By Patricia Daukantas In the laboratory, some photosensitive corals exhibit their own version of the observer effect: Exposing them to enough light for researchers to view them at microscopic scales changes the rates at which they grow and interact with symbiotic organisms such as algae. Scientists, however, want the coral polyps in their aquariums to
Cliff Brangwynne and colleagues first observed and described phase transition in a cell in the MBL Physiology course. Brangwynne is currently a Whitman Scientist at MBL. By John Hamilton The same process that causes dew drops to form on a blade of grass appears to play an important role in Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
By Eve Zuckoff Overdevelopment, climate change, and outdated wastewater infrastructure around Buzzards Bay have contributed to a decline in water quality, according to the Buzzards Bay Coalition. Since 1992, the coalition has relied on volunteers and scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory to collect water samples and measure the water’s temperature, salinity, nitrogen levels, and more.
By Emily Fishbein WOODS HOLE, MASS. — On Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, more than 9 out of 10 locals are white. The prestigious science community in the village of Woods Hole reflects a similar racial breakdown. On June 10, some 300 locals and scientists marched past the village’s six marine and coastal science laboratories, demanding racial equity
By Carrie Gentile The water quality in Little Pond is showing improvement since the surrounding homes were hooked to town sewer four years ago, and after a $40 million investment to taxpayers. The town has been monitoring the pond for the last three years to measure nitrogen levels. The average of the data collected at
By Doug Fraser EAST FALMOUTH — For 450 million years, horseshoe crabs have scuttled along the ocean floor, coming ashore to lay eggs. You need pretty strong defenses to survive mass extinctions and the oversized predators that evolved before man came on the scene. While its helmeted body certainly protected it, the horseshoe crab, living in
Ernest Everett Just, a MBL scientist in the early 1900s, is among 27 outstanding Black scientists today and in U.S. history that are highlighted in this article. By Live Science Staff Black scientists have launched us into space, discovered new disease treatments and developed world-changing technologies, yet the achievements and contributions of Black people in
MBL Director Nipam Patel is featured in Wendy Williams’ new book and joins in this conversation on “The Point” (at 18:50). By Mindy Todd We talk with science journalist Wendy Williams about her new book The Language of Butterflies, How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists and other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World’s Favorite Insect. Listen to
Marine research and education accounts for $3 billion of the U.S. marine economy, the report found. By Doug Fraser WOODS HOLE — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled a report Tuesday that showed the marine economy accounted for nearly $373 billion added to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2018, and that it grew faster
The glasswing butterfly is quite the sight to see — not because its wings are colorful, but rather transparent as glass. Take a closer look in this captivating, short video by Deep Look/PBS, which zooms in on the life cycle of the glasswing butterfly, Greta oto, as it forms the invisible wing. The video features