http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Critically endangered hawksbill turtles are no longer being sold as tourist souvenirs in the Dominican Republic after a powerful government campaign cracked down on shops illegally trading such items. More than 99 percent of these souvenirs have been withdrawn or confiscated the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reports. http://www.physorg.com/news157202108.html Biology Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:16:11 EST news157202108 (PhysOrg.com) -- Deep-sea corals from about 400 meters off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands are much older than once believed and some may be the oldest living marine organisms known to man. http://www.physorg.com/news157052167.html Biology Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:36:37 EST news157052167 (PhysOrg.com) -- Urban areas around the world are places of hidden biodiversity that need to be protected and encouraged through smart urban design, said an authority in green city design. http://www.physorg.com/news157042906.html Biology Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:03:00 EST news157042906 Using the natural glue that marine mussels use to stick to rocks, and a variation on the inkjet printer, a team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has devised a new way of making medical adhesives that could replace traditional sutures and result in less scarring, faster recovery times and increased precision for exacting operations such as eye surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news156599804.html Chemistry Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:57:14 EST news156599804 (AP) -- In the blue-green surf, 11 endangered North Atlantic right whales surface, jump and shoot mist high into the air through their blow holes. http://www.physorg.com/news156162732.html Space & Earth Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:33:00 EST news156162732 (PhysOrg.com) -- Anthropogenic, or human generated, sounds have the potential to significantly affect the lives of aquatic animals - from the individual animal`s well-being, right through to its reproduction, migration and even survival of the species. http://www.physorg.com/news156099748.html Biology Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:03:37 EST news156099748 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dust blown off the continents and deposited in the open ocean is an important source of nutrients for marine phytoplankton, the tiny algae that are the foundation of the ocean food web. But new findings show that some sources of dust also carry toxic elements that can kill marine phytoplankton. http://www.physorg.com/news155842133.html Space & Earth Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:31:39 EST news155842133 No matter how sophisticated modern medicine becomes, common ailments like fungal infections can outrun the best of the world's antibiotics. In people with compromised immune systems (like premature babies, AIDS victims or those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer) the risk is very high: contracting a fungal infection can be deadly. http://www.physorg.com/news154872417.html Biology Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:07:20 EST news154872417 The phenomenon of light emission by living organisms, bioluminescence, is quite common, especially in marine species. It is known that light is generated by chemical reactions in which oxygen molecules play an important part. In the animal world, these chemical reactions take place in special luminescent cells called photocytes. These are aggregated into complex light organs, in which the intensity of light is regulated by nerve impulses, and in which light can be modulated with the help of reflectors, lenses and filters. By these means, organisms can adjust the wavelength, diffusion and intensity of light according to need. But the exact mechanisms behind these processes remain shrouded in mystery. http://www.physorg.com/news154618501.html Biology Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:35:34 EST news154618501 During a research trip to Puerto Rico, ecologist James Porter took samples from underwater nuclear bomb target USS Killen, expecting to find evidence of radioactive matter - instead he found a link to cancer. Data revealed that the closer corals and marine life were to unexploded bombs from the World War II vessel and the surrounding target range, the higher the rates of carcinogenic materials. http://www.physorg.com/news154171806.html Space & Earth Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:32:30 EST news154171806 A unique study by a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has provided fresh evidence of fishing's impact on marine ecosystems. Scripps Oceanography graduate student researcher Loren McClenachan accessed archival photographs spanning more than five decades to analyze and calculate a drastic decline of so-called "trophy fish" caught around coral reefs surrounding Key West, Florida. http://www.physorg.com/news154106707.html Biology Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:25:36 EST news154106707 Earth's unique, forbidding ice oceans of the Arctic and Antarctic have revealed a trove of secrets to Census of Marine Life explorers, who were especially surprised to find at least 235 species live in both polar seas despite a distance of more than 13,000-kilometer distance in between. http://www.physorg.com/news153931795.html Biology Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:50:34 EST news153931795 A team of scientists, speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called for new awareness of the potential for antibiotic-resistant illnesses from the marine environment, and pointed to the marine realm as a source for possible cures of those threats. http://www.physorg.com/news153760926.html Space & Earth Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:22:28 EST news153760926 Over the last two decades, marine biologists have discovered lush forests of deep-sea corals and sponges growing on seamounts (underwater mountains) offshore of the California coast. It has generally been assumed that many of these animals live only on seamounts, and are found nowhere else. However, two new research papers show that most seamount animals can also be found in other deep-sea areas. Seamounts, however, do support particularly large, dense clusters of these animals. These findings may help coastal managers protect seamounts from damage by human activities. http://www.physorg.com/news153594680.html Biology Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:12:03 EST news153594680 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 Feb. 8 in Nature Geoscience, connects life at the surface to events occurring at extreme depths and pressures. http://www.physorg.com/news153323371.html Space & Earth Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:50:12 EST news153323371 Baby coral transplanted in the Sekisei coral-reef lagoon in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture under a coral-reef regeneration program are growing steadily, according to the Environment Ministry and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. http://www.physorg.com/news153241426.html Space & Earth Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:04:20 EST news153241426 (PhysOrg.com) -- The genome of a marine bacterium living 2,500 meters below the ocean's surface is providing clues to how life adapts in extreme environments, according to a paper published Feb. 6, 2009, in the journal PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news153152063.html Biology Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST news153152063 Climate change is about to cause a major upheaval in the shallow marine waters of Antarctica. Predatory crabs are poised to return to warming Antarctic waters and disrupt the primeval marine communities. http://www.physorg.com/news153044924.html Space & Earth Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:29:22 EST news153044924 The answer to what's killing the world's coral reefs may be found in a tiny chip that fits in the palm of your hand. http://www.physorg.com/news152994166.html Biology Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:23:19 EST news152994166 The specter of an ocean floor littered with dead shellfish, rock fish, sea stars and other marine life off the Oregon coast spurred Mark Snyder, a climate change expert, to investigate whether California's coast faced a similar calamity. http://www.physorg.com/news152808201.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:44:29 EST news152808201 Web visitors can now share the excitement of Census of Marine Life explorations as scientists uncover the mysteries of what lives below the surface of the global ocean. http://www.physorg.com/news152803130.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:19:29 EST news152803130 A part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Washington state from Canada's British Columbia, is a potential "hot spot" for toxic harmful algal blooms affecting the Washington and British Columbia coasts. http://www.physorg.com/news152561023.html Space & Earth Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:05:01 EST news152561023 Urgent action is needed to limit damages to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries, due to increasing ocean acidity, according to 155 of the world`s scientific experts who will release the Monaco Declaration this Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news152527254.html Space & Earth Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:41:24 EST news152527254 A possible solution to global warming may be further away than ever, according to a new report published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature this week. http://www.physorg.com/news152372775.html Space & Earth Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:46:44 EST news152372775 Becky Fowler was shipwreck-diving 66 feet below the surface, exploring a watery paradise, when she came face to face with a 4-inch-long, zebra-striped Cujo of the deep. http://www.physorg.com/news151834754.html Space & Earth Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:19:53 EST news151834754 Coral reefs around the world are in serious trouble from pollution, over-fishing, climate change and more. The last thing they need is an infection. But that's exactly what yellow band disease (YBD) is -a bacterial infection that sickens coral colonies. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and colleagues have found that YBD seems to be getting worse with global warming and announced that they've identified the bacteria responsible for the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news151649872.html Biology Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:58:24 EST news151649872 Sea otters living along the central California coast risk higher exposure to disease-causing parasites as a consequence of the food they eat and where they feed. http://www.physorg.com/news151607815.html Biology Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:17:34 EST news151607815 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists said Sunday they had uncovered new marine animals in their search of previously unexplored Australian waters, along with a bizarre carnivorous sea squirt and ocean-dwelling spiders. http://www.physorg.com/news151486966.html Biology Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:42:46 EST news151486966 Research published today reveals the major influence of fish on maintaining the delicate pH balance of our oceans, vital for the health of coral reefs and other marine life. http://www.physorg.com/news151251557.html Space & Earth Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:19:17 EST news151251557 At Hogwarts, Harry Potter uses an invisibility cloak to hide from his enemies. In nature, animals like cuttlefish and chameleons use the awe-inspiring tricks of camouflage to hide from theirs. http://www.physorg.com/news151250657.html Biology Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:04:17 EST news151250657