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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

Joides Resolution

Unlocking the Earth’s time capsule

November 2, 2023

Mantle rocks and fluids from one of the final expeditions on the R/V JOIDES Resolution will provide insights into how Earth was formed—and maybe how life began—for generations of scientists

Paddling Illustration

Paddling an angry, ancient ocean

May 24, 2023

If ancient Beringians got to the Americas by boat, it couldn’t have been easy

Reconstructing the Bering Sea’s stormy past

February 12, 2023

Researchers help Bering Sea indigenous communities understand the past and plan for future

A man dressed in orange samples orange lava from black volcanic rock.

The predictive power of geochemistry

December 19, 2022

A WHOI researcher looks for changes in gas molecules to forecast volcanic eruptions such as Mauna Loa in Hawai’i.

Wilmington’s shark tooth divers thank the last ice age for their treasure trove

August 4, 2022

 

News Releases

Multicorer Recovery

Evidence of Climate Change in the North Atlantic can be Seen in the Deep Ocean, Study Finds

November 17, 2023

Woods Hole, Mass. -Evidence of climate change in the North Atlantic during the last 1,000 years can be seen in the deep ocean, according to a newly published paper led by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and […]

Scientists Discover Additional Healthy Deep-sea Coral Reefs and New Seamounts in the Galápagos

November 1, 2023

Stunning 800 meter-long coral reef discovered with Schmidt Ocean Institute’s underwater robot off Galápagos Islands

Puerto Ayora, Ecuador- Scientists examining underwater cliff ecosystems onboard research vessel Falkor(too) using the 4,500 meter robot, ROV SuBastian, have discovered two pristine coral reefs in […]

Heather Benway

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Heather Benway Receives AGU Honor

September 21, 2023

Heather Benway, a senior research specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is the recipient of the 2023 Ocean Science Award from the American Geological Union (AGU).

HOV Alvin’s manipulator arm collects samples from rocky outcrop at the crest of a ridge, populated by cold water corals, squat lobsters, anemones, basket stars and deep-sea fish.

Scientists Aboard R/V Atlantis Discover Deep-Sea Coral Reefs in the Galápagos

April 17, 2023

Observations using the newly upgraded human-occupied vehicle Alvin are the first of a deep-water coral reef in the Galápagos Marine Reserve.
The reefs are located at depths between 400-600 m, atop previously unmapped seamounts.

JOIDES Resolution

Building Blocks of Life on the Atlantis Massif

April 12, 2023

An upcoming expedition aboard the US ocean drilling ship JOIDES Resolution co-led by Susan Q. Lang, a geochemist at WHOI and director NOSAMS Facility, will attempt to shed new light on the processes that likely helped jumpstart the formation of life early in Earth’s history.

News & Insights

naked-scientists-podcast

Podcast on The Naked Scientists: Microorganisms discovered under seabed

March 24, 2020

Scientists have discovered life in the deepest parts of the rock floor under the oceans – tiny microorganisms that live in the ‘lower oceanic crust’. Melanie Jans-Singh reports for The Naked Scientists.

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Finding medical answers in the ocean

March 19, 2020

The test being used to diagnose the novel coronavirus—and other pandemics like AIDS and SARS—was developed with the help of an enzyme isolated from a microbe found in marine hydrothermal vents as well as freshwater hot springs.

ancient ice

A sea of ancient ice

March 4, 2020

WHOI scientist dusts off historical accounts to tackle the long-standing mystery of just how thick Arctic sea ice was in the early 19th century.

Researchers say ancient ‘Day After Tomorrow’ scenario could have been caused by melting icebergs

February 28, 2020
Walking on polar ice

Oceans of Change

February 27, 2020

Oceans of Change
WHOI scientists learn how the ocean shapes—and is shaped by—global climate

By Madeline Drexler

(Photo by Simon Buchou on Unsplash)

“THE SEA NEVER CHANGES, AND ITS WORKS, FOR ALL THE TALK OF MEN, ARE WRAPPED IN MYSTERY.” So observed the narrator […]