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Fish

The fin of a blacktip shark glides through the waters in the Bahamas.

New Research

Ten Things We’ve Learned about Sharks Since Last Shark Week

In light of Shark Week 2017, here are some revelations about the fearsome fish we’ve made in the past year

Marianne Nyegaard poses next to a beached hoodwinker sunfish near Christchurch, New Zealand.

Cool Finds

Found: New Species of Ocean Sunfish, the World’s Largest Bony Fish

After identifying genetic traces of the creature, one researcher spent years searching for the aquatic beast

New Research

What Is the Key to Predict Animal Speed?

The biggest animals aren’t always the fastest

A Smithsonian scientist and other researchers announce success in the first-ever cryo-preservation of zebrafish embryos using gold nanotechnology and lasers.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

A Cool New Way to Freeze and Unfreeze Zebrafish Embryos Using Gold Nanotechnology and Lasers

The downstream applications could make food cheaper, repair coral reefs and help restore frog populations

Southern Resident orcas frolic in Puget Sound.

New Research

Two Thirds of Southern Resident Orca Pregnancies Fail

But now scientists think they know why

New Research

Global Fishing Fleets Waste Ten Percent of Catch

Every year, fisheries waste ten million tons of fish—enough to fill 4,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Marine algae blooms like these in the northern Ross Sea are often vast enough to be visible from space.

Future of Conservation

Who Owns Antarctica’s Pristine Oceans?

How humans finally stopped squabbling and protected one of the world’s most pristine marine areas

This Terrifying Spider Hunts Fish Underwater

If the prospect of a spider that catches fish wasn’t scary enough, the fishing spider is disturbingly well-adapted to its task

Typhlonus nasus, the Faceless Cusk

Cool Finds

“Faceless” Fish Found off the Coast of Australia

The rare creature was dredged up from some 13,000 feet below the surface

A raccoon butterflyfish on a coral reef in Egypt's Red Sea. The vast majority of aquarium fish come from countries with known cyanide fishing problems.

Future of Conservation

Soon, You Could Be Able to Tell if Your Aquarium Fish Was Caught With Cyanide

A new handheld detector aims to root out this widespread, destructive practice

The Ocean Is Running Out of Fish. Here’s the Alarming Math

Based on reporting, the ocean has long appeared to offer an infinite bounty of fish. But research paints a grim picture, with annual catch on a decline

Fish leave bits of DNA behind that researchers can collect.

Scientists Can Tell What Fish Live Where Based On DNA in the Water

A new study of the Hudson River estuary tracked spring migration of ocean fish by collecting water samples

Busting apart this aging dam on the Jeremy River in Connecticut opened up 27 kilometers of salmon habitat and spawning gravel for the first time in close to 300 years. Other fish will benefit too, including the eastern brook trout, sea lamprey, American eel, and river herring.

The Environmental Price of Dams

Why some conservationists are demolishing dams in the name of rivers and fish

Europe’s Only Known Cavefish Discovered in Germany

Genetic analyses suggest that the cave loach speedily adapted to its lightless habitat

Lesson learned: Don't cross a fangblenny.

New Research

These Tropical Fish Have Opioids in Their Fangs

The point isn’t to relieve pain—it’s to kill

Though the pictured fish belong to a German research collection, they represent similar samples around the world that have come under attack.

Trending Today

The Campaign Is On to Save the Natural History Collections of a Louisiana University

The school is displacing millions of specimens in favor of a new track

Lionfish Are a Plague. Can Training Sharks to Eat Them Work?

Lionfish, which are native to the Indo-Pacific but were accidentally introduced to the Caribbean, are decimating native fish species

In times of desperation, female sawtooth sharks have been known to reproduce sans males. For other species, solo reproduction is downright vanilla.

New Research

Meet Eight Species That Are Bending the Rules of Reproduction

Spice up your mating life with relationship tips from rock lizards, sharks and water fleas

Could the Tiny Zebrafish Teach Us to Cure Blindness?

By learning how zebrafish regenerate their retinas, researchers could figure out how to help humans do the same

The goldfish in question, decked out in his customized wheelchair.

Trending Today

Don’t Get Too Excited About That Viral Goldfish “Wheelchair”

The contraption, though surely built with the best intentions, may do more harm than good.

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