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.
Study reveals the hidden genomic evolution of brown algae - and how bacteria and viruses helped
A groundbreaking study has unveiled the evolutionary journey of brown algae through a comprehensive genomic analysis of 44 species, including key evolutionary milestones, such as the transition from unicellular to multicellular forms.
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Phytochromes: The ‘eyes’ that enable microalgae to find their way in the depths
By studying the light perception process of diatoms, a group of phytoplankton, scientists have discovered that these microalgae use light variation sensors which are codified in their genomes: phytochromes.
Living in the deep, dark, slow lane: first global appraisal of microbiomes in earth’s subsurface environments
A new study reveals astonishingly high microbial diversity in some of the Earth’s deepest, darkest subsurface environments, including gold mines, in aquifers and deep boreholes in the seafloor.
Ocean microbe’s unusual pair of enzymes may boost carbon storage, study suggests
Scientists have discovered multiple forms of a ubiquitous enzyme in microbes that thrive in low-oxygen zones off the coasts of Central and South America.
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Giant virus encodes key piece of protein-making machinery of cellular life
Researchers recently discovered that a virus, FloV-SA2, encodes one of the proteins needed to make ribosomes, the central engines in all cells that translate genetic information into proteins. This is the first eukaryotic virus found to encode such a protein.
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria hold key to understanding nitrous oxide reduction
Scientists have unearthed a clue to the molecular mechanisms involved in N2O reduction by deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria.
Study offers insight into chloroplast evolution
Researchers have found evidence suggesting that the primary role of primitive chloroplasts may have been to produce chemical energy for the cell and only later shifted so that most or all of the energy they generated was used for carbon assimilation.
Tiny 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.
New study into the ecological role of deep-sea viruses
Researchers have found that marine viruses show clear distribution patterns throughout the ocean and are influenced by the depth of the ocean rather than the specific location.
Rising tides and microbes: how climate change Is reshaping aquatic life
As global warming raises sea temperatures, the effects have altered aquatic life - especially in microbial communities.
Dr François Thomas named as winner of Rachel Carson Prize
Dr François Thomas, an independent researcher with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France) has been named as the newest winner of the Rachel Carson Environmental Conservation Excellence Award.
Ocean density identified as a key driver of carbon capture by marine plankton
Changes in ocean density have a significant impact on the rate at which marine plankton incorporate carbon into their shells, with profound implications for carbon cycling and the ocean’s ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 in response to climate change.
Oceans emit sulfur and cool the climate more than previously thought
Researchers have quantified for the first time the global emissions of a sulfur gas produced by plankton, revealing it cools the climate more than previously thought, especially over the Southern Ocean.
Specialist 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.
Transplanting healthy reef ecosystems to damaged reefs improves coral health
A pioneering study has revealed significant improvements in coral health through an innovative approach of transplanting healthy reef ecosystems to damaged reefs. The study offers new hope for coral reef restoration and the fight against widespread coral decline.
University of Miami, partners awarded $16 million NOAA grant for groundbreaking coral restoration project
Scientists have been awarded a four-year, $16 million grant to lead an ambitious program to implement and scale-up new approaches to increase the climate resilience of Florida’s restored coral reefs.
Natural saclipins in cyanobacteria offer hope of combating skin aging
A new study reveals that saclipins, derived from edible cyanobacterium, enhance collagen and support skin whitening and anti-aging.
Arctic viruses in the surface microlayer help their hosts to survive extreme temperatures
Arctic viruses employ specialized mechanisms, including cryoprotective genes, to thrive in harsh environmental conditions despite limited host availability, reveals Dr Janina Rahlff from our Ocean Sustainability Advisory Group.
New edition of book explores ranavirus infection and disease in amphibians, reptiles and fish
Researchers are providing new information and guidance on monitoring and managing viruses that cause life-threatening diseases in amphibians, reptiles and fish, as detailed in a new book edition.
A single cell’s siesta
Researchers show how non-moving single-celled organisms manage to avoid bright light.
Study reveals how microbes create the most toxic form of mercury
Mercury is extraordinarily toxic, but it becomes especially dangerous when transformed into methylmercury – a form so harmful that just a few billionths of a gram can cause severe and lasting neurological damage to a developing fetus. Unfortunately, methylmercury often makes its way into our bodies through seafood – but ...
Susanne Neuer receives Petersen Foundation Excellence Professorship for work on biological carbon pump
Professor Dr Susanne Neuer has been awarded the 31st Excellence Professorship of the Prof. Dr Werner Petersen Foundation for her work on the Biological Carbon Pump.
Climate 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.
