Sea sponges offer hope for new medicines

(Phys.org)—Flinders University researcher Dr Jan Bekker is on a mission to chemically fingerprint South Australia's marine sponges, with the wider aim of identifying new compounds that could ultimately play an important ...

A Zen discovery: Unrusted iron in ocean

Iron dust, the gold of the oceans and rarest nutrient for most marine life, can be washed down by rivers or blown out to sea or - a surprising new study finds - float up from the sea floor. The discovery, published online ...

Mysterious ocean-floor trails show Arctic sponges on the move

The aquatic animal known as the sponge is often described as entirely sessile: once they've settled in a spot and matured, they aren't generally thought of as moving around. But, according to a new study in the journal Current ...

Super-rare giant sponge discovered in seahorse hotspot

A seahorse survey conducted by Fauna & Flora international (FFI) and its partners in Cambodia's first dedicated marine protected area has served up a spectacular surprise in the shape of a super-sized – and incredibly rare ...

Could coral reefs become sponge reefs in the future?

International research has suggested that many coral species won't survive beyond the end of this century, but marine biologists at Victoria University are offering an alternative scenario.

Synthetic cells used to bioengineer new forms of silica

(Phys.org) -- Scientists do not fully understand how nature uses proteins to develop new materials and minerals, but learning more about the natural processes could lead to bioengineering methods such as the biological synthesis ...

page 1 from 5