The Social Life of Fish and How It Affects the Health of Coral Reefs

Biologist Mike Gil studies social interactions among different species of fish. What he has found, he says in an e360 interview, is that disrupting this critically important form of fish communication, such as by overfishing, could damage the world’s already-stressed coral reefs.

Beyond Biodiversity: A New Way of Looking at How Species Interconnect

In a development that has important implications for conservation, scientists are increasingly focusing not just on what species are present in an ecosystem, but on the roles that certain key species play in shaping their environment.

For Marine Life, New Threats from a Fast-Tracked Canadian Pipeline

A new Canadian government-backed pipeline that will triple the amount of thick Alberta tar sands oil flowing to a British Columbia port poses significant risks for a threatened population of killer whales and other coastal marine life.

The World Eyes Yet Another Unconventional Source of Fossil Fuels

Vast quantities of methane hydrates — frozen deposits of natural gas on the sea floor — exist worldwide. But as experimental drilling moves forward, many experts question the wisdom of exploiting a costly, environmentally risky trove of fossil fuels that will accelerate global warming.