Proposed changes to the US Endangered Species Act could weaken coral protections in Guam.
Scientists urge stronger, genus-level safeguards for the endangered ππ€π³π°π±π°π³π’ to prevent further reef decline. @colinjanthony.bsky.social https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aee4748
DM me if you want the proper pdf copy π
Please share widely! We just want to start a discussion. Thanks π
Beyond that, we discuss the difficulty of conserving coral reef ecosystems due to a complex taxonomy and a highly sensitive ecosystem.
Our letter does a few things, but specifically it points to the US Federal government's recent tendency to weaken conservation policy thus allowing military and economic developments to avoid regulation.
Hello Hello! I'd like to share our recent letter on coral reef-related policy published in Science!
πͺΈπͺΈπͺΈ
Endangered Species Act changes threaten reefs www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
πͺΈπͺΈπͺΈ
More below β¬οΈ
Microalgae underpin some of the oceanβs most iconic symbioses, most notably with reef-building corals. Yet, sailing the high seas is a new symbiosis. Using a series of advanced imaging techniques, we provide the first look at this previously undescribed partnership. Despite convergence of the cnidarianβalgal relationship, unique morphological localization indicates an independently evolved, biologically novel endosymbiotic strategy different from all known symbioses. Amazingly, these sailing cnidarians seem analogous to an autonomous greenhouse fueling its reproductive medusoid stages for life in the open ocean.
Science hangout on a Tuesday night?
Come learn about blue button jellies at 7:30 pm EST on March 17th!
Speaker: Colin J Anthony, The University of Tokyo
Zoom link: u-tokyo-ac-jp.zoom.us/j/8103036128...
Meeting ID: 810 3036 1288
Passcode: 527641
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science π ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
The urge to write one of these grows as my inbox overflows with such journals...
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
SΓΆnke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence π¦π§ͺπ
Community-collected data and genetics research helped prove what scientists suspected for centuries: bluebottles aren't one species, they're four! Learn more: tr.ee/tZsAXV
#InverteFest
Check our latest paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social about the unique sex determination system in Nautilus β‘οΈ XX/XY chromosomes unlike other cephalopods (ZZ/Z0).
with @reef-combo.bsky.social and @anariesgo.bsky.social et al., and led by Hector Torrado.
Get it: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lbs~_LsQS...
Can't wait to hear all about it!
π¨π¨Weβre hiring graduate students!π¨π¨
We are hiring 1-2 PhD students to start sometime in 2026 (Fall start dates preferred). Opportunities to work on a diversity of eco-evo-immuno and symbiosis projects!
Deadline Oct 15! Please share broadly!
Info here: tinyurl.com/y2abjsem
Marine biodiversity: Gone with the wind? Our dispatch out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social
New research shows that wind and currents act as invisible barriers, reshaping our view of ocean connectivity. ππͺΌ
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lYLj3QW8S...
@iramaegele.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
JellyCamp2025. Coming up in October, hosted at Mystic Aquarium!! www.maritimeaquarium.org/jelly-camp-2...
iNaturalist has officially documented a northward range expansion of upside-down jellyfish in Florida! π
Absolutely stoked to see community generated data make hugely impactful discoveries like this! And more stoked to have worked with Myles and the Strader Lab at Texas A&M. π₯³π
Please Enjoy!
Animals that live at the oceanβs surface (Anthony et al. 2024 Current Biology)
Are you interested in open ocean organisms? Specifically the one's at the surface?
πͺΌ π π
If so, message me. We are starting a collaborative community to exchange ideas and communicate research. The field is new, so let's push it in the right direction together! π
BEHOLD! One of Earth's greatest lineages of life: the lil wiggle arm guys, Meteora.
These single-celled critters, originally found in deep-sea sediments, are SO DIFFERENT from other lifeforms on Earth that they're likely in their own kingdom (as in, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom etc). π§ͺπΏ
The Plants, The Animals, and The Wiggles ~~~~~~~
Drosophila picticornis, a Hawaiian fly with patterned wings
Wish I could be at #Evol2025 this year! Iβll be starting a new lab at NYU this fall, and will be recruiting at all levels. Please spread the word if you know anyone who wants to work on evo. genomics, phylogenies, and comparative development of inverts (like Hawaiian Drosophila!) shchurch.github.io
Physalia megalista, a cnidiran with a gas filled float, raised sail, and long blue tentacles hanging below. Image credit: Dalila DestanoviΔ
Excited to share our study on sailing siphonophores, AKA bluebottles or man-o'-war! π we received hundreds of samples from scientists around the world, part of a huge effort to sequence genomes and test for multiple species 𧬠out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... π¦π§ͺπ
"When I moved to America from Russia to join a biology lab at Harvard Medical School in 2023, it felt as if I found my dream job. America was a paradise for science...Instead, my visa was revoked and I was sent to a detention center in Louisiana."
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
Sightings of these on Guam... interesting jelly
NEW PAPER ON CORAL RESTORATION PUBLISHED IN ONE EARTH!
πππ
Within we find a lack of knowledge on basic coral biology limits innovation.
πͺΈπͺΈπͺΈ
Please enjoy! doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
Request on ResearchGate if you need access:
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
