Jaws helped spur a fishing frenzy – so how have the world’s sharks fared since the 1975 release?

The film made us afraid to go back in the water. It ultimately gave sharks more to fear from us.

David Sims, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Southampton • conversation
June 19, 2025 • ~8 min

50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology

A shark expert whose own curiosity about these fascinating fish was sparked by the movie explains some of their unique features. Many discoveries came in the decades after ‘Jaws.’

Gareth J. Fraser, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida • conversation
June 18, 2025 • ~11 min

Paying fishers to release sharks accidentally caught in their nets can incentivise conservation action – but there’s a catch

How one project in Indonesia introduced a pay-to-release scheme that encourages fishers to save shark and ray bycatch.

Hollie Booth, Research Associate, Conservation Science, University of Oxford • conversation
April 23, 2025 • ~7 min

Study may rewrite what we know about megalodon

The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong.

Jules Bernstein - UC Riverside • futurity
April 3, 2025 • ~6 min

Sharks are under serious threat, but these bans may help

New research highlights the importance of monitoring shark populations and combining different strategies for managing their numbers.

Harrison Tasoff-UC Santa Barbara • futurity
March 18, 2025 • ~7 min

Fossil shark teeth are abundant and can date the past in a unique way

Sharks have ruled the Earth’s oceans for 400 million years. Recent research on fossil shark teeth has discovered an innovative method for dating ancient sediments.

Bruce J. MacFadden, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Florida • conversation
Feb. 3, 2025 • ~6 min

Whale sharks on collision course as warming seas may force them into shipping lanes – new study

How climate change will affect the world’s biggest fish.

David Sims, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Southampton • conversation
Oct. 7, 2024 • ~6 min

Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication

Breaching is one of the most spectacular behaviors among marine animals. A recent review shows that many shark and ray species breach, and identifies the most commonly hypothesized reasons.

A. Peter Klimley, Adjunct Associate Professor of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis • conversation
Sept. 23, 2024 • ~6 min

Sharks are taking a bite out of anglers’ catch in the Gulf of Mexico, but culling isn’t likely to help

Whether they’re going to cook a fish, have it mounted or just take a photo and then release it, anglers want more than a severed head. But with shark numbers rebounding, they’ve got competition.

James Marcus Drymon, Associate Extension Professor in Marine Fisheries Ecology, Mississippi State University • conversation
Aug. 20, 2024 • ~9 min

Oceans without sharks would be far less healthy – new research

A broad review of shark research shows that sharks play critical roles in keeping ocean ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass beds healthy.

Michael Heithaus, Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2024 • ~8 min

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