Japanese researchers show an emerging method, eDNA, can be used to reconstruct fish abundances from up to 300 years ago. Gabrielle StedmanI am currently a 3rd year PhD student in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. I use DNA found in the environment (eDNA), like a forensic scientist, to detect deep-sea animals […]
There is growing interest to exploit the resources of deep-sea hydrothermal vents to support the demand for electronic manufacturing. We don’t know how mining activities will affect these ecosystems or how the vent community will adapt to perturbations. Scientists are finding faster and easier ways to study the biodiversity and dynamics before foreseeable mining. Gabrielle […]
How can scientists find sea turtles in the ocean? Traditional methods like capturing and tagging are invasive and expensive. Is there another way? Following turtle tracks in the ocean may be the answer. Anastasia YandulskayaI am a PhD candidate at Northeastern University in Boston. I study regeneration of the nervous system in water salamanders called […]
The ocean is a big place and trying to study all of the animals living there can take a lot of time, effort, and some pretty expensive technology. Thankfully, a group of scientists may have found an alternative to the current sampling devices : Sponges. Read more about how scientists are looking into using sponges […]
Article: Stoeckle MY, Soboleva L, Charlop- Powers Z (2017) Aquatic environmental DNA detects seasonal fish abundance and habitat preference in an urban estuary. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0175186 Effectively managing fish populations requires accurate and timely monitoring data. Scientists and environmental managers need to know when (presence/absence data), where (location data), and how many fish (abundance […]
In the past few decades scientists have found new and exciting ways to use DNA to answer scientific questions. There is now a new technique that could further revolutionize DNA analysis by using tiny pieces of tissue floating around in the ocean. Read more about how scientists are using this technique to answer questions about […]