Echinoderms are a phylum of exclusively marine deuterostome invertebrates characterized by pentaradial symmetry in adults, a calcareous endoskeleton composed of ossicles, and a unique water vascular system that operates tube feet for locomotion, feeding, and gas exchange. Major classes include Asteroidea (sea stars), Echinoidea (sea urchins, sand dollars), Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers), Ophiuroidea (brittle stars), and Crinoidea (feather stars). They exhibit mutable collagenous tissues enabling rapid changes in body stiffness, and possess high regenerative capacity. Echinoderms are key model systems in developmental and evolutionary biology, particularly for studying deuterostome embryogenesis and larval–adult body plan transitions.
Australia is home to some of the world's most beautiful reefs. This includes the lush Great Southern Reef, which wraps around Australia's southern coastline, and the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef.
Ecology
4 hours ago
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Echinoderms, such as starfish, sea urchins and sea lilies, use small, flexible, tubular projections called "tube feet" for locomotion, feeding, respiration and sensory perception. Crinoids, a subgroup of echinoderms, are ...
At first glance, bat sea stars, the nubbly, orange, many-footed creatures often found on the seafloor, seem about as far from humans as one can get. Appearances can be deceiving, however. Scientists have found evidence showing ...
Evolution
Jun 23, 2026
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From the revived corpse of Frankenstein's monster to the disembodied hand, "Thing," in the Addams Family, reanimated tissue is one of the most enduring images in science fiction. It turns out, that image has some basis in ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 27, 2026
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During the development of marine organisms—from fertilization through to juvenile stages—it is often observed that the eggs released into the water column are initially supplied with only a small fraction of the energy they ...
Ecology
Apr 24, 2026
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Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving ...
Ecology
Apr 21, 2026
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A "perfect storm" of conditions combining upwelling from the deep with run off from the land may be driving crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef. In new research from the Australian Institute ...
Ecology
Apr 15, 2026
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The growth form of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is composed of shoots known as stipes instead of branches. From one parent holding fast to the hard bottom might come as many as 150 stipes. Typically, the tips of the ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 5, 2026
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Nature does it again! The natural world has a knack for giving us the blueprints for some useful technologies, and the humble sea urchin is the latest contributor. Scientists have designed a new class of smart sensors by ...
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the University of Bonn has shown that pH value is crucial for sperm motility in sea urchins and salmon. An increase in pH activates the enzyme adenylyl ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 22, 2026
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