sponges

Under the waves of Algoa Bay, there is "chemical warfare" on a daily basis between reef-dwellers like sponges, soft corals and sea slugs, who protect themselves from fishy predators with toxic organic chemical compounds. Studies of these organic compounds - called marine natural products - have captured the imagination of scientists the world over, particularly as some have been found to have anti-cancer properties. On May 15, Prof Mike Davies-Coleman, long-time researcher in the waters … [Read more...] about Chemical warfare in Algoa Bay