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Fish

One-celled algae called diatoms are unique because their cell walls are made of transparent silica, like glass, allowing their internal patterns to be visible. Diatoms are key producers of atmospheric oxygen and uphold the aquatic food chain.

See 17 Intricate Microscope Photographs That Make the Miniature World Immense. They Won the Evident Image of the Year Contest

The sixth annual competition showcases scientific microscopic imaging, illuminating tiny parts of nature, from individual cells to arthropods, diatoms and a zebrafish brain

In experiments, juvenile Atlantic salmon that were exposed to cocaine’s primary metabolite swam more and dispersed farther than their sober peers.

Cocaine Pollution Seems to Make Salmon Swim Farther Than Usual. Scientists Don’t Know the Long-Term Consequences

The illegal drug’s main byproduct, benzoylecgonine, caused more robust effects than cocaine itself. Wastewater treatment plants often don’t fully process such metabolites, so they are frequently found in bodies of water at higher concentrations than their parent drugs

The reseachers investigated preserved specimens kept at museums, like this Bufoceratias wedli from the Field Museum in Chicago.

Anglerfish Are Known for Their Built-in Fishing Rods. New Research Sheds Light on How These Lures Evolved in the Strange Creatures

A new study suggests the odd appendages first appeared in the fish’s ancestors around 72 million years ago. Today, females might use them not only to attract prey but also to communicate with potential mates

Málaga’s famous espetos, or sardines, are cooked over an open flame in traditional blue fishing boats right on the beach.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Chiringuitos Offer the Quintessential Beach Bar Experience on Spain’s Costa del Sol

Steeped in history, the seafood joints are evolving to keep up with a global clientele and tightening environmental regulations

Images of shellear fish climbing up the rock face behind Luvilombo Falls

Watch These Rock-Climbing Fish Scale a 50-Foot Waterfall in the Congo Basin, the First Known Evidence of This Behavior in Africa

The tiny fish, called shellears, use microscopic hook-like growths on their fins to ascend—and they take a lot of breaks. The full climb probably takes about ten hours, according to a new study

The Mekong giant catfish is an endangered freshwater species.

Freshwater Fish Migrations Are Disappearing Across the Planet, Finds U.N. Report

The assessment identified over 300 species of fish that urgently need international conservation effort

Domino the warty frogfish is about the size of a pea.

Meet Domino, a Tiny, Bumpy Fish Making a Splash in Chicago

The warty frogfish, also known as a clown anglerfish, is believed to be the first of its kind born and raised in captivity

Spinosaurus was the largest and most aquatic of the spinosaurs, a group of dinosaurs with crocodilian snouts.

Was Spinosaurus Really a ‘Hell Heron’? Digging Into the Star of Netflix’s ‘The Dinosaurs’

With an incredible sail and heavy bones that might have acted as ballast, Spinosaurus seems primed for snatching fish. The creature has long captivated the public, from its early mysteries to the recent discovery of a new species

Modern fish traps require pilings that are driven into the riverbed and netting that reaches across part of a river.

Fish Traps Have Been Banned on the Columbia River for Nearly a Century. Could Bringing Them Back Help Save Salmon?

A new experiment is testing the commercial success of fish traps in Washington and Oregon. Even as some conservationists embrace the technique, its return has reopened old wounds among local fishers

A pottery vessel analyzed for the study

New Research

Scientists Discover Microscopic Traces of Leaves, Seeds and Toxic Berries on Pots Used by Stone Age Cooks Thousands of Years Ago

Hunter-gatherers in Europe carefully selected ingredients and cooked complex foods, often pairing fish with specific plants, according to a new study

Mature adults have just one verticle stripe behind their eyes.

These Clownfish Lose Their Baby Stripes in Response to Peer Pressure, New Research Suggests

Tomato clownfish perform a dramatic underwater wardrobe change based on the social dynamics of their environment

Dealing with centuries of darkness and eye parasites doesn't seem to affect Greenland sharks' vision.

Greenland Sharks Can Survive for Centuries—and Maintain Long-Lasting Vision, Despite Living in the Dark

The long-living sharks aren’t as blind as once thought and have DNA repair mechanisms that may help prevent their vision from degrading, a study suggests

Kiyoshi Kimura, known as the "Tuna King," poses with the record-breaking bluefin tuna.

See the Record-Breaking Bluefin Tuna the Size of a Grizzly Bear That Sold for $3.2 Million at a Tokyo Fish Market

The 535-pound fish, purchased by Japan’s self-proclaimed “Tuna King,” was sliced and shipped to sushi restaurants across the country

Three-dimensional reconstructions of the rockhead poacher's insides hint that the fish may beat its cranial pit like a drum

Cool Finds

This Bizarre Fish Has a Hole in Its Head. The Creature Might Use It Like a Drum to Rock Out

The rockhead, or deep-pitted, poacher may use its ribs to beat the inside of its head cavity to communicate with other creatures, according to a new study

Strange fossils reveal that predatory fish with a wide array of dental setups once stalked prehistoric waters.

Sharklike Fish With Weird, Buzz-Saw Jaws Sliced Through the Seas, Then Vanished. Now, Paleontologists Are Unraveling Their Secrets

These “total monsters of fishes” are extinct today, though new clues about their lives come from CT scans and their closest living relatives: the big-eyed ratfish of the deep sea

Orcas and dolphins might hang out together off the coast of British Columbia to hunt for food as a team, new research suggests.

Watch These Orcas Follow Dolphins to Snag a Salmon Feast. It Might Be the First Evidence of These Species Working Together

Off the coast of British Columbia, killer whales are tailing dolphins, and both seem to be rewarded with fishy meals. But not everyone is convinced it’s teamwork—and the behavior may hint at other ocean stressors

Smithsonian magazine's picks for best photography books of 2025 include Birds of a Feather, Blue Sun and Trembling Earth.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2025

Our favorite titles this year invite readers to take in the beauty of nature and our cultural rituals

A Currier & Ives print, published in the mid- to late 19th century, depicts Crow’s Nest, a mountain along the Hudson’s west bank.

The History of America Flows Through the Hudson River, and the Country’s Aquatic Superhighway Is on the Rebound

The bucolic river is famous for reversing its current a few times each day. Now, an ongoing cleanup effort is reversing decades of industrial contamination

Remoras hitch a ride on a humpback whale.

Watch Suckerfish Hitch a Wild Ride on Humpback Whales in Rare Video Footage

Suckerfish—also known as remoras—are harmless, but the whales didn’t seem to be fans of their hitchhiking

While seaching for Ernest Shackleton's lost ship Endurance in 2019, researchers stumbled across clusters of indentations on the seafloor.

Researchers Found Hundreds of Mysterious Dimples on the Seafloor Near Antarctica. Now They Know What Creature Made Them

The indentations are nests of fish called yellowfin notie, and they are not randomly scattered—rather, they appear to have been arranged in distinct patterns

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