In a pioneering study published in Nature Communications, researchers have made significant progress in decoding the communication system of sperm whales, suggesting that their patterns of clicks—known as codas—may be the closest animal equivalent to human language.

For fish and other water-breathing animals like sharks and rays, reaching reproductive maturity is a crucial milestone that impacts their entire life history. The size at which they reach maturity, coupled with their subsequent growth rate, affects their longevity and reproductive capacity. Now, researchers have pinpointed a specific pH threshold, termed the "reproductive respiration threshold" (RRT), which kickstarts the hormonal processes leading to maturation.

Unveiled by an international team of archaeologists and palaeontologists, this finding provides an intriguing glimpse into the ancient seas and the life of a previously unknown apex predator of the Late Cretaceous period.

This remarkable finding, uncovered during a recent expedition led by Greenpeace, has piqued considerable intrigue among scientists owing to the rarity of smooth hammerhead shark sightings during their early developmental stages.