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From the Exhibit 'Climate Change In The High Arctic'
From the Exhibit 'Climate Change In The High Arctic'

Exhibition: Melt Down in the Arctic

In her new exhibition, Melt Down - Climate Change In The High Arctic, celebrated photojournalist and Arctic specialist Louise Murray highlights the dramatic melting of the ice sheets in the Arctic through a series of beautiful photographs. We have an exclusive gallery of images from the exhibition below.

Louise is a self-confessed polar nut with 15 years of experience as a professional, she spends much time plotting her next visit to the high north.

Japanese Tuna Scandal Deepens

In what Australian officials called an outrageous fraud, Japanese fishers probably used a series of disguises for the overcatch and international investigations have found.

The fishers described southern bluefin tuna as a different species and evaded any inspection on shore, underreported the amount of the fish they caught, and imported it as different tuna either transhipped at sea from foreign vessels or in containers. In a review that the Japanese government has vetoed from public release, investigators found the fraud extended to consumer markets.

Sharks pursue bloody victims using gel

It has been widely known that sharks have a special sensory organ on their heads, called the ampullae of Lorenzini, which enable them to detect the very weak electrical fields that prey emit when they swim or bleed.

But now scientists have found that a gel-like substance plays a big role in this process known as electroreception, explaining why sharks pursue bloody victims, even when other easy target´s prey is around, and the gushing blood obscures the shark´s vision and smell.

Northern Cyprus underwater

North Cyprus is an ideal location for snorkelling and scuba diving, with its largely unspoilt coastline and year-round warm waters that rarely drop below 17 degrees centigrade. There are also no tides to worry about and you can enjoy one of the longest diving seasons in the world, which lasts from April through to the New Year. The island’s fascinating history spanning several empires also means there is much to explore underwater, including many exciting shipwrecks.

Fish have natural rhythm to avoid predators

A study published in Nature demonstrates that fish have a natural rhythm that could help them avoid being eaten by predators

A team from the University of California led by Dr Mu-Ming Poo made the discovery during experiments with zebrafish, a type of minnow. They discovered that the larvae of the fish, which were trained to flip their tails every time a light flashed at six-second intervals, "remembered" the rhythm even after the flash was turned off.

The reason why the fish kept time was a mystery but it could be to help it keep track of time and defend itself.

Sex and violence amongst lobsters

The aim of this thesis was to study the chemical communication involved in aggressive and reproductive behaviours in the European lobster (Homarus gammarus). Both male and female H. gammarus established and maintained dominance, but the sexes used different strategies for dominance maintenance.

Male losers recognised individual fight opponents and avoided them but fought actively against unfamiliar dominants. In contrast, female losers avoided both familiar and unfamiliar dominants, indicating that they react to the dominance status of the opponent.

Coral Reef Fijipiju
Coral Reef Fijipiju

Shape-shifting coral evade identification

"Our study represents important progress towards understanding the evolution and biodiversity of corals and provides a foundation for future work. Since coral ecosystems are increasingly threatened, there is a need to characterize and understand coral species in terms of interbreeding groups as opposed to nominal morphological units", said Zac Forsman, who led a team of researchers from the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology carrying out the molecular studies.

The New Zealand blue cod (Parapercis colias) is a temperate marine fish of the family Pinguipedidae
The New Zealand blue cod (Parapercis colias) is a temperate marine fish of the family Pinguipedidae

Marine reserves increase the abundance and size of blue cod and rock lobster

These findings indicate that MR (Marine Reserve) protection can result in more and bigger individuals soon after the establishment of the MR. Focused comparison tests did not reveal any relationship between rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) or blue cod (Parapercis colias) size or abundance and either age or area of MRs.

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) can be found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia
The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) can be found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia

Rare dolphin found in the jungle

“This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins,” said WCS researcher Brian D. Smith, who led the study. “Bangladesh clearly serves as an important sanctuary for Irrawaddy dolphins, and conservation in this region should be a top priority.”

The scientists counted nearly 6,000 of the dolphins in the South Asian country’s Sundarbans mangrove forest and the adjacent waters of the Bay of Bengal.

Mangrove Rivulus , Rivulus marmoratus. Scientists have now found that this fish, already famed for its bizarre sex habits and ability to survive extreme conditions, does something never seen before: hangs out inside deadwood for months at a time to survive dry spells.
Mangrove Rivulus , Rivulus marmoratus. Scientists have now found that this fish, already famed for its bizarre sex habits and ability to survive extreme conditions, does something never seen before: hangs out inside deadwood for months at a time to survive dry spells.

The fish that lives in trees and breeds without a mate

The mangrove rivulus, also known as the mangrove killifish, is native to the Americas and is about five centimetres (two inches) long.

The fish has long been studied for its many unique features. It's the only vertebrate known to naturally self-fertilize, for example. In some populations, it can become a hermaphrodite, developing both male and female parts simultaneously, to produce clones of itself.

Yemen's Socotra Archipelago new World Heritage

As one of the eight new natural sites that have been added to the World Heritage List, following IUCN’s recommendations you find the Socotra Archipelago in Yemen. Socotra is a small archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa some 190 nautical miles (220 mi/350 km) south of the Arabian peninsula. It is a part of the 'Adan Governorate of the Republic of Yemen.

23 Red Sea dive centers black listed

The diving centres on the black list have not complied to standards EN 14467/ISO 24803 for Recreational Diving Services and will not be able to renew their license from the Ministry of Tourism and therefore will be operating illegally.

The auditing process to check that diving centres are meeting these standards began in May 2008 and by 31st March 2009 was completed in South Sinai and will continue to 31st July 2009 in the Hurghada area. Steps will then be put into action to close down illegal operations that fail to comply.