Study reveals #ToolUse in tropical #fish species https://phys.org/news/2025-03-reveals-tool-tropical-fish-species.html

Tool use by New World Halichoeres wrasses https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-025-02633-w

"#Wrasses use hard surfaces, also called 'anvils,' to crack open hard-shelled prey such as #crabs and #mollusks... researchers gathered 16 new observations across five species of #Halichoeres wrasses... suggest the behavior is far more common than previously thought."

https://www.europesays.com/1933240/ New York State Museum celebrates Women’s History Month with women in science event #america #GroundbreakingDiscoveries #HandsOnActivities #InteractiveDisplays #Mollusks #NewYorkStateMuseum #science #scientists #technology #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #US #USA #WomenInScience #WomensHistoryMonth

#Cuttlefish adjust their shape and color to suit conditions when seeking prey
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-cuttlefish-adjust-conditions-prey.html

Multiple hunting displays in wild broadclub cuttlefish https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70021

"the #mollusks had four main types of displays they used to camouflage themselves as they approached prey"

What a #mollusc shell and fiber optic cables have in common https://www.npr.org/2024/11/23/nx-s1-5199634/heart-shaped-mollusc-shell-resembles-fiber-optic-cables

Heart cockle shells transmit sunlight to photosymbiotic algae using bundled fiber optic cables and condensing lenses: Dakota McCoy et al. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53110-x

"the structure of the #HeartCockle's shell operates as its own kind of fiber #OpticCables to channel light to the #algae living inside it"

'Extinct' #snails found breeding in French Polynesia following a successful reintroduction project https://phys.org/news/2024-09-extinct-snails-french-polynesia-successful.html

"A species of tropical tree #snail is no longer #extinct in the wild following a successful #reintroduction project... for the first time in 40 years, #conservationists have found born-in-the-wild adult Partula tohiveana—meaning the precious #mollusks have successfully established themselves in #FrenchPolynesia."

Researchers uncover 500 million-year-old #mollusk ancestor https://phys.org/news/2024-08-uncover-million-year-mollusk-ancestor.html

A #Cambrian spiny stem mollusk and the deep homology of lophotrochozoan scleritomes https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado0059

The new #fossil, called Shishania aculeata, reveals that the most primitive #mollusks were flat, shell-less slugs covered in a protective spiny armor.

Investigating the remarkable reproductive cycle of #Michigan's threatened #mollusks https://phys.org/news/2024-05-qa-remarkable-reproductive-michigan-threatened.html

Polymorphism in the aggressive #mimicry lure of the parasitic freshwater #mussel #Lampsilis fasciola https://peerj.com/articles/17359/

"the freshwater #mussels' remarkable reproductive cycle includes the use of fleshy 'mantle lures' by pregnant females to attract nearby #fish and infect them with mussel #larvae."

Scientists Find Pristine Ecosystems on High-Seas Seamounts
https://schmidtocean.org/scientists-find-pristine-ecosystems-on-high-seas-seamounts/

"scientists observed 160 species on the Salas y Gómez Ridge that had not yet been known in the region and suspect that at least 50 of them are new to science. These are #squid, #fish, #corals, #mollusks, #SeaStars, glass #sponges, #SeaUrchins, crabs, and squat #lobsters, amongst others. They set a record for sighting the deepest-known #photosynthesis-dependent animal in the world: #Leptoseris, a wrinkle #coral."

Unraveling the mystery of #chiton visual systems https://news.ucsb.edu/2024/021384/unraveling-mystery-chiton-visual-systems

A morphological basis for path-dependent #evolution of visual systems: Rebecca Varney et al. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg2689

"You’d probably walk past a chiton without seeing it. These creatures often look like nothing more than another speck of seaweed. But it sees you. At least, if it’s one of the species with eyes dotting its platemail shell... some of these tough #mollusks sport the most recently evolved eyes with a lens"

My #firstpost on #Mastodon:

I am an Earth/climate scientist at the University of Arizona in #Tucson (southwestern US) focusing on the areas of #climate change, #paleoclimates, and #paleoceanography, with an emphasis on #ENSO, #monsoons, & #variability.

Our group uses #inorganic #geochemistry incl. measurements of #stableisotopes & #tracemetals in #carbonate rocks & #fossils (e.g., #foraminifera, #mollusks, & #speleothems) alongside climate #observations as well as #simulations to advance understanding of how the Earth's #climate & #oceans have changed in the past and can change in the future.

Some of my hobbies include:

#music: I am a fan of #metal and heavy music of all sorts, but tend to migrate towards #black, #death, #doom, #drone, #sludge, & #thrash. I also have a soft spot for #carnatic/#hindustani #ragas, #darkambient, oldschool-ish #hiphop, #triphop, and various forms of #electronicmusic.

#birds & #birding #photography bring me joy. Right now, I feel v lucky to be briefly back in my hometown of #Bengaluru, southern India, after three long years being able to see #oldworld birds I grew up with.

#GTD, #mindfulness, #organization, and (vs?) #producivity are things that I enjoy thinking about. Of late, I've been using #Things3, #Streaks, #Hobonichi w a #Lamy Safari, #Obsidian, #Overleaf, & #Bookends to get things done.

Thanks for reading!