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The largest hoard of gold coins found in Israel was discovered in the seabed of a harbour in the Mediterranean Sea port of Caesarea National Park.

Thousands of gold coins found in Caesarea's ancient port

Using a metal detector, the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority's divers found gold coins in different denominations: a dinar, half dinar and quarter dinar, of various dimensions and weight.

Kobi Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority said that “the winter storms expose treasures from the sea.”

UW Photography Workshop
 With Rico Besserdich

Born in Germany in 1968, he became interested in photography at a very young age but his real passion for the subject came to the fore after he discovered scuba diving in 1998. On becoming an instructor in 2000, he was able to combine his love for diving and photography by focusing on his 'Aquatic Photography' which has earned him his just reputation as being one of the best in this field. His work has been published in magazines worldwide and has won him many awards and accolades.

Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin

Study associates Gulf of Mexico dolphin deaths with BP oil spill

A study of bottlenose dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico conducted between 2010 and early 2013 has concluded the highest number of strandings and deaths occurred in areas most impacted by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In comparison, Gulf Coast areas of Texas and Florida, which experienced little to no oiling, saw few statewide increases in stranded dolphins during the same period.

The new species of white coral is most likely closely related to gorgonian corals.

New coral discovered off California

It was the first thorough exploration of the cold, oxygen-rich waters north of Bodega Head, a small promontory that lies along the California's Sonoma coast just 70 miles north of San Francisco. Submarine canyons, such as Bodega Canyon, extend from the continental shelf to the deep sea – making their exploration a difficult but worthwhile endeavour. The canyons are important because they act as a refuge for important species of fish and provide a habitat for sensitive species of deep-water corals and sponges.

High Seas fishing Is a huge waste of money and resources

Close high seas fisheries; It is sound business

Isabelle Côté, a Simon Fraser University professor of marine ecology and conservation, has co-authored a new study that finds little would be lost by eliminating high seas fishing.

In this study Côté and her colleagues evaluated the impact of closing deep-sea fishing on fisheries' catches and values, and their economic consequences for individual countries, identifying which nations would stand to financially gain or lose.

Adrenaline keep tuna hearts pumping during extreme temperature drops

Pacific bluefin tuna are unique amongst bony fish as they are endothermic (warm bodied) and can raise their core body temperature to 20°C above that of the surrounding water.

These animals are also capable of diving to depths of more than 1000 meter where the water is frigid. This chills the heart because it receives blood directly from the gills which mirrors water temperature. During deep dives their body temperature stays warm but their heart temperature can fall by 15°C within minutes. In other animals, humans included, this would stop the heart.

Acropora millepora red and green color morphs

How corals control their colour

Using the staghorn coral Acropora millepora as a model, scientists from the University of Southampton have found that the fluorescent pigments that are mostly responsible for coral colours act as sunscreens for the symbiotic algae that live in the coral tissue. These alga require light to produce sugars, which they can contribute to the nutrition of the corals in return for the shelter and the supply of nutrients that are provided by the coral host.