{
  "id": 4963671,
  "title": "Muddying the waters makes stickleback fish more coordinated, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/muddying-the-waters-makes-stickleback-fish-more-coordinated-study",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-01T23:10:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-muddying-stickleback-fish.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A University of Bristol study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that stickleback fish can modify their social behavior to enhance coordination and locate food more efficiently in cloudy water. Turbidity, the cloudiness of water due to particles like algae, mud, and silt, is increasing in many rivers and coastal waters due to human activities. Researchers observed how groups of three-spined sticklebacks, common freshwater fish found in small shoals in Northern Hemisphere ponds, streams, and rivers, reacted to changing water clarity and the sudden appearance of food. In murkier water, individual fish took longer to approach food than those in clear water, but larger groups responded more rapidly overall. In poorer visibility conditions, fish in smaller groups swam closer together, aligned their movements, and reacted more readily to the behavior of nearby group members. This enhanced cooperation helped them compensate for reduced visibility and locate food more effectively. The study's findings suggest that despite lower visibility, sticklebacks can adapt by increasing their collective behavior and coordination, improving their response to crucial opportunities such as finding food.",
  "summary": "Stickleback fish can change their social behavior to help them find food in cloudy water, according to a new University of Bristol study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}