Ocean Life
Little Things Matter A Lot
One group of bacteria—the cyanobacteria—has completely transformed Earth’s environment through their long history. Three billion years ago, ancestors of cyanobacteria infused Earth’s ancient atmosphere with the byproduct of their photosynthesis—oxygen—changing the chemistry of the planet and setting the stage for entirely new oxygen-breathing life forms to evolve. Without the cyanobacteria, the life we see around us, including humans, simply wouldn’t be here.
The Deeps of Time in the Depths of the Ocean
Wherever we have looked in the oceans, we have found previously unknown microorganisms. We have…
Tracking Fish to Save Them
For decades, the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) was one of the most sought-after fish species…
Mistaken Identity
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have found that two chemicals accumulating in the…
Coral Gardens in the Dark Depths
The words "coral reefs" conjure up images of a tropical paradise: shallow, warm, aquamarine waters,…
Do Marine Protected Areas Really Work?
Today, Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs—areas of the ocean temporarily or permanently closed to harvesting—are…
The Coastal Ocean Institute
We are all stewards of the coastal ocean. For some of us, the connection to…
New Instrument Sheds Light on Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is ubiquitous in the oceans, and especially prevalent in coastal regions where nutrients are…
Rites of Passage for Juvenile Marine Life
The childhood of a barnacle is fraught with challenges. It hatches in shallow waters close…
Red Tides and Dead Zones
The most widespread, chronic environmental problem in the coastal ocean is caused by an excess…
Scientists Muster to Help Right Whales
It is a sad irony that we have cataloged individual photographs of the remaining North…
Whither the North Atlantic Right Whale?
"Today only a remnant of the population survives, no more than 350 whales clustered in…
Revealing the Ocean’s Invisible Abundance
Finding minuscule life forms in a seemingly infinite ocean isn’t trivial. But in recent years,…
Shedding Light on Light in the Ocean
Light in the ocean is like light in no other place on Earth. It is…
Down on the Farm…Raising Fish
Aquaculture, or fish farming, is changing how we think about one of our main sources…
Life in the Arctic Ocean
Capped with a formidable ice and snow cover, plunged into total darkness during the winter,…
The Secret Lives of Fish
"We have found that otoliths of fish born in each of the five natal estuaries…
Living Large in Microscopic Nooks
Newly discovered deep-sea microbes rearrange thinking on the evolution of the Eart—and life on it.
Is Life Thriving Deep Beneath the Seafloor?
In 1991, scientists aboard the submersible Alvin were in the right spot at the right…
The Grass is Greener in the Coastal Ocean
Stretching from inland rivers and bays to the edge of the continental shelf, the coastal…
The Evolutionary Puzzle of Seafloor Life
Most of Earth's crust is manufactured at the bottom of the sea. Deep beneath the…
ALISS in Wonderland
In 1985, Cindy Van Dover, then a graduate student in biology in the MIT/WHOI Joint…
Deep-Sea Diaspora
When spectacular biological communities were first discovered at hydrothermal vents in 1977, biologists puzzled over…
