Use of presence vs absence of symphyseal teeth in jaws for the forensic analysis of bites by large traumatogenic shark species.

Identifying the species of shark responsible for a bite on humans is both complex and important for understanding and managing the shark risk. Depending on the species, tiny teeth may or may not be present in the symphyseal space at the junction of the upper and lower half-jaws. In the case of bites, these tiny teeth (if present) often leave specific marks that may enable species to be quickly and reliably distinguished.

Severe cold-water bleaching of a deep-water reef underscores future challenges for Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems.

Elevated sea surface temperatures are causing an increase in coral bleaching events worldwide, and represent an existential threat to coral reefs. Early studies of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) highlighted their potential as thermal refuges for shallow-water coral species in the face of predicted 21 century warming. However, recent genetic evidence implies that limited ecological connectivity between shallow- and deep-water coral communities inhibits their effectiveness as refugia; instead MCEs host distinct endemic communities that are ecologically significant in and of themselves.

Risk profiles of elite breath-hold divers.

This study aimed to determine a typical profile of elite breath-hold divers (BHDs), in relation to loss of consciousness (LOC) and episodic memory. Forty-four BHDs were evaluated during a world championship with anthropometric and physiological measurements, psychosociological factors and memory assessment. Seventy-five percent of the BHDs had at least one LOC with the predominance being men ( < 0.

Behavioural heterogeneity across killer whale social units in their response to feeding opportunities from fisheries.

Intra-population heterogeneity in the behavioural response of predators to changes in prey availability caused by human activities can have major evolutionary implications. Among these activities, fisheries, while extracting resources, also provide new feeding opportunities for marine top predators. However, heterogeneity in the extent to which individuals have responded to these opportunities within populations is poorly understood.

Directed conservation of the world's reef sharks and rays.

Many shark populations are in decline around the world, with severe ecological and economic consequences. Fisheries management and marine protected areas (MPAs) have both been heralded as solutions. However, the effectiveness of MPAs alone is questionable, particularly for globally threatened sharks and rays ('elasmobranchs'), with little known about how fisheries management and MPAs interact to conserve these species.

Developing and validating a prediction model of live birth following single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer.

Research Question: Can the developed clinical prediction model offer an accurate estimate of the likelihood of live birth, involving blastocyst morphology and vitrification day after single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (SVBT), and therefore assist clinicians and patients?

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted at a Spanish university-based reproductive medicine unit (2017-2021) including consecutive vitrified-warmed blastocysts from IVF cycles. A multivariable logistic regression incorporated key live birth predictors: vitrification day, embryo score, embryo ploidy status and clinically relevant variables, i.e.

Widespread diversity deficits of coral reef sharks and rays.

A global survey of coral reefs reveals that overfishing is driving resident shark species toward extinction, causing diversity deficits in reef elasmobranch (shark and ray) assemblages. Our species-level analysis revealed global declines of 60 to 73% for five common resident reef shark species and that individual shark species were not detected at 34 to 47% of surveyed reefs. As reefs become more shark-depleted, rays begin to dominate assemblages.

Provisioning ecotourism does not increase tiger shark site fidelity.

A perennial criticism of provisioning ecotourism is that it alters the natural behavior and ecology of the target species by providing an artificial food source. Here we evaluate its impact on the long-term site fidelity patterns of tiger sharks in French Polynesia. We hypothesized that a significant impact of provisioning would lead to (1) increases in individual site fidelity over time, and (2) an increase in the number of resident individuals over time.

Citizen science provides valuable data to evaluate elasmobranch diversity and trends throughout the French Polynesia's shark sanctuary.

Observers of the Polynesian Shark Observatory (ORP), a citizen science network organized mainly through the Polynesian dive centers, collected an unprecedented amount of data from more than 13,916 dives spanning 43% of the islands of French Polynesia between July 8, 2011, and April 11, 2018. The objective for this type of data collection, which is not accessible within the standard research context, was to provide a unique dataset, and the opportunity to explore the specific diversity, distribution, seasonality and abundance of many elasmobranch species spread out throughout the territory of French Polynesia. Since the data are based on random citizen observations, the spatial distribution was biased toward the most frequented sites and islands where scuba diving is most developed.

First tiger shark bite in 75 years in French Polynesia (Eastern Central Pacific).

We analyzed a tiger shark (estimated 2.8 m total length) bite on a snorkeler. The removal of the terminal part of the leg suggests a predatory motivation for the bite.

Like a rolling stone: Colonization and migration dynamics of the gray reef shark ().

Designing appropriate management plans requires knowledge of both the dispersal ability and what has shaped the current distribution of the species under consideration. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of the endangered gray reef shark () across its range by sequencing thousands of RADseq loci in 173 individuals in the Indo-Pacific (IP). We first bring evidence of the occurrence of a range expansion (RE) originating close to the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) where two stepping-stone waves (east and westward) colonized almost the entire IP.

Ecological and biogeographic features shaped the complex evolutionary history of an iconic apex predator (Galeocerdo cuvier).

Background: The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large iconic marine predator inhabiting worldwide tropical and subtropical waters. So far, only mitochondrial markers and microsatellites studies have investigated its worldwide historical demography with inconclusive outcomes. Here, we assessed for the first time the genomic variability of tiger shark based on RAD-seq data for 50 individuals from five sampling sites in the Indo-Pacific (IP) and one in the Atlantic Ocean (AO) to decipher the extent of the species' global connectivity and its demographic history.

Comparison of blastocyst euploidy rates following luteal versus follicular phase stimulation in a GnRH antagonist protocol: a prospective study with repeated ovarian stimulation cycles.

Study Question: Is there any difference in the mean number of euploid embryos following luteal phase start (LS) and follicular phase start (FS) of ovarian stimulation?

Summary Answer: The mean number of euploid blastocysts is equivalent independent of whether the inseminated oocytes are derived from FS or LS.

What Is Known Already: Starting ovarian stimulation at any time of the cycle ('random-start') is commonly used for emergency fertility preservation in cancer patients. A few retrospective studies have been published evaluating LS in women undergoing ovarian stimulation in the context of IVF, but there is a lack of robust data on the comparative efficacy of LS versus FS.

Sustainable Solutions for Sea Monitoring With Robotic Sailboats: N-Boat and F-Boat Twins.

Strategic management and production of internal energy in autonomous robots is becoming a research topic with growing importance, especially for platforms that target long-endurance missions, with long-range and duration. It is fundamental for autonomous vehicles to have energy self-generation capability to improve energy autonomy, especially in situations where refueling is not viable, such as an autonomous sailboat in ocean traversing. Hence, the development of energy estimation and management solutions is an important research topic to better optimize the use of available energy supply and generation potential.

Blastocyst versus cleavage embryo transfer improves cumulative live birth rates, time and cost in oocyte recipients: a randomized controlled trial.

Research Question: Does embryo transfer day (day 5 versus day 3) affect cumulative live birth rates (CLBR), time to live birth (TLB) and cost per live birth (CPL) in recipients of donated oocytes?

Study Design: A single-centre RCT conducted between April 2017 and August 2018. Recipients of donated oocytes were randomized to cleavage-stage (day 3) or to blastocyst-stage (day 5) embryo transfer. Eligible recipients were aged 18-50 years and in their first or second synchronous cycle.

Recipient outcomes in an oocyte donation programme: should very young donors be excluded?

Research Question: Does the oocyte donor's age affect live birth rate (LBR) in recipients?

Design: Retrospective study of 3766 oocyte recipient cycles carried out between January 2009 and December 2018. Cycles were categorized into groups according to donor's age: <20 years (4.7%); 20-25 years (41.

Coral reef restoration for coastal protection: Crafting technical and financial solutions.

Coastal erosion, aggravated by coral reef mortality is a major issue for Small Island Developing States. Traditionally gray infrastructure, financed by public budgets has been used to combat beach loss. We examined if three Nature-based Solutions (NbS): (i) coral restoration (green) (ii) restoration + limestone (hybrid) and (iii) restoration + 3D printed concrete (hybrid) could deliver positive outcomes for coastal protection and further incentivize cost sharing for reef conservation, with private beneficiaries.

Effects of a COVID-19 lockdown-induced pause and resumption of artificial provisioning on blacktip reef sharks () and pink whiprays () in French Polynesia (East-Pacific).

The tourism activities linked to artificial provisioning of blacktip reef sharks () and pink whiprays () on a specific site in French Polynesia were suddenly and completely stopped due to a COVID-19 lockdown that lasted 6 weeks from March 20 until April 30, 2020. Using both drone footage and underwater counting, we were able to track the abundance of those two species before, during, and after reopening and thus investigate the impact of provisioning on wild shark populations. The absence of any stimulus during this long period resulted in almost total desertion of the site by the elasmobranchs.

An Augmented Reality Periscope for Submarines with Extended Visual Classification.

Submarines are considered extremely strategic for any naval army due to their stealth capability. Periscopes are crucial sensors for these vessels, and emerging to the surface or periscope depth is required to identify visual contacts through this device. This maneuver has many procedures and usually has to be fast and agile to avoid exposure.

Suspected predatory bites on a snorkeler by an oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus off Moorea island (French Polynesia).

Understanding why sharks bite humans is essential for developing strategies to prevent these incidents. Here, we use bite wound characteristics and eye witness descriptions of shark behavior to determine the likely motivation for several bites perpetrated by an oceanic whitetip (OWT) shark Carcharhinus longimanus on an adult female snorkeler off Moorea island (French Polynesia) in October 2019. The victim was snorkeling with others in pelagic waters as part of an organized whale-watching tour when the shark-without any warning behavior-bit her at least three times resulting in severe injuries with substantial loss of soft tissue from the chest and both forearms.

Development and successful real-world use of a transfer DNA technique to identify species involved in shark bite incidents.

Identifying the species involved in shark bite incidents is an ongoing challenge but is important to mitigate risk. We developed a sampling protocol to identify shark species from DNA transferred to inanimate objects during bite incidents. To develop and refine the technique, we swabbed shark bite impressions on surfboards and wetsuit neoprene collected under semicontrolled conditions.

Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence.