The Jerusalem Post - Israel News

Sea urchin

Deadly sea urchin epidemic spreads, causes major threat to coral reefs

Tel Aviv University experts warn:  A deadly epidemic among sea urchins in the Red Sea has spread to the Indian Ocean, posing a major threat to coral reefs around the world.

|ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
The sea urchin Diadema setosum before (left) and after (right) mortality. The white skeleton is exposed following tissue disintegration and loss of spines.
A rocky shore.

The benefits of a rocky shore

The benefits of rocky seashores, which are abundant in the northern part of Israel, go way beyond a pleasant swim at the beach.

|ByITSIK MAROM
Fish feeding on a dying D. setosum urchin in the Mediterranean Sea

Mass mortality of sea urchins threatens to destroy Eilat coral reef

TAU researchers: a parasite is killing the sea urchins essential to the sustainability of coral reefs

|ByMAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
Echinometra.

Study shows sea urchins existed far longer than originally thought

Seabed animals appeared 50 million years earlier than previously thought — a finding that can change the way we understand the evolution of many species.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Could a study of sea urchins help scientists develop new cancer drugs?

The team showed that the sea urchin’s anatomy is not only physically but genetically analogous to humans’ anatomy.

JULY 5, 2019
Sea Urchin