It is widely recognized that since the Early–Middle Pleistocene, the Messina zone, the site of strong earthquakes, has undergone extension, but the geodynamic context which determined this deformation is still a matter of debate. This work suggests t...
The precious red coral (Corallium rubrum L.) represents one of the most fascinating marine species of the Mediterranean Sea. Several samples, including red coral together with its accompanying species, were found in the zoological collection of the I...
The Strait of Messina is characterised by a significant ship flow, especially of ferries, between its two shores. The ferry services involve four harbours, located on the Sicilian and Calabrian shores. During the epidemic emergency related to the SAR...
The Strait of Messina occupies a strategic position in the Mediterranean, representing an environmental and territorial peculiarity. The Strait area today is at the center of the political debate for the stable crossing project, a strategic infrastru...
The Strait of Messina poses unique challenges for small vessels due to strong currents and complex wave conditions, which critically affect structural integrity and operational safety. This study proposes an integrated methodology that combines seake...
The Straits of Messina (Southern Italy, Mediterranean Sea) are a very complex area: they connect two basins (Tyrrhenian and Ionian) with different hydrographic features and is characterised by upwelling and mixing phenomena. The aim of the study was...
This paper presents three 3D reconstructions of different analogue models used to reproduce, interpret, and describe the geological setting of a seismogenic area in Southern Italy—the Messina Strait. Three-dimensional analysis is a technique th...
In complex hydrogeological systems, such as multilayered aquifers in densely urbanized coastal areas, multi-parametric, multi-depth networks are required for discriminating between anthropogenic and natural signals. This study presents an evaluation...
The influence of the lunar cycle on bluefin tuna foraging in the upwelling area of the Strait of Messina was investigated by exploring trophic interaction with mesopelagic fish and cephalopod prey. To focus on how the lunar cycle could affect availab...
The constellation fish, Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, is a small mesopelagic teleost typically found in equatorial and temperate waters worldwide, although the species has been also rarely recorded in the Mediterranean Sea (less than 20 specimens f...
The age and growth of the slender lightfish Vinciguerria attenuata are investigated for the first time by the analysis of otolith microstructure. A total of 242 individuals (standard length range = 15.3–39.0 mm) are collected from the Strait of...
Three hundred years of study on the Mediterranean molluscan fauna led the scientific community to consider it as the best ever known. However, the rate at which new taxa are discovered and described every year is still remarkably high, even in key pr...
The Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea) has always been known for the stranding of marine organisms, especially during the spring. We came across an extraordinary event of mass stranding in April 2025, with 453 specimens of Macroramphosus s...
In aquatic microbial ecology, knowledge of the processes involved in the turnover of organic matter is of utmost importance to understand ecosystem functioning. Microorganisms are major players in the cycling of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and c...
Crude extracts and column fractions from the red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis and A. armata from the Strait of Messina (Italy) were screened for the production of antimicrobial compounds. Extracts from both species revealed remarkable antiprotozoal...
The desire to improve the safety of navigation, especially in restricted and very busy areas like the straits, leads researchers to evaluate possible uses of Artificial Intelligence as an alternative to the traditional probabilistic methods. This is...
This work provides a contribution to the understanding of the structure of the photophores in the mesopelagic fish Chauliodus sloani (family Stomiidae), which occasionally are stranded along the coasts of the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean...
The need to discover new natural compounds has become urgent as a possible alternative solution to contrast the spread of antibiotic resistance, also in the aquaculture field. Bacterium–bacterium inhibitory activity against bacterial pathogens...
Investigation of sea-level positions during the highly-dynamic Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3: 29–61 kyrs BP) proves difficult because: (i) in stable and subsiding areas, coeval coastal sediments are currently submerged at depths of few to several ten...
The Lake Faro brackish basin (Sicily, Italy) was established as a Global Geosite as a key locality of tectonic coastal lakes, but little research has been devoted to this rare geological and ecological framework. To fill this gap, the main stratigrap...
This study investigated, for the first time, the age and growth of the spotted lanternfish Myctophum punctatum through an analysis of otolith microstructure. A total of 377 individuals were collected from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean...
Bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), is a little-known elasmobranch in the Mediterranean Sea. Given the lack of information about H. griseus, the aim of our study was to describe the helminth fauna of this species. In M...
The European Union identifies the cultural heritage of cities as the main driver of development strategies. From this perspective, adaptive reuse can play a decisive role not only in terms of increasing the life cycle of the heritage but also as an u...
The distinctive features and fossil content of some caves from eastern Sicily (San Teodoro, Donnavilla, Fulco, Taormina, Tremilia, Spinagallo), altogether spanning from the middle Pleistocene until the beginning of the Holocene, are discussed. Althou...
The benefits of physical activity on physical and mental health are well established. Exercise can be particularly advantageous in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), where progressive loss of muscle mass and impaired...
The U-OWC is a caisson breakwater embodying a device for wave energy absorption. Under the wave action, the pressure acting on the upper opening of the vertical duct fluctuates, producing a water discharge alternatively entering/exiting the plant thr...
The identification and location of Sicilian red-figure pottery workshops remain an unresolved issue in archaeological research. Recent studies propose various hypotheses based on the typological and stylistic analyses of the vases and on the distribu...
Transitional water bodies are coastal areas of strategic naturalistic and socio-economic importance, and highly vulnerable to increased anthropic pressure. A monitoring study was performed in the transitional area of Lake Faro (Cape Peloro Lagoon, It...
The present paper represents the first all-encompassing study on all Mediterranean holopelagic octopods belonging to Argonautoidea (Argonauta argo, Ocythoe tuberculata, Tremoctopus gracilis, Tremoctopus violaceus). Argonautoidea octopuses were collec...
In tectonically active areas, such as the Italian peninsula, studying the faults responsible for strong earthquakes is often challenging, especially when the earthquakes occurred in historical times. In such cases, geoscientists need to integrate all...
Biodiversity is a broad concept that encompasses the diversity of nature, from the genetic to the habitat scale, and ensures the proper functioning of ecosystems. The Mediterranean Sea, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine basins, faces ma...
Photophores are light-producing organs found in many fish species living in the mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssal layers of the ocean. They function to attract prey, confuse predators, and communicate with other individuals of the same species....