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Scientists Identify Core Skin Bacterial Community in Humpback Whales

By Guest PostApril 2, 2014Naturealaska, american samoa, amy apprill, bering sea, bugs, caroline albertin, clifton ragsdale, core, eleni panagopoulou, hawaii, hox genes, Humpback whales, mammals, marathousa, michael labarbera, michael moore, nicholas thompson, north atlantic, north pacific, oceanographic institution, octopus bimaculoides, octopus genome, South Pacific, tracy mincer, two spot octopus, vangelis tourloukis, whoi, woods hole

Results Could Aid Future Efforts to Monitor Health

Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, but they reside on nearly every surface humans encounter—including the skin. Uncovering the role these microorganisms play in human health is a major focus of research in skin microbiology, but little is known about the identity or function of skin bacteria in other mammals.

In a paper published in the open access journal PLOS ONE, researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and colleagues identified a core skin bacterial community that humpback whales share across populations, which could point to a way to assess the overall health of these endangered marine mammals. (more…)

Scientists Discover Thriving Colonies of Microbes in Ocean ‘Plastisphere’

By Guest PostJuly 21, 2013Environmentartificial microbial reefs, autotrophs, cholera, colonies of microbes, degrading hydrocarbons, ecological habitat, environmental condition, erik zettler, flecks of plastic, gastrointestinal maladies, genus vibrio, heterotrophs, human made flotilla, linda amaral zettler, marine microbe, mbl, north atlantic ocean, ocean ecosystem, ocean plastisphere, plastic debris, plastic surfaces, scanning electron microscopy, sea, sea education association, suctorian ciliate, symbionts, symbiotic bacteria, synergistic relationships, tracy mincer, whoi, woods hole

Scientists have discovered a diverse multitude of microbes colonizing and thriving on flecks of plastic that have polluted the oceans—a vast new human-made flotilla of microbial communities that they have dubbed the “plastisphere.”

In a study recently published online in Environmental Science & Technology, the scientists say the plastisphere represents a novel ecological habitat in the ocean and raises a host of questions: How will it change environmental conditions for marine microbes, favoring some that compete with others? How will it change the overall ocean ecosystem and affect larger organisms? How will it change where microbes, including pathogens, will be transported in the ocean? (more…)

Bacterial Communication Could Affect Earth’s Climate

By Guest PostOctober 15, 2011Environmentatmospheric carbon dioxide, bacteria, bacterial communication, benjamin van mooy, british columbia, canada, carbon cycle, carbon dioxide, clayoquot sound, climate, heat trapping greenhouse gas, laura hmelo, marine plants, microscopic bacteria, ocean, particles, particles of carbon rich detritus, phytoplankton, planet, rose kantor, source of carbon, tiny marine animals, tracy mincer, university of washington, vancouver island, vessel barnes, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution, zooplankton

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet’s climate.

In the ocean, bacteria coalesce on tiny particles of carbon-rich detritus sinking through the depths. WHOI marine biogeochemists Laura Hmelo, Benjamin Van Mooy, and Tracy Mincer found that these bacteria send out chemical signals to discern if other bacteria are in the neighborhood. If enough of their cohorts are nearby, then bacteria en masse commence secreting enzymes that break up the carbon-containing molecules within the particles into more digestible bits. It has been suggested that coordinated expression of enzymes is very advantageous for bacteria on sinking particles, and Hmelo and her colleagues have uncovered the first proof of this in the ocean. (more…)

WHOI Teaming with Flatley Discovery Lab in Search for Effective Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis

By Guest PostOctober 13, 2011Health, Scienceantibiotics, biological and chemical processes of ocean microbes, cf, cftr, cftr gene, charlestown, chemical extracts, cystic fibrosis, cystic fibrosis trans-membrane conductance regulator, flatley discovery lab, fungi, gene, john flatley, marine actinomycetes, marine microbes, marine microbial extracts, membrane, microbes, microbial infection biofilm, mutation, phytoplankton, respiratory disease, richard fitzpatrick, sodium transport, susan k. avery, therapeutic agents for cystic fibrosis, tracy mincer, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has signed a $1.18 million agreement with the Flatley Discovery Lab in Charlestown, Mass., to investigate and supply marine microbial extracts as possible treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF).

The life-shortening respiratory disease has eluded attempts at a cure, although researchers have been successful in some cases at adding years to a person’s lifespan, primarily through treatment with antibiotics. (more…)

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Scientists Identify Core Skin Bacterial Community in Humpback Whales

Scientists Discover Thriving Colonies of Microbes in Ocean ‘Plastisphere’

Bacterial Communication Could Affect Earth’s Climate

WHOI Teaming with Flatley Discovery Lab in Search for Effective Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis