A Ray’s “Virgin Birth”

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
Did you see the headlines earlier this year suggesting that a round stingray at a North Carolina aquarium may have...

Learning Without a Brain

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
You would think it’s necessary to have a brain to be able to learn new things. But at least one...

Clams’ Contagious Cancer

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
Two facts about cancer are constant across nearly all species on earth: the disease results from mutated cells growing out...

Nursery of Mermaid’s Purses

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
When researchers went exploring an ancient underwater volcano about a mile below the surface off Canada’s Pacific coast, they expected...

A Full Moon Mystery

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
Sometimes scientific discoveries answer questions scientists have wondered about for years, but more often, a discovery simply raises dozens of...

A Sponge Sneeze Feast

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
Every time you sneeze, your body is taking the opportunity to violently eject allergens, viruses, bacteria, chemicals or other particles...

An Octopus’s Garden

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
It’s no longer just a popular Beatles song—off the coast of central California, nearly two miles under the sea, is...

The Warm-Hearted Fish

You might remember learning that mammals and birds are warmblooded, meaning their bodies can generate heat to maintain a fairly...

The Case of the Caribbean Killer

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, another epidemic began under the waves of the Caribbean Sea, extending from the...

The Mystery of Orca Trends

University of Texas Marine Science Institute
The news was abuzz in June with reports of orcas ramming boats, but this wasn’t the first time groups of...