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cientists have been scratching their heads for some time on how echinoderms—ie, starfish, sea urchins, and other creatures with bodies split into five equal sections—evolved from the "bilaterally symmetric" body shapes, which feature two mirrored sides, that most other animals have. Adding to the confusion is that starfish begin life as larvae with twofold symmetry, then morph into their grown-up versions. Researchers found that genes switched on in the outermost layers of one particular type of starfish, known as Patiria miniata, matched genes in acorn worms and vertebrates that are activated in those creatures' heads. Thurston Lacalli of British Columbia's...

Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia recorded the highest amount of coral cover in nearly four decades, though the reef is still vulnerable to climate change and mass bleaching, a monitoring group said Thursday. The northern and central parts of the UNESCO world heritage-listed reef have experienced some recovery while the southern region has seen a loss of coral cover due to crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, a government agency. AIMS CEO Paul Hardisty said that while the coral in the north and central regions was a sign the...

Archaeologists associated with Mexico’s National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) made a strange discovery earlier this month at the Templo Mayor, the temple complex at the center of Mexico City, formerly ancient capital of Tenochtitlan. The INAH archaeologists uncovered a ritual offering of starfish, about 160 in total, enveloping the skeleton of a jaguar, according to a recent video released by the institute. Like the majority of the offerings found at the Templo Mayor, the starfish were dedicated to the two-sided god Huehueteotl-Xiuhtecuhtli, who represents both water and fire, agriculture and war. The starfish were first discovered in 2019...

Spectators were also holding “watch-the-bomb parties” in Hawaii, as the countdown was broadcast over shortwave radio. Photographers aimed their lenses toward the horizon and debated the best camera settings for capturing a thermonuclear explosion in outer space. It turned out that the blast—a 1.4 megaton bomb, 500 times as powerful as the one that fell on Hiroshima—was not subtle. “When that nuclear weapon went off, the whole sky lit up in every direction. It looked like noon,” “It looked as though the heavens had belched forth a new sun that flared briefly, but long enough to set the sky on...

For the past four years, a mysterious syndrome has been killing millions of sea stars along the West Coast, turning the five-armed critters into piles of goo. But now, the sea stars appear to be making a comeback, according to news reports. In Southern California and elsewhere, the palm-size sea stars are showing up in record numbers, compared with the past few years, The Orange County Register reportedon Tuesday (Dec. 26). "They are coming back, big time," Darryl Deleske, an aquarist for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, told The Orange County Register. "It’s a huge difference … A...

A sea creature out of water

Washington (AFP) - Starfish have been mysteriously dying by the millions in recent months along the US west coast, worrying biologists who say the sea creatures are key to the marine ecosystem. Scientists first started noticing the mass deaths in June 2013. Different types of starfish, also known as sea stars, were affected, from wild ones along the coast to those in captivity, according to Jonathan Sleeman, director of the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center. "The two species affected most are Pisaster ochraceus (purple sea star or ochre starfish) and Pycnopodia helianthoides (sunflower sea star)," he wrote in...

Mysterious disease turning starfish to 'slime' on U.S. West Coast Mon, Nov 4 2013 By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Scientists are struggling to find the trigger for a disease that appears to be ravaging starfish in record numbers along the U.S. West Coast, causing the sea creatures to lose their limbs and turn to slime in a matter of days. Marine biologists and ecologists will launch an extensive survey this week along the coasts of California, Washington state and Oregon to determine the reach and source of the deadly syndrome, known as "star wasting disease." "It's pretty spooky...

Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium is showcasing a bizarre apple-shaped sea cucumber from Australia in a new toxic display. The sea apple is a type of sea cucumber which is also related to urchins and starfish. It gets its name from its apple-shaped appearance and is brightly coloured to alert would-be predators to its deadly toxins. Blue Reef curator Matt Slater said: “It’s the first time we have been able to put sea apples on display and they really are extremely unusual creatures. “We’ve had to keep them in their own display away from the other fish as they are extremely...

Facebook fun Fact of the Day- Starfish have no brain* . *- Them, and Obama supporters.

Enormous mats of the spiny creatures are infesting pockets of New England waters from Narragansett Bay to Cape Cod Bay this spring, charming beachcombers but tormenting some fishermen who worry they could devour the region's bounty of oysters, scallops, clams, and mussels. Starfish have little economic value - even seagulls gag when eating them - but their colorful skin and iconic shape bring squeals of delight from children and have made them a popular trinket in beachside tourist shops.

A new robot, dubbed "Starfish" because of its size and shape, has the unusual ability -- in the mechanical world, that is -- of fixing itself. The Starfish is programmed to recognize its parts, but not how they're arranged or meant to be used. It figures that out for itself, using trial and error. Cornell University researchers have created a robot capable of self-awareness, learning and adapting -- all keys to the intelligence and technology needed for robots Latest News about robots to function in adverse and changing environments. The Cornell researchers, who published their findings in the Nov. 17,...

NEW YORK — The seafaring boat houses a coyote, a silver fox and a creature dubbed "Big Eyes" — but it isn't a modern-day Noah's Ark. Called the Star Fish, this little ship carries the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Afloat Lab onboard to show off all the latest technological wizardry the U.S. military can use — in the Iraq war, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world. The Coyote, Silver Fox and "Big Eyes" are the names of two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (search) and a giant set of long-range binoculars, respectively. They're in New York Harbor for the Navy's...