Biology
Bizarre Pelican Eel Can Eat Prey Larger Than Own Body Thanks to Giant Mouth
“Digital Reefs” awarded $5 million
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) $5 million to participate in NSF’s ground breaking Convergence Accelerator Program. The project, led by WHOI scientist Anne Cohen, builds the world’s first Coral Reef Digital Twin, a 4-dimensional virtual replica of a living coral reef powered by state-of-the art data and models.
Read MoreMaking a splash on TikTok
Nate “The lumpfish guy” Spada brings ocean science to millions with amazing creatures and a sense of humor
Read MoreThe bolder bird gets (and keeps) the girl
A new paper by WHOI researchers demonstrates a connection between personality and divorce in albatross
Read MoreHow marine predators find food hot spots in open ocean “deserts”
A new study led by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (UW APL) finds that marine predators, such as tunas, billfishes and sharks, aggregate in anticyclonic, clockwise-rotating ocean eddies (mobile, coherent bodies of water). As these anticyclonic eddies move throughout the open ocean, the study suggests that the predators are also moving with them, foraging on the high deep-ocean biomass contained within.
Read MoreAn aquatic outbreak
Stony coral tissue loss disease continues devastating Caribbean reefs. Here’s what we know about it so far
Read MoreMarine Protected Areas in Antarctica should include young emperor penguins, scientists say
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and European research institutions are calling for better protections for juvenile emperor penguins, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers listing the species under the Endangered Species Act and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) considers expanding the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean.
Read MoreThe Power of Super Reefs
Working with the governments and scientists of several Pacific Island nations, the project’s first goal is to limit the impacts of pollution and fishing by expanding these countries’ marine protected areas (MPAs).
Read MoreAs oceans warm, snapping shrimp sound a warning
Research published by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists today in Frontiers in Marine Science confirmed their previous observations that rising temperatures increase the sound of snapping shrimp, a tiny crustacean found in temperate and tropical coastal marine environments around the world.
Read MoreWeddell seal moms sacrifice to provide for their pups
Seal mothers dramatically limit diving and foraging while lactating to provide more iron to their young
Read MoreEdie Widder: A light in the darkness
By sharing her fascination with the luminous deep, explorer, author, and conservationist Edie Widder sheds light on why it matters.
Read MoreWHOI and CMA CGM Group deploy acoustic monitoring buoy near Norfolk, Virginia
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, have deployed an acoustic monitoring buoy 33 miles off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia. A second buoy is slated for deployment off the coast of Savannah, Georgia in the coming weeks.
Read MoreA toxic double whammy for sea anemones
Exposure to both oil and sunlight can be harmful to sea anemones
Read MoreInvasive tunicates have shellfish farmers crying “foul”
As shellfish farmers struggle with invasive tunicate invasions, scientists are trying to gain insight into the thermal tolerances for these strange critters and determine where they might show up next
Read MoreInnovative, new “road map” for kelp crop improvement
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Connecticut, and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have executed a license agreement for a kelp germplasm, or collection of microscopic cells called gametophytes, containing more than 1,200 samples all developed and isolated by WHOI and UConn-led teams. Bigelow Laboratory’s National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota plans to maintain, market, and distribute the germplasm collection for broad use.
Read More4 Potential Solutions for Corals in Crisis
Racing against the clock, WHOI researchers and colleagues are developing innovative solutions to rebuild reefs and improve coral resiliency–before it’s too late.
Read MoreWHOI campaign sheds light on new strategies and solutions for the coral reef crisis
In advance of World Ocean Day on June 8, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is launching its Give Reefs a Chance campaign, aimed at raising awareness of what WHOI scientists and engineers are doing to tackle the corals crisis, the importance of coral reefs, and what we can all do to give reefs a chance to survive.
Read MorePartly cloudy with a chance of sharks
Researchers develop ‘heat map’ shark forecast system to improve beachgoer safety
Read MoreCan environmental DNA help us find lost US service members?
Ocean scientists explore how eDNA may be able to help find and identify lost military personnel in the ocean
Read MoreWHOI scientists receive 2022 Simons Early Career Investigator Awards
Two Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists have received prestigious Simons Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards. Maria Pachiadaki and Harriet Alexander are both assistant scientists at WHOI, focusing on different aspects of microbial ecology.
Read MoreSmaller female North Atlantic right whales, fewer calves
The declining body size of North Atlantic right whales may have critical consequences for the future of the species. New research, co-authored by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s senior scientist Michael Moore, shows that smaller females produce fewer calves.
Read MoreOn the crumbling edge
The race to ensure protection for the emperor penguin across the world
Read MoreFluid Flow Stimulates Chemosynthesis in a Greek Salad of Hydrothermal Microbes
A new study uses an innovative approach to examine the bay’s shallow-water hydrothermal system and the production of microbes there in situ and near natural conditions as a model to assess the importance of hydrothermal fluid circulation on chemosynthesis.
Read MoreThe hypoxic reef
Scientists say a lack of oxygen might be stressing tropical reefs even more than warming temperatures, acidification, and pollution. But the combination of these factors spells disaster for coral.
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