Seeing how the building blocks of cells align over time is important for understanding how cells are built, move, grow and divide. Recently, researchers from Japan collaborated with imaging scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) to develop a new cellular probe, POLArIS, that allows real-time imaging of molecular orientations in live cells. The study,
By Patrick Greenfield A new study has highlighted how little is known about microbes – the hidden majority of life on Earth. Life on the planet relies on an enormous quantity of bacteria, fungi and other tiny organisms. They generate oxygen, keep soils healthy and regulate the climate. Microbes play a crucial role in food
This summer’s Grass Fellows in Neuroscience are bringing a range of research organisms, including a crocodilian!
By Phil Paleologos The Paleologos family spent a pretty penny at various Caribbean vacation resorts, only to discover that there is a coral reef growing out from Woods Hole. I thought coral only grew in warmer climates, but you learn something every day. It never occurred to me that very deep water corals, on the
MBL Fellows Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado and Amy Gladfelter share their thoughts on nontraditional research organisms, particularly the ones they work with at MBL and at their institutes. By Vivien Marx Beyond the well-known pantheon of model organisms are others. A shift is underway to level the playing field. For the pantheon of model organisms, there’s
The MBL’s spring and summer educational season has begun! We are excited to see the campus coming alive again, after months of careful planning. On March 21, the season started when 12 University of Chicago undergraduates arrived for their MBL Spring Quarter. This program builds on the success of the inaugural MBL Autumn Quarter – which
The Marine Biological Laboratory has launched a project to honor people with close MBL ties who have made important, under-recognized contributions to science.
Jane Lubchenco has been named Deputy Director for Climate and the Environment in President Biden’s “science cabinet,” the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Lubchenco, a marine scientist and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is an alumna of the MBL’s Invertebrate Zoology course, where she had her first encounter with
Micaela Rivera was a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student at MBL in Roger Hanlon’s lab. Ripon College senior Micaela Rivera of River Falls, Wis., is the third author on research that came out in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B earlier this month. The article is titled “Cuttlefish exert self-control in
MBL cephalopod scientist Carrie Albertin appears in the National Public Radio story. By Nell Greenfieldboyce Octopuses have alternating periods of “quiet” and “active” sleep that make their rest similar to that of mammals, despite being separated by more than 500 million years of evolution. During their active periods of sleep, octopuses’ skin color changes and