Microscopic ocean predator with a taste for carbon capture

Good News Notes: “Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have discovered a new species that has the potential to sequester carbon naturally, even as oceans warm and become more acidic. The microbe, abundant around the world, photosynthesises and releases a carbon-rich exopolymer that attracts and immobilizes other microbes. It then eats some of…

Coral resiliency offers encouraging signs despite warming oceans

Good News Notes: “Corals, forecast for doom in many future climate scenarios, could be more resilient to rising temperatures and ocean acidification than scientists once thought.  New research, in which scientists spent 22 months studying several types of corals in Hawaii, suggests that several species, absent other stressors, could survive even if the world warms…

New snail species are the world’s smallest, tinier than grains of sand

Good News Notes: “Scientists have discovered two new snail species the size of a grain of sand—the tiniest known land snails on Earth. “It’s amazing how small they are—we wouldn’t have expected that,” says Adrienne Jochum, a researcher with Natural History Museum Bern in Switzerland. The new record-holder’s diminutive nature is reflected in its scientific name, Angustopila…

Polish researchers invent anti-smog sound cannon

Good News Notes: “In a battle against Poland’s constant smog, scientists are testing out a new “cannon” that uses soundwaves to push toxic particles higher into the atmosphere to allow residents to breathe. Installed on top of a metal container, the experimental device consists of a large upside-down cone that makes a loud sound every…

Rare, pristine coral reef found off Tahiti coast

Good News Notes: “Deep in the South Pacific, scientists have explored a rare stretch of pristine corals shaped like roses off the coast of Tahiti. The reef is thought to be one of the largest found at such depths and seems untouched by climate change or human activities. Laetitia Hédouin said she first saw the…

Mammoth Tusk Found on Ocean Floor Offers Clues About Ancient Creatures

Good News Notes: “To the untrained eye, it may have looked like a giant wood log. In reality, scientists had spotted something unusual off the California coast two years ago: a 3-foot-long mammoth tusk. A research team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered the tusk in 2019 while exploring an underwater mountain roughly…