Researchers at University of Illinois show that when oil drops burst at the water’s surface, they create smaller droplets that move downward, which is important for improving oil spill clean-up. Continue reading Small Oil Droplets Can Pose Challenges in Large Body Oil Spill Cleanups
Manasvi Verma, 1st year PhD student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program at Harvard Medical School. Jovana Andrejevic is a fifth-year Applied Physics Ph.D. student in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. cover Image by Vlad Vasnetsov from Pixabay. This biography is part of our “Picture a Scientist” initiative. To learn more about the amazing men and women who paved … Continue reading John Dabiri: The oceanic adventures of a bioengineer
by Jessica Schifffigures by Rebecca Senft Under the waves and in the ocean, climate change is like a persistent third wheel. Akin to that friend who always insists on tagging along on your dates, his/her/their presence makes it difficult for you and your significant other to have alone time. In the ocean, climate change continually prevents the seduction and reproductive success of all kinds of … Continue reading Climate Change: The Ocean’s “Mood Killer”
Researchers recently examined DNA sequences a snail living in deep ocean hydrothermal vents. They found similar DNA to other mollusks, but different DNA expression giving the snail its unique appearance. Continue reading Different Snail, Same Genes: What Gives the Scaly-foot Snail Its Scales?
Sharks play an important and often overlooked role in the ocean ecosystem. As apex predators, or predators at the top of their food chain, sharks regulate the diversity and diets of species below them, ensuring a healthy ocean habitat. For instance, the decline of sharks in many areas has been shown to directly correlate with the demise of coral reefs and seagrass beds. Despite their … Continue reading Using Satellites to Protect Shark Sanctuaries
Where scientists previously assumed a harsh transition from reef life to deep-sea life, scientists have found a ‘missing link’ in oceanic life: the rariphotic zone. Between 150m-300m below the surface, this ‘twilight zone’ in the Caribbean houses a ‘deep sea reef’, complete with 30 new invertebrate species and 71 new species of reef fish. It was previously thought that reef fish couldn’t survive this deep, and their presence is a surprise to everyone. Continue reading Who lives in the Twilight Zone under the sea?
A team of Australian scientists lead by Rocky De Nys (James Cook University) discovered that a certain type of red seaweed, called Asparagopsis taxiformis, can decrease the amount of methane produced by the bacteria found in a cow’s stomach. Lauren Kuntz explains that methane is a very potent but short-lived greenhouse gas. Limiting methane produced by livestock, a major source of the gas, could help … Continue reading Seaweed May Cut Cows Methane Production
President Obama has recently established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off of the coast of New England. The monument is the first in the Atlantic Ocean and measures in at 4,913 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut. This move comes a month after President Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii by 442,781 square miles. Christopher Horvat explains that … Continue reading Marine Memorial Established Off New England Coast