Plastic is abundant in the ocean ecosystem. Not only is it harmful to marine animals, but as scientists discovered, it also transports disease-causing bacteria around the ocean. How can the plastic debris in the ocean spread sickness? Diana FontaineI am a PhD student in the Rynearson Lab studying Biological Oceanography at the Graduate School of […]
Picture this: shrink yourself down to the 1/1000th the size of the period at the end of this sentence. You are now the size of a bacteria. Due to your dimensions, you are so incredibly light (around 0.0000000000000000007 pounds) that the slightest wind could pick you up and move you around. Around most of the […]
The deep sea is a treasure trove of disease-fighting compounds–and is even helping us in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Emily ChuaI am a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University where I am developing an underwater instrument to study the coastal ocean. I have a multi-disciplinary background in physics and oceanography (and some engineering), and […]
Happy Thanksgiving! With Black Friday right around the corner, it might be surprising to hear that humans aren’t the only species that swarm to certain areas. Ashley MickensI recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability from Miami University of Ohio, and I’m currently working as a marine mammal observer in the […]
Looking for a cool Halloween costume? Dress up as a zombie worm that lives under the sea and injects acid into whale bones! These exist – and scientists have just discovered a new species deep in the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian coast. Anastasia YandulskayaI am a PhD candidate at Northeastern University in Boston. I […]
Deep-sea anglerfishes are known for their prominent glowing lure extending from their heads. Bacteria are behind the scenes, enabling anglerfish to create their bioluminescence. How and when do anglerfish form the bond with their bioluminescent bacterial partners? Scientists may now have an answer. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island […]
Every summer, the URI Graduate School of Oceanography hosts undergraduate research interns called SURFOs. In this post, learn about Sommer Meyer’s 2019 SURFO research doing isotope analysis on Rhode Island’s local clams and quahogs! Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. I use a small-scale computer model […]
We use horseshoe crab blood to test every FDA approved drug given to humans. Yet with horseshoe crab populations dropping and a feasible replacement test already developed, why haven’t we made the switch? Kristin HuizengaI am a PhD student studying Biological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. My interests are in […]
Researchers spent seven years specifically studying deceased, stranded cetaceans along the coastline of the Canary Islands in Spain to figure out what most likely caused their deaths. They found that while human activity accounted for a large portion, something else was responsible for a much larger percentage of cetacean death. Rishya NarayananRishya is a multimedia […]
What organisms live in coral reefs? Corals (obviously), fish, snorkeling tourists…but some of the most important members we can’t even see with the naked eye, and some argue aren’t even alive! In this post we explore the role of viruses in coral reefs, and what we do – and don’t – know about coral-virus interactions. […]
Viruses live in the ocean, where they infect bacteria who also live in the ocean. Ocean viruses are crucial to the ecosystem, but we don’t know very much about how they ‘survive’ in the ocean. Scientists used data from samples collected all over the world, and explored what types of viruses were in these samples. […]
Hydrothermal vents are hot, dark, and toxic environments. But to sulfur oxidizing bacteria, they’re home. Michael GrawI’m a 5th year PhD student at Oregon State University researching the microbial ecology of marine sediments – why do we find microbes where they are in the seafloor, and what are they doing there? I spend my non-science […]
Oil spills are not great for the environment, but some bacteria thrive on eating oil. Scientists have been researching ways to use these natural oil degrading bacteria to clean up oil contaminated areas. A group in Italy adapted graphite rods to encourage marine mud bacteria to degrade oil more quickly. They call this the “Oil […]
Bacteria in coastal waters can eat methane, a greenhouse gas – but just how much and how fast can they eat? Michael GrawI’m a 5th year PhD student at Oregon State University researching the microbial ecology of marine sediments – why do we find microbes where they are in the seafloor, and what are they […]
Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are an important nitrogen source in the ocean and the δ15N of amino acids is helpful in figuring out where you stand on the food web. The amino acid δ15N of the bacteria Vibrio harveyi changed depending on the food (C:N ratio and type of nitrogen) used to […]
An abundant species of photosynthetic bacteria is found to release numerous membrane-bound packets. This is the first evidence of vesicle release by photosynthetic organisms. These tiny vesicles could have big impacts on prior knowledge of marine microbial systems. Lis HendersonI am studying for my doctoral degree at the Stony Brook University School of Marine and […]
Scientists find a diverse and distinct community of microorganisms that live on plastic trash at the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean. Is the “plastisphere” only a buzzword? Or can plastic waste be considered a new, man-made ecological habitat in the open ocean? Cathleen TurnerCat Turner is a Masters Candidate at the University of Rhode […]