction with the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) Program and the Census of Marine Life (CoML), will highlight the variety of ways scientists are using this large POST network to trace marine animal movement in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. The PLoS POST Collection launches on August 31st. http://phys.org/news202453799.html Biology Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:00:04 EST news202453799 (PhysOrg.com) -- A combination of the biology of marine mammals, mechanical vibrations and acoustics has led to a breakthrough discovery allowing scientists to better understand the potential harmful effects of sound on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. http://phys.org/news202456235.html Biology Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:50:49 EST news202456235 Australia and Japan boast some of the planet's most diverse oceans but thousands of organisms remain unknown to science and global warming is a huge marine peril, a major new census says. http://phys.org/news199990864.html Biology Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:40:01 EST news199990864 A new article published in the July 29 issue of the international journal Nature reveals for the first time that microscopic marine algae known as "phytoplankton" have been declining globally over the 20th century. http://phys.org/news199471106.html Biology Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:00:02 EST news199471106 The crew of a catamaran made from plastic bottles and about to complete a Pacific crossing said Friday they hoped their odyssey would highlight the danger that plastic waste poses to the oceans. http://phys.org/news199108987.html Space & Earth Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:40:01 EST news199108987 (PhysOrg.com) -- Recording units on the sea floor will help Cornell researchers analyze the potential impact of oil clouds in the Gulf of Mexico on marine mammals. http://phys.org/news198242821.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:40:01 EST news198242821 (AP) -- Tags, tissue samples and sound are among methods being used on a scientific cruise to study the Gulf of Mexico oil spill's effects on whales and other endangered animals. http://phys.org/news197282107.html Space & Earth Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:35:34 EST news197282107 International Whaling Commission scientists have warned that a seismic survey in Russia's Far East could push a critically endangered population of whales closer to extinction. http://phys.org/news196585916.html Biology Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:40:01 EST news196585916 As the future of whales once more comes under global debate, some scientists say the marine mammals are not only smarter than thought but also share several attributes once claimed as exclusively human. http://phys.org/news196222405.html Biology Sun, 20 Jun 2010 03:13:37 EST news196222405 (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Florida researchers have discovered a 10-million-year-old Neotropical nursery area for the extinct megalodon shark in Panama, providing fossil evidence the fish used these areas to protect their young for millions of years. http://phys.org/news192814578.html Other Sciences Tue, 11 May 2010 16:40:12 EST news192814578 The appearance of a grey whale off the coast of Israel has stunned scientists, in what was thought to be the first time the giant mammal has been seen outside the Pacific in several hundred years. http://phys.org/news192805182.html Biology Tue, 11 May 2010 14:30:01 EST news192805182 (PhysOrg.com) -- UConn marine scientist Ann Bucklin headed one of the projects, surveying zooplankton around the world. http://phys.org/news190987289.html Biology Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:30:04 EST news190987289 An international team of Oregon State University scientists, documentary filmmakers and environmental advocates has uncovered an apparent illegal trade in whalemeat, linking whales killed in Japan's controversial scientific whaling program to sushi restaurants in Seoul, South Korea, and Los Angeles, Calif. http://phys.org/news190406841.html Biology Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:48:14 EST news190406841 (PhysOrg.com) -- A young Hawaiian monk seal that was removed from the wild last year for treatment and rehabilitation is providing researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a rare opportunity to study the physiology of this critically endangered species. http://phys.org/news188146946.html Biology Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:02:43 EST news188146946 (AP) -- The overall number of animals in the Arctic has increased over the past 40 years ago, according to a new international study. But critters who live closest to the North Pole are disappearing. http://phys.org/news188068119.html Space & Earth Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:10:01 EST news188068119