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Author: Carrie McDonough

I am the founder of oceanbites, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Higgins Lab at Colorado School of Mines, where I study poly- and perfluorinated chemicals. I got my Ph.D. in the Lohmann Lab at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, where my research focused on how toxic chemicals like flame retardants end up in our lakes and oceans. Before graduate school, I earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from MIT and spent two years in environmental consulting. When I'm not doing chemistry in the lab, I'm doing chemistry at home (brewing beer).
Chemistry

Tiny ocean creatures play a big role in the global fate of toxic pollutants

Scientists on the “biggest ever expedition on global change” studied the tiniest creatures in the ocean to learn about their…
July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Undergraduate Research

Notes from the Undergrads: Summer Research Projects in Oceanography (Part II)

Undergraduates from all over the US have come to the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography this summer…
July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Undergraduate Research

Notes from the Undergrads: Summer Research Projects in Oceanography! (Part I)

Undergraduates from all over the US have come to the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography this summer…
July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry

The Secret’s in the Slime

Scientists have recently discovered that the hagfish’s notorious slime has uses beyond defense: it also mediates uptake of toxins through…
April 17, 2015April 17, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Science Communication

Oceanbites Wants to Hear From You!

We here at oceanbites want to know what you're interested in reading about. Whether you're new to the site or…
April 14, 2015April 18, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry

We Don’t Know the Half of It: Hundreds of Contaminants in Dolphin Blubber from Southern California

Dolphins and humans are continuously exposed to low levels of various halogenated, persistent manmade pollutants through their diets. In this…
March 17, 2015October 27, 2017 Carrie McDonough
Science Communication

Attention Grad Students: Apply to Attend ComSciCon15!

Applications are now open for the Communicating Science 2015 workshop, to be held in Cambridge, MA on June 18-20th, 2015!…
January 22, 2015January 26, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry Human impacts Pollution

Oil Spill Sleuths use Chemical Fingerprinting to Identify Sources of Tar Balls

Tar balls are small globules of thick, sticky oil that can be found on some shorelines. In order to mitigate…
October 2, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Ecology Fisheries Human impacts Pollution

Cartilaginous Conundrum: Are Sharks and Skates Safe to Eat?

While smooth dogfish may not be on your list of favorite seafood, cartilaginous fish (mainly sharks and skates) may increasingly…
September 3, 2014September 12, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry Pollution

Why Do Sea Turtles Get Tumors?

Large numbers of green sea turtles are growing tumors that impede their swimming, block their sight, and prevent them from…
July 21, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry

Hired Mussels: Mussel Farming to Clean Up Excess Nutrients

Plants need nitrogen and phosphorous to grow, and humans need plants to survive. In our quest to produce more and…
June 9, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Human impacts Pollution

How Much Garbage is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

There’s been a lot of news floating around about “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, the region of the Pacific Ocean…
May 9, 2014May 9, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry

Baby Beluga is at Heightened Risk: Pollutant Accumulation in Arctic Predators Affects Gene Expression

Analyzing changes in gene transcription is a way to detect adverse effects in organisms before they are observable on the…
April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry

From Your Sofa to the Sea

Oceanographers from Spain have measured several commonly used (and potentially harmful) organophosphate ester flame retardants in the air over the…
March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry Fisheries

Big Fish Eats Little Fish: Biomagnification of Natural Toxins

Naturally occurring poisons produced by some microorganisms can concentrate to dangerous levels in carnivorous fish, just like man-made pollutants do.…
February 7, 2014February 7, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry Geology

A Song of Ice, Fire, and Climate: Could Warming Seas Release Methane from Beneath the Seafloor?

In 2008, scientists were troubled to find methane bubbling up from marine sediments off the coast of a string of…
January 28, 2014August 26, 2015 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry

Double Trouble: Marine Plastic Debris Absorbs Toxic Pollutants

Recently, you may have heard that scientists have discovered small plastic particles floating in the open ocean and in the…
December 30, 2013January 25, 2014 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry

Like Mother, Like Son: Stingrays Pass Toxic Pollutants on to Their Offspring

Animals in early stages of development are particularly susceptible to harmful effects of toxic pollutants. For this reason, the transfer…
November 29, 2013November 29, 2013 Carrie McDonough
Chemistry

Model Suggests 40% of Global Dioxin Emissions End Up in Oceans

Researchers at the University of British Columbia recently presented a global model simulating how dioxins, a group of very toxic,…
October 30, 2013October 30, 2013 Carrie McDonough
Biology Chemistry

Intense Weight Loss by Migratory Humpback Whales Could Increase Health Risks Posed by Pollutants

Australian and Norwegian researchers measured levels of pesticides and PCBs in southern hemisphere humpback whales to find out whether extreme…
September 30, 2013October 10, 2013 Carrie McDonough

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