News
Marine Organisms Can Evolve and Adapt to New Climates. But Will They?
A new United Nations report warns that the oceans have sponged up about a quarter of the total atmospheric carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels since the 1980s, changing the chemistry of the ocean at different depths and creating dangerously acidic and oxygen-depleted conditions for marine life.
September 30, 2019
The Secret to Better Eyesight? Just Add Oxygen (and Millions of Years of Evolution).
A study published by an international collaboration of researchers, including Northeastern professor H. William Detrich, revealed how a steady supply of oxygen helped vertebrates evolve better vision.
December 20, 2019
Magma blebs and volcano behavior on co-op at Woods Hole
How do you figure out what happens before a volcanic eruption? Look for blebs! These snapshots of the past are helping researchers like Alexandra Castillejo understand how magma rises to form an eruption.
November 02, 2018
The clear blood of an Antarctic fish may reveal fundamental insights into our cardiovascular biology
Northeastern University Marine Science Center postdoctoral researcher Jake Daane, under the mentorship of Professor Bill Detrich, has just received a fellowship from the American Heart Association to study the genetic underpinnings of the rare blood and cardiovascular systems of these fishes.
October 06, 2017
There’s a giant crack in an Antarctic ice shelf – should we be worried?
A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf known as Larsen C has grown by 17 miles since the beginning of December, according to news reports. Scientists warn that a giant iceberg may soon break away from the shelf. We asked Northeastern’s Daniel Douglass, an expert in glacial geography, to explain why ice shelves form, what causes them to crack, and how they affect the environment.
February 24, 2017
There's a giant crack in an Antarctic ice shelf – should we be worried?
A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf known as Larsen C has grown by 17 miles since the beginning of December, according to news reports. Scientists warn that a giant iceberg may soon break away from the shelf. We asked Northeastern’s Daniel Douglass, an expert in glacial geography, to explain why ice shelves form, what causes them to crack, and how they affect the environment.
February 24, 2017
Antarctic fish skull structure reveals patterns of evolution in an extreme environment
A recent study by a team of scientists including MSC Professor H. William Detrich sheds light on the mechanisms by which Antarctic fish evolved rapidly in the Southern Ocean.
January 24, 2017
3Qs: Creating the world’s largest marine preserve and what it means for fishing, climate research
Professor Bill Detrich weighs in on the import of the recent establishment of the largest marine reserve on earth in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
November 09, 2016
3Qs: Creating the world’s largest marine preserve and what it means for fishing, climate research
Last week, an international agreement established the world’s largest marine protected area in Antarctica’s Ross Sea. Northeastern’s William Detrich, an expert in marine molecular biology, calls the sea one of the world’s “very few pristine marine ecosystems” and says the protected area “will serve as a natural laboratory for assessing and forecasting climate change on Earth.”
November 04, 2016
Students take on role of Wikipedia editors
Earlier this year Northeastern students contributed to a massive initiative focused on improving Wikipedia’s science content. As their professor puts it, “It’s very motivating but also terrifying to know that you’re contributing to something that so many people will see.”
August 01, 2016
Nahant marine education program wraps up a successful year
The MSC outreach program is wrapping up another successful spring field season, and one of the highlights has been completing the first full year of marine educational programs with the Johnson Elementary School in Nahant. Thanks to generous funding from the Nahant Education Foundation, the MSC outreach program has been able to see every student at the […]
June 22, 2016
How did icefish lose their red blood cells?
New research by MSC Professor H. William Detrich sheds light on the evolutionary events that led to the loss of red blood cells and hemoglobin in Antarctic icefish.
June 20, 2016
Island in Antarctica named for MES faculty
Detrich Island, named for H. William Detrich, is in Antarctica.
February 12, 2016
First genome of an Antarctic notothenioid fish sequenced
Northeastern is part of an international research team that has sequenced the first genome of an Antarctic notothenioid fish. The breakthrough will shed light on the animal's unique evolutionary adaptation to freezing waters.
November 10, 2014