For millions of years, the apex predator of the oceans was a bus-sized shark known as the Megalodon. But around 2.6 million years ago they just disappeared. So what could wipe out a 50-ft (15-m) shark? According to a new study, the culprit was a series of supernovae exploding fairly close to Earth.
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Small consumer drones can be used to detect and monitor big sea animals in shallow waters, according to new research from North Carolina State University. The team has shown that a quadcopter drone can be an easy means to collect reliable data.
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If you've watched even one TV show about sharks, then chances are you've seen awesome footage of great whites jumping completely out of the water. As it turns out, though, they're not the only ones who like getting high. Their even larger cousin, the basking shark, has also been spotted doing so.
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Animals regularly cast off bits of their DNA into aquatic environments. Known as environmental DNA (eDNA), it can be detected in water samples, letting scientists know if a species is present in the region. Soon, it could be used to warn beachgoers of nearby great white sharks.
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A new research project has pitted a set of commercially available shark deterrent systems for surfers against one another, with a device that creates an electric forcefield around it coming out on top.
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Interfering with a shark's sensory system is one of the ways scientists believe we may be able to keep beachgoers safe. Now researchers in Australia (where else?) are exploring a new way of deterring these apex predators, by fixing lights to surfboards to obscure their view.
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A team of biologists and engineers from Harvard University and the University of South Carolina have taken a fresh look at shark scales in the hopes of making drones, planes and wind turbines more efficient.
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New animal species are constantly turning up in the deep oceans, thick jungles, or even dusty museum store rooms. Here’s our favorite new additions to the Tree of Life in 2017, as well as a couple of “Lazarus” creatures that were believed extinct but rediscovered this year.
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If you take a look at the different types of sharks, you'll see that some are sleek and streamlined like fixed-wing airplanes, while others are more bulbous and blimp-like. A new study has determined that this difference in body type is determined by what part of the ocean the creatures inhabit.
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Drones with deep learning AI capabilities will soon be patrolling the beaches of Australian coastlines, constantly scanning and automatically detecting sharks around swimmers and surfers. They'll carry shark repellent, as well as loudspeakers for warning beachgoers.
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