News in Marine Biotechnology
-
NewsClimate affects microbial life around Antarctica
Bacteria and other microbes in the seas around Antarctica are strongly influenced by water temperature and the amount of sea ice. This is shown by coordinated measurements taken off the coast of the west Antarctic Peninsula, scientists say.
-
NewsPresence of potentially toxic microalgae confirmed in La Concha Bay
The proliferation of the Ostreopsis ovata algae is no cause for alarm, but it is advisable to continue taking measurements, according to researchers.
-
NewsNitrogen fixation on marine snow particles is widespread in the world's oceans
Researchers have shown that bacteria attached to marine snow particles can fix N2 over a wide range of temperatures in the global oceans, from the tropics to the poles, and from the surface to the abyss, accounting for about 10% of the overall N2 fixation in oceans.
-
NewsScientists to forecast climate tipping points by capturing ocean’s pulse - plankton
A new project is set to revolutionise climate forecasting by focusing on plankton as the “canaries in the coalmine” of ocean health. Next-generation autonomous underwater robots will deliver near real-time observations in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre.
-
NewsMarine fungi that degrade plastic can train to do it faster
Researchers recently discovered that many species of fungi isolated from Hawai‘i’s nearshore environment have the ability to degrade plastic and some can be conditioned to do it faster.
-
NewsWhale poo contains iron that may have helped fertilize past oceans
A new study suggests that nutrients that whales excrete may provide a key fertilizer to marine ecosystems. Whale excrement contains significant amounts of iron and nontoxic forms of copper, another essential nutrient that in some forms can harm life.
-
NewsCultivation of microalga for food production shows that two-stage process yields best results
A new study looking into cultivating the microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica for food production shows that temperature and light are key factors in the yield of key nutrients.
-
NewsScientists reveals how tiny algae shaped the evolution of giant clams
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the most widespread species of giant clam, Tridacna maxima, to reveal how these creatures adapted their genome to coexist with algae living inside them.
-
NewsShip sliming study could enable lower costs and emissions in ocean transport
A model was recently developed to find out the correlation between the speed and extent of biofilm growth and the shear stress of the ship hull. Thus, it helps save fuel consumption by preventing fluid friction from slime fouling.
-
NewsBeach guardians: How hidden microbes protect coastal waters in a changing climate
Coastal water quality is closely impacted by the microbial compositions living in groundwater within beach sands due to the rising sea level, a new study reveals.
-
NewsStudy uncovers previously unknown bacterial mode of resistance against viruses
Researchers have discovered a unique mechanism that protects marine bacteria from viruses that attack them.
-
NewsStudy uncovers complex drivers of phytoplankton bloom
A new study investigates three key processes, each triggered by different aspects of the wind field, that drive the upward transport of nutrients to the surface capable of triggering plankton blooms at the equator.
-
NewsTiny poops in the ocean may help solve the carbon problem
Zooplankton could capture carbon dioxide originating from Earth’s atmosphere and deposit it deep into the sea as feces. The new technique mooted consists of spraying clay dust on the surface of the ocean at the site of large blooms of phytoplankton.
-
NewsSpecialist under-ice species at risk as Arctic warms
’Specialist’ lifeforms that live under Arctic sea ice are at risk as the ice retreats, new research shows. Scientists studied microscopic organisms in four environments – open ocean, river mouths, coasts and under sea ice – in the sea off northern Canada.
-
NewsClimate change threatens key ocean plankton groups
Planktonic foraminifera species may face unprecedented environmental conditions by the end of this century, potentially surpassing their survival thresholds, with extinctions impacting marine ecosystems and the ocean’s carbon storage capacity.
-
NewsWorld’s first regular flight-based red tide ocean observation to launch in summer 2025
Hokkaido Air System Co., Ltd. will equip one of its aircraft with an external camera to commence the world’s first regular flight-based red tide monitoring starting in the summer of 2025.
-
NewsScientists team up with NASA to unlock ocean phytoplankton secrets from space
Scientists have teamed up with NASA on a new-generation satellite mission to study the colour of the ocean from space, providing vital information about ocean health and its role in climate regulation.
-
NewsA metabolic secret of ethane-consuming archaea unraveled
Scientists have presented a study on the degradation of ethane, the second most abundant alkane in seeps on the deep seafloor. They characterized enzymes involved in the process and found that their reaction breaks an established dogma in the field of anaerobic biochemistry.
-
NewsClimate change accelerates vulnerability and loss of resilience of key coral species in the Med
Red gorgonians exposed to marine heatwaves decrease the ability to resist and recover from other disturbances.
-
NewsReport on Great Barrier Reef shows coral cover was increasing before onset of serious bleaching, cyclones
Coral cover has increased in all three regions on the Great Barrier Reef and is at regional highs in two of the three regions according to a report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) - but the results come with a note of caution.