Could this humble sea sponge clean up the world’s ports?

The Guardian Environment Tuesday 01 September 2026, 08:00 UTC By Sara Hashemi 1 min read

Key Points

The chicken liver sponge has sailed through a test of its ability to filter pollutants in a harbour in Spain’s Costa BravaIn the polluted waters of Marina Palamós on Spain’s Costa Brava, Manuel Maldonado, a sponge biologist, noticed something unusual last month: red starfish had started settling in the area. Nearly two years earlier, the Spanish National Research Council scientist and his colleagues had begun transplanting sea sponges into the port to study whether they could survive in its...

The chicken liver sponge has sailed through a test of its ability to filter pollutants in a harbour in Spain’s Costa Brava

In the polluted waters of Marina Palamós on Spain’s Costa Brava, Manuel Maldonado, a sponge biologist, noticed something unusual last month: red starfish had started settling in the area.

Nearly two years earlier, the Spanish National Research Council scientist and his colleagues had begun transplanting sea sponges into the port to study whether they could survive in its polluted waters.

Spain (LOCATION) Costa BravaIn (LOCATION) Marina Palamós (LOCATION) Costa Brava (ORG) Manuel Maldonado (PERSON) the Spanish National Research Council (ORG)

Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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Could this humble sea sponge clean up the world’s ports?

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