Acid surprise
Ocean acidity is rising at least 10 times faster than climate models predict, according to eight years of daily measurements off the Washington state coast. It’s bad news for coral and shellfish, which struggle to form shells in acidic waters (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810079105).
Solar-powered slug
A sea slug has got into alternative energy by stealing light-harvesting components from plant cells and a key gene that allows photosynthesis. This enables the animal to survive without normal food by gaining its energy from the sun. The slug is arguably the first known functioning…
