Ocean Sustainability

Over 70% of the earth is covered in water, which serves as a vital resource human subsistence. Contamination and acidification pose major threats to aquatic health and biodiversity. Microbes offer a promising solution in their ability to breakdown contamination from oil spills and plastics. Applied microbiologists can play a significant part in understanding biodiversity, contributing to solutions, and encouraging stewardship.

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

2025-04-01T18:01:00+01:00By

A group of diatom species belonging to the Nitzschia genus gave up on photosynthesis and now get their carbon straight from their environment, thanks to a bacterial gene picked up by an ancestor, a new study shows.

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    Coral diseases and water quality play a key role for coral restoration and survival efforts

    A recent study which examined threatened Staghorn coral species found that while some coral genotypes displayed resistance to either high nutrient levels from run-off or disease, none were resistant to both stressors simultaneously. 

  • Low-Res_Top_image_Matsuo-sensei

    Were our blue oceans once green?

    Scientists find evidence that our oceans used to be green, suggesting that this may be a sign of primitive life, including that on alien worlds. The study suggests that cyanobacteria once flourished in green seas.

  • iStock-1757271699

    Biosurfactants for oil spill bioremediation

    Oil spills across large areas of seawater disturb oxygen circulation for marine organisms, cause hypothermia in birds, adversely affect navigation routes, and hinder anthropogenic actions like fisheries and tourism. Biological treatments appear to be a promising method and offer a sustainable solution.

More Ocean Sustainability

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​The power of biofilm engineering: one plus one does not always make two

2025-03-26T16:42:00+00:00By , , , and

Biofilms are ubiquitous in aquatic systems, where they play essential ecological roles in nutrient cycling, biogeochemical processes, and surface colonisation dynamics.