More Ocean Sustainability
-
NewsNew research reveals how octopus uses arms to sense chemical clues from microbes
A new study reveals what the octopus is feeling when it ‘tastes’ the seafloor— biochemical information from the microbial world. The animal uses its arms to determine whether prey is safe to eat or whether unhealthy eggs should be ejected from the nest.
-
NewsNorthward jet stream shift hits phytoplankton in the Mediterranean Sea
In just over 20 years, the northward shift of the subtropical jet stream — a high-altitude airflow — caused by climate change has reduced primary production in the northwestern Mediterranean by about 40%, affecting the base of the marine food web.
-
NewsMicrobiome stability shapes how corals withstand extreme heat
A new study reveals why some corals resist bleaching while others don’t: the answer lies in a complex partnership between corals and their microbial allies, shaped by the history of the waters they inhabit.
-
NewsGifts from the sea: Molecules derived from coral may help fight harmful bacteria
Pus, strep throat, and even tuberculosis—most infectious diseases are characterized by a cluster of pathogenic bacteria that can be stubborn and resistant to antibiotics. Researchers have found another method to combat these bacteria using naturally sourced molecules found in corals.
-
NewsFish ‘beauty salons’ offer insight into how microbes move within reefs
A new study highlights the potential impact of cleaner fish in coral reefs and the need to demystify their role in shaping reef microbial diversity and transmission.
-
NewsCoral Art: Drawing out the secrets of coral reef resilience to high ocean temperatures
A researcher uses her art to explain how corals from more variable ocean environments may be better equipped to survive rising ocean temperatures than corals from more stable environments.
-
NewsScientists discover 230 new giant viruses that shape ocean life and health
Using high-performance computing methods, researchers have identified 230 novel giant viruses in publicly available marine metagenomic datasets and characterized their functions.
-
NewsDiatoms could be key to creating farming systems on the Moon
Diatoms hold immense potential to revolutionize space agriculture, offering a transformative solution for sustainable extraterrestrial ecosystems and a key role in enabling humanity to establish sustainable living environments on the Moon and other planets, a new study argues.
-
NewsResearch reveals that probiotics slow spread of deadly disease decimating Caribbean reefs
Scientists with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History have discovered that a bacterial probiotic helps slow the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in already infected wild corals in Florida. The findings, published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, reveal that applying the probiotic treatment ...
-
NewsStudy resolves diatom tree of life - and could offer clues to Earth’s puzzle
A new study finds that diatoms evolved slowly for the first 100 million years of their existence. Then, 170 million years ago, they reached an inflection point characterized by a burst of rapid speciation orders of magnitude faster than anything that had preceded it.
-
NewsNitrogen loss on sandy shores: The big impact of tiny anoxic pockets
Denitrification in tiny anoxic pockets on sand grains could account for up to one-third of total nitrogen loss in silicate shelf sands, a new study reveals.
-
NewsResearchers uncover a unique light-harvesting structure in marine algae
Scientists conducted a high-resolution analysis of a photosynthetic complex found in a marine alga, Chrysotila roscoffensis. The photosystem II–FCPII complex could shape the future of artificial photosynthesis.
-
CareersAMI prizewinner Raquel Peixoto reveals how coral symbionts are key to tolerating rising temperatures
Marking World Coral Reef Day on June 1, AMI’s Rachel Carson Prize winner Professor Raquel Peixoto reveals how the ability of corals to tolerate rising temperatures is determined by the type of microorganisms that live inside them.
-
NewsResearchers discover unusual new marine flagellate
A newly discovered species of unicellular organism found in seawater belongs to the protist group Endomyxa and is notable for possessing a persistent flagellum — the first recorded instance of such a flagellate within this group.
-
NewsAffordable real-time sensor system for algal bloom detection
Engineers have developed a real-time, low-cost algal bloom monitoring system utilizing inexpensive optical sensors and a novel labeling logic. The system achieves higher accuracy than state-of-the-art AI models such as Gradient Boosting and Random Forest.
-
NewsRock record reveals oxygenation of ocean may have happened earlier than we thought
Researchers uncover evidence that oxygenation in the ocean—crucial for life as we know it—may have occurred earlier than previously thought, offering new insights into the evolution of our planet.
-
NewsCoral fusion teams with microbiology to advance coral reef restoration
A recent study suggests a novel framework that pairs fundamental biology with applied biology to innovate in coral restoration ecology.
-
NewsWater researchers develop prediction system for harmful algae
Researchers are collaborating on a next-day prediction model to warn and inform water managers about harmful algal blooms. Using water samples and computer algorithms, the team developed prediction models based on two water sources feeding the Caloosahatchee River.
-
NewsResearch team traces evolutionary history of bacterial circadian clock on ancient Earth
To better understand the circadian clock in modern-day cyanobacteria, researchers studied ancient timekeeping systems. They examined the oscillation of the clock proteins in modern cyanobacteria, comparing it to the function of ancestral Kai proteins.
-
NewsOcean microbes offer clues to environmental resilience
Researchers have developed a new way to identify genetic changes that help tiny oxygen-producing microbes survive in extreme environments.