https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/mollusks-worms-sponges-starfish/RSS feed for Mollusks, Worms, Sponges, StarfishenThu, 07 May 2026 20:07:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/Researchers around the planet grew up watching documentaries hosted by the English broadcaster and naturalist, which sparked their love of the natural world. Now, their discoveries become tributes to his legacyThu, 07 May 2026 20:07:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/in-this-tiny-town-in-floridas-panhandle-fishermen-are-hooked-on-worm-grunting-and-the-worms-are-still-taking-the-bait-180988579/Luring earthworms out of the soil to use as live bait is a long-running tradition in Sopchoppy, home to the annual Worm Gruntin' FestivalMon, 20 Apr 2026 18:22:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/in-this-tiny-town-in-floridas-panhandle-fishermen-are-hooked-on-worm-grunting-and-the-worms-are-still-taking-the-bait-180988579/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-fossil-held-the-world-record-for-the-earliest-known-octopus-turns-out-its-not-an-octopus-after-all-180988511/New research suggests the 300-million-year-old specimen is actually a relative of the nautilusWed, 08 Apr 2026 21:07:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-fossil-held-the-world-record-for-the-earliest-known-octopus-turns-out-its-not-an-octopus-after-all-180988511/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-sea-slugs-can-eat-sunlight-but-theyre-no-astrophage-heres-how-the-project-hail-mary-antagonist-has-a-real-life-analog-in-earths-oceans-180988361/By snatching chloroplasts from algae, animals called sacoglossans produce their own energy through photosynthesisWed, 18 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-sea-slugs-can-eat-sunlight-but-theyre-no-astrophage-heres-how-the-project-hail-mary-antagonist-has-a-real-life-analog-in-earths-oceans-180988361/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-hungry-starfish-are-spiraling-out-of-control-in-australia-now-scientists-say-they-have-a-new-plan-to-fight-back-180988072/Synthetic pheromones may be a promising tool in attracting and culling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish, which rapidly eat large amounts of coral on the Great Barrier ReefWed, 28 Jan 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-hungry-starfish-are-spiraling-out-of-control-in-australia-now-scientists-say-they-have-a-new-plan-to-fight-back-180988072/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deadly-pathogen-decimated-sunflower-sea-stars-look-inside-the-lab-working-to-bring-them-back-by-freezing-and-thawing-their-larvae-180987856/For the first time, scientists have cryopreserved and revived the larvae of a sea star species. The breakthrough, made with the giant pink star, gives hope the technique could be repeated to save the imperiled predatorThu, 11 Dec 2025 18:36:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deadly-pathogen-decimated-sunflower-sea-stars-look-inside-the-lab-working-to-bring-them-back-by-freezing-and-thawing-their-larvae-180987856/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/The Metals Company wants to be the first firm to commercially mine the seafloor. The study it funded suggests that mining vehicles harm creatures in the machines’ pathsWed, 10 Dec 2025 15:25:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-discover-death-ball-sponge-and-dozens-of-other-wacky-deep-sea-creatures-in-the-southern-ocean-180987609/So far, two expeditions have yielded 30 new species—and researchers say there's more to comeMon, 03 Nov 2025 15:09:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-discover-death-ball-sponge-and-dozens-of-other-wacky-deep-sea-creatures-in-the-southern-ocean-180987609/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-scientists-help-oysters-thrive-again-180987331/Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them backWed, 24 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-scientists-help-oysters-thrive-again-180987331/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-left-coiling-snail-needs-help-finding-a-mate-new-zealanders-are-looking-for-its-1-in-40000-match-180987359/Known as Ned, the creature needs a fellow left-coiling garden snail to reproduce—but the species almost always has shells that coil on their right sideThu, 18 Sep 2025 15:02:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-left-coiling-snail-needs-help-finding-a-mate-new-zealanders-are-looking-for-its-1-in-40000-match-180987359/