Learning from Mother Nature

To understand how nature deals with persistent pollutants, MIT/WHOI Joint Program graduate student Kristin Pangallo analyzes marine animal extracts, such as the squid extract in the flask above, for biomagnified contaminants. In exploring the biomagnification — an increase in concentration of a substance up the food chain — of naturally-occurring chemicals, Pangallo hopes to learn more about how to deal with man-made pollutants accumulating in marine life.
(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)