Sometimes called a “sand flea,” Parhyale hawaiensis is actually a tiny crustacean that evolved 240 million years ago. It’s considered the most genetically tractable research organism among crustaceans and is studied extensively by the Patel Lab at the MBL. Recent research by MBL scientists revealed that insect wings evolved from a lobe on the legs
Since MBL opened its doors in 1888, scientists and students have been studying the interesting and unique biology of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. During the summer months Mnemiopsis leidyi can be found in Eel Pond, at the NOAA jetty, and in other nearby harbors. Experimental embryologists at MBL have a long history of using Mnemiopsis
Part of a group of single-cell freshwater protozoans and one of the largest unicellular organisms known, Stentor coeruleus can regenerate as multiple whole organisms when broken into small pieces. Stentor has a long research history at MBL – including studies of its impressive regenerative capacity in the 1890s by Nobel Prize winner and long-time MBL
In 2015, Octopus bimaculoides became the first cephalopod to have its genome fully sequenced. Like other members of the cephalopod class, it can instantaneously change color, regrow arms, and uses jet propulsion to move through the water. Its eight arms exhibit incredible flexibility and dexterity. Scientists at the MBL study Octopus bimaculoides as a model
MBL Senior Scientist Joseph Vallino chats marine microorganisms, ocean chemistry, and thermodynamics with the Future Tech Health Podcast team. By: Future Tech Health Podcast At the Marine Biological Laboratory, Senior Scientist Joseph Vallino is researching how microbes impact the chemistry of the ocean. He joins the podcast to discuss his work in the field of
Two students recently posted eloquent testimonies of their experience in the MBL Embryology course on The Node. Excerpted below is Paul Gerald Layague Sanchez’s post. See also “Five Wonders of the Embryology Course 2018” by Martyna Lukoseviciute. By Paul Gerald Layague Sanchez There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having
By Isabelle Vea University of Edinburgh/MBL Embryology course student All 24 of the 2017 Embryology course students came to Woods Hole to learn from the best scientists in the developmental biology field. We were immersed in a unique setting to interact with established and promising investigators. In general, each invited lecturer came and spent a few
The M.I.T. Knight Science Journalism Fellows spent Thursday, May 4, discovering MBL research. By KSJ@MIT After lunch, it was time for cuttlefish. So 13 of us — the 2016-17 KSJ fellows, a spouse, and staff members — crowded around a pair of tray-like tanks at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to watch