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Oceanus Magazine

The Recipe for a Harmful Algal Bloom

The Recipe for a Harmful Algal Bloom

August 21, 2018

Harmful algal blooms can produce toxins that accumulate in shellfish and cause health problems and economic losses. They have increased in strength and frequency worldwide. Can we get advance warnings of when and where they will occur?

Sharks Take 'Tunnels' into the Depths

Sharks Take ‘Tunnels’ into the Depths

July 23, 2018

By tagging sharks, WHOI scientists have revealed their surprising behavior.

The Bacteria on Your Beaches

The Bacteria on Your Beaches

May 7, 2018

The widespread use of antibiotics is increasing the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria—perhaps into the ocean, too.

How Do Fish Find Their Way?

How Do Fish Find Their Way?

September 6, 2017

An MIT-WHOI Joint Program graduate student is exploring how tiny larvae hatched in the open ocean find their way to coral reefs where they settle down and live.

The Amazing Acquired Phototroph!

The Amazing Acquired Phototroph!

April 20, 2017

There are autotrophs, such as plants, that can make their own food. There are heterotrophs, such as animals, that consume other organisms. And then there are curious organisms called mixotrophs, which can do both, switching how they get food depending on the conditions in their environment.

How Do Larvae Find a Place to Settle Down?

How Do Larvae Find a Place to Settle Down?

February 20, 2017

It’s still a mystery: How do the tiny larvae of marine animals that hatch in the open ocean find their way to coral reefs where they settle as adults? One…

Shark Tales

Shark Tales

June 7, 2016

Sharks are some of the largest fish in the ocean, but their movements and behavior have remained largely hidden from people.

See Those Black Dots? They’re Penguins. Now Count Them.

See Those Black Dots? They’re Penguins. Now Count Them.

June 1, 2016

That’s exactly what a team of researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) did on a recent expedition to the Danger Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. The islands are home…

Journey Into the Ocean's Microbiomes

Journey Into the Ocean’s Microbiomes

March 18, 2016

Bacteria in the ocean, including pathogenic ones, often hitchhike on tiny crustaceans called copepods. A graduate student explored their complex relationships.

Sex, Games, and the Evolution of Gender Gaps

Sex, Games, and the Evolution of Gender Gaps

January 4, 2016

Population models can help us plan breeding programs for endangered species and understand the evolution of sex ratios.