An undersea submersible has spotted crabs, worms and fish thriving on the surfaces of World War II explosives thought to be toxic to marine life. Scientists found more creatures living on top of warheads than in the surrounding seabed at a former weapons dump site in the Baltic Sea. Researchers filmed networks of anemones, starfish and other underwater life in the Bay of Lübeck off the coast of Germany. The study was published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. It's the latest example of wildlife flourishing in polluted sites. Scientists hope to calculate how much contamination was absorbed by sea life.

Scientists in Colombia’s Amazon are capturing and testing endangered pink river dolphins to monitor mercury contamination from illegal gold mining and deforestation. The laborious operation, carried out only a few times a year, involves health checks, ultrasounds and sampling for diseases and toxins. Mercury levels in the dolphins have been found far above safe limits, reflecting risks to wildlife and people. Populations have sharply declined, and researchers say protecting the dolphins is inseparable from protecting the Amazon’s rivers and ecosystems.