Beautiful Plankton for an Urgent Cause

Diatoms—a type of phytoplankton—are intricate and beautiful under the microscope. In this composite image, a micrograph of a diatom is flanked by a pair of diatom-inspired earrings created by survivors of trafficking and other vulnerable women at the organization Her Future Coalition. WHOI researcher Dawn Moran, who works on phytoplankton and has also taken many plankton micrographs, consults with the organization and advised them about plankton for the jewelry line. Some of the jewelry will soon be available to view at the WHOI Ocean Science Discovery Center and the WHOI Shop. Diatom image from the Victorian Microscope Slides website with permission of photographer Howard Lynk.(Photo by Dawn Moran, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)