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(VIDEO) Australian Researchers Film Dolphins Using Seashells to Trap Fish, Revealing Rare Tool-Use Behavior

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Scientists in Australia have captured the first published footage of dolphins on the country’s east coast using large empty seashells to trap and catch fish, a discovery that suggests this rare tool-using behavior may have emerged independently in two dolphin populations separated by thousands of kilometers.

Researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast recorded two separate sightings of the behavior, known as “shelling,” among Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the Great Sandy Marine Park off Hervey Bay, Queensland, between July and October 2025. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Mammal Science, mark the first scientifically documented instances of the behavior anywhere on Australia’s east coast. Until now, the only published evidence of shelling had come from a distinct dolphin population in Shark Bay, Western Australia, located more than 3,000 kilometers away, according to some measurements, or as much as 6,000 kilometers by other calculations of the distance between the two locations.

Shelling involves a dolphin chasing a fish into a large, empty gastropod shell — often a bailer shell, which can grow to roughly the size of a football — before lifting the shell to the water’s surface and tipping it to drain the trapped fish into its mouth. Researchers describe the behavior as a genuine form of tool use, a trait considered rare among animals and one that has drawn significant scientific interest for what it may reveal about cognition and cultural transmission in non-human species.

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Dr. Alexis Levengood, an animal behaviorist at the University of the Sunshine Coast and the study’s lead author, described the moment her research team first spotted the behavior in the wild. “We were on a research boat off Hervey Bay when we spotted a dolphin raising something large out of the water. I started screaming because I know what shelling looks like,” Levengood said.

Levengood further detailed the mechanics of the observed hunting technique. “It’s a hunting behavior where dolphins chase fish into large empty shells, bring the shell to the surface and then shake it to drain the fish into their mouths,” she said. “We were able to record footage and take photographs of dolphins shelling in the Great Sandy Marine Park, which is the first published record of it on the east coast of Australia.”

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the discovery involved a second observation in which researchers captured what may be the first documented evidence of a young dolphin learning the shelling technique directly from its mother, a process known as maternal social transmission. According to the researchers, they observed an adult female dolphin surface with a shell, after which the trapped fish escaped and the dolphin dropped the shell to continue the chase. Minutes later, the dolphin’s calf picked up the same discarded shell and held it in a manner similar to how its mother had handled it moments earlier.

Levengood explained the significance of that observation for scientific understanding of how dolphins acquire complex hunting behaviors. “Our footage provides the first potential evidence of maternal social transmission – a process by which offspring learn behaviour by observing the actions of its mother,” she said. “It challenges the belief that dolphins learn this tool use from their peers.” Previously, scientists had generally believed dolphins acquired shelling primarily through observing other dolphins within their broader social network, rather than through direct learning from a parent.

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The research team also uncovered evidence that the behavior had likely been occurring in the Hervey Bay dolphin population for far longer than previously recognized, despite going scientifically undocumented. According to the researchers, conversations with local whale-watching tour operators revealed that shelling had actually been observed and photographed in the Great Sandy Marine Park as far back as 2013, with additional sightings recorded in 2019. Those earlier, informal observations had gone unreported in scientific literature due to limited dedicated research activity in the region, the team said.

The wide geographic separation between the two documented dolphin populations — one in Shark Bay on Australia’s west coast and the other in Hervey Bay on the east coast — has led researchers to a striking interpretation: that both populations may have arrived at the same specialized hunting technique independently, rather than the behavior having spread through direct contact between the two groups, which are not known to interact given the vast distance and different oceanic regions separating them. Researchers cautioned, however, that while the documented behavior in both locations matches closely, their observations did not include a test capable of definitively reconstructing the exact original moment either population first developed the technique.

Levengood noted that shelling requires considerably more cognitive and physical sophistication than simply manipulating an object. A dolphin attempting the behavior must locate a suitable empty shell, understand that fish often seek shelter inside such shells, successfully position and maintain the shell’s opening during its ascent to the surface, and then drain the shell’s contents without allowing the trapped fish to escape, a sequence of coordinated steps that researchers say justifies classifying the shell as a genuine tool rather than an incidental object.

The discovery adds to a broader and growing body of research documenting tool use across the animal kingdom, a phenomenon once believed to be unique to humans. Some of the earliest documented evidence of tool use among non-human animals dates back to the 1960s, when primatologist Jane Goodall famously observed wild chimpanzees using sticks to extract termites from hollow logs, a finding that fundamentally challenged prevailing assumptions about the uniqueness of human tool use. Since then, researchers have documented numerous other examples across the animal kingdom, including primates using stones as hammers to crack open nuts and fruit, and separate populations of Shark Bay dolphins that have been observed covering their beaks with basket sponges torn from the seafloor, a technique that helps them forage for fish hidden in the sand while protecting their sensitive snouts from injury.

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Reflecting on the broader implications of the new findings, Levengood emphasized how much remains unknown about the origins and spread of such behaviors among wild dolphin populations, while underscoring what the discovery reveals about dolphin intelligence more broadly. “There’s still a lot we don’t know and many questions we will hopefully ask and answer with time,” she said. “But better understanding of shelling, and other tool use in non-human animals, will continue to teach us more about ourselves and how and why we evolved the way we did. These findings highlight how smart, clever and innovative dolphins are.”

The research team plans to continue monitoring the Hervey Bay dolphin population through ongoing boat surveys, an effort researchers say could help clarify how widespread the shelling behavior actually is within the group and whether additional evidence of mother-to-calf learning can be documented in future sightings.

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Backing for Amazon MGM Studios’ plan for Bray Film Studios

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A CGI-generated image of two rowers rowing past Bray Studios.

Amazon MGM Studios’ planned expansion of a Berkshire-based complex would be a “considerable boost” for filmmaking, a government-funded industry body said.

Bray Film Studios, in Water Oakley, near Windsor, was previously used by the Hammer Films company.

The previous owner of the studios got planning permission to expand them in 2022 and Amazon MGM bought the site in 2024.

The British Film Commission (BFC) said it “recognises that the studio benefits from Amazon MGM’s commitment” and welcomed its “ambition to support employment opportunities for both the local community and more widely across the UK sector”.

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The company has been using the site since 2022 and a public consultation regarding the expansion project closed in May.

Amazon MGM said its current proposals, which include building a multi-storey car park and six new sound stages, would help “realise the site’s full potential”.

The expansion is expected to create 470 jobs as it is built and 920 in Berkshire more widely.

Samantha Perahia, the BFC’s head of production, told the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead that it supports the plan.

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“The enhancements proposed for Bray Studios will not only allow the region to build on its already established and impressive reputation amongst international clients,” she said.

She added that it “would also provide a considerable boost to the combined efforts of the BFC and our public and commercial partners in marketing the region, and the wider UK.”

The planning application will be decided later.

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SK Hynix’s U.S.-Listed Shares Jump 4% as AI Memory Rally Continues Despite Choppy Trading This Year

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SK Hynix ADR Plunges Nearly 8% to $162 as Wild

SEOUL — Shares of SK Hynix’s U.S.-listed American depositary receipts climbed 4.12%, or $6.86, to $173.19 as of 9:59 a.m. EDT Monday, extending a volatile but broadly upward run for the South Korean memory chipmaker as investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence-driven memory demand continued to reassert itself following weeks of sharp swings.

Monday’s gain came amid renewed optimism tied to expanding AI memory demand, according to market analysis, with the stock benefiting from broader momentum across the semiconductor sector as investors continued positioning around companies seen as key suppliers to the ongoing AI infrastructure buildout.

The rally builds on a dramatic run for SK Hynix’s ADRs since their debut on Wall Street in July. The company priced its initial offering of 177.9 million ADRs at $149 each, raising proceeds of $26.5 billion in what became the largest-ever initial share sale in the United States by a foreign company. The shares opened at $170 on their first day of trading and closed that session at $168.01, up 12.8% from the offering price, reflecting immediate and substantial investor demand for exposure to the memory chipmaker.

Since that debut, however, SK Hynix’s American shares have traded with significant volatility. According to market tracking data, the stock closed near $169.50 on July 23 before sliding into the low $140s by Aug. 11, then rebounding sharply back above $170 by Aug. 14. That pattern of steep declines followed by rapid recoveries has continued into this week, with the stock’s swings tied closely to headlines regarding the company’s various AI infrastructure partnerships and broader sentiment shifts across AI-linked technology stocks.

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Much of that volatility has centered on a massive infrastructure partnership SK Hynix entered alongside Nvidia and its parent company, SK Group. The companies signed a partnership valued at more than $500 billion focused on AI infrastructure, under which SK Hynix locked in a long-term deal to co-develop next-generation high-bandwidth AI memory and support a 2-gigawatt AI cloud buildout in South Korea. Despite the scale and strategic significance of the agreement, SK Hynix shares initially sold off sharply on the announcement, falling as much as 8.8% to 10% in a single session, reflecting a pattern in which investors have periodically taken profits on positive news given how far and fast the stock had already climbed.

SK Hynix has continued expanding its manufacturing footprint to keep pace with surging demand. The company announced plans to invest 54 trillion Korean won, or approximately $38.1 billion, to build two new memory chip manufacturing plants — one in Yongin, referred to as “Y2,” and another in Cheongju, referred to as “M17” — as demand for components critical to AI applications continues to outstrip available supply. Neil Shah, vice president of research and co-founder of Counterpoint Research, said the investment reflects a longer-term strategic response rather than an immediate production shift. “This has prompted SK Hynix to inject fresh capex to expand its footprint. In the near term, this won’t alter SK Hynix’s output but is built for 2029 and beyond,” Shah said, adding that expansions from Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and China’s CXMT are expected to meaningfully increase global memory supply through 2028.

SK Hynix has separately announced plans to resume construction of its second NAND memory plant in Dalian, China, targeting roughly 50% output growth at that facility, a move that contributed to a 3.2% jump in the stock that helped it lead gains among peers valued above $200 billion.

The company’s push into the U.S. market comes as America represents SK Hynix’s largest single market, accounting for 68.8% of its revenue last year. The company is planning to build its first U.S. production facility in Indiana as part of its broader expansion strategy. SK Hynix generated just under $65 billion in revenue in 2025, with profits doubling to roughly $28 billion, a turnaround the company has attributed largely to soaring demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI processors, including chips supplied to Nvidia.

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Wall Street analysts have remained broadly bullish on SK Hynix’s prospects despite the stock’s recent volatility. In the weeks following the company’s public listing, Goldman Sachs raised its price target on SK Hynix’s Korean-listed shares to 290,000 won, implying a potential gain of roughly 25% from the stock’s trading level at the time the target was issued. Citigroup went further, raising its target to 350,000 won, more than 50% above the stock’s trading level at the time. Nineteen analysts revised their forecasts upward for SK Hynix in the month leading up to those target increases, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, driven largely by anticipation of continued strong earnings tied to AI-related memory demand.

Some investors have expressed caution given how significantly the stock has already appreciated. SK Hynix has traded at as much as 2.9 times book value, a level not seen since at least 2011, raising questions among some market participants about how much additional upside remains priced into the stock at current valuations. According to fundamental data cited by market analysts, SK Hynix currently carries an enterprise value of approximately $1.21 trillion and a leverage ratio of 1.5, alongside a one-year return on invested capital of 73.54%, figures that underscore both the scale of investor enthusiasm surrounding the stock and the increasingly demanding performance bar the company faces going forward.

Reports of fresh institutional investment have also contributed to recent gains. News of funding interest from Singapore’s Temasek in both SK Hynix and Samsung reportedly drove a 4.6% single-day gain in SK Hynix shares, signaling what analysts described as rising institutional appetite for exposure to Korean memory chipmakers amid the broader AI infrastructure buildout.

With memory prices continuing to rise amid persistent supply shortages, SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron have all seen substantial share-price rallies over the past year as investors bet that the current imbalance between memory chip supply and AI-driven demand will persist for an extended period. Whether that dynamic continues to support SK Hynix’s valuation, or whether expanding global memory supply eventually catches up with demand as new manufacturing capacity comes online later this decade, is likely to remain one of the central questions shaping investor sentiment toward the stock in the months ahead.

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Duos Technologies Group, Inc. (DUOT) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript