Features
Red Tides Under the Microscope
Bob Grant | Nov 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
Understanding the dinoflagellates that regularly wreak havoc on marine and nearshore ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico could help researchers mitigate the damage they cause.
How Interconnected Is Life in the Ocean?
Catherine Offord | Nov 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
To help create better conservation and management plans, researchers are measuring how marine organisms move between habitats and populations.
The Two Genomes in Every Eukaryotic Cell
Viviane Callier | Nov 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
Interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes have further-reaching effects on physiological function, adaptation, and speciation than previously appreciated.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the November 2019 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
The Sea and the Science She Inspires
The Sea and the Science She Inspires
For centuries, painters and poets have looked to the ocean for insight. Researchers, too, have found their muse in the Earth’s salty realm.
Speaking of Science
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
Notebook
Bottlenose Dolphin Adopts Whale Calf of Another Species
Bottlenose Dolphin Adopts Whale Calf of Another Species
Interspecies adoptions are rare, but it’s not the first time this population of dolphins in French Polynesia has attempted it.
Eavesdropping on Soil Insects Could Aid Pest Management
Eavesdropping on Soil Insects Could Aid Pest Management
Insects in the soil are difficult to monitor, but listening in on the noises they make could help farmers detect pest infestations and improve estimates of biodiversity.
Secrets in the Brains of People Who Have Committed Murder
Secrets in the Brains of People Who Have Committed Murder
MRI scans from more than 800 incarcerated men pinpoint distinct structural features of people who have committed homicide, compared with those who carried out other crimes.
Warming Permafrost Morphs Microbes into Greenhouse Gas Emitters
Warming Permafrost Morphs Microbes into Greenhouse Gas Emitters
Insulating tundra soil with snow increased the abundance of microbial species involved in carbon dioxide and methane release.
Critic at Large
The Dawn of Universal Ecology
The Dawn of Universal Ecology
Will the study of interactions between living things ever mirror the fundamental nature of physics and mathematics?
Modus Operandi
Streamlined Artificial Chromosome Creation
Streamlined Artificial Chromosome Creation
Recruiting an epigenetic instigator of centromere formation into large segments of cloned DNA facilitates their transformation into artificial chromosomes.
Infographics
Infographic: Red Tides Still Hold Tantalizing Mysteries
Infographic: Red Tides Still Hold Tantalizing Mysteries
A full description of the lifecycle of Karenia brevis could lead to improved monitoring, prediction, and mitigation of the harmful algal blooms it regularly causes.
Infographic: How the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes Interact
Infographic: How the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes Interact
From regulating each other’s gene expression to encoding different parts of the same proteins, the two genome types in every eukaryotic cell are far from independent.
Interactive: How Interconnected Is Life in the Ocean?
Interactive: How Interconnected Is Life in the Ocean?
To help create better conservation and management plans, researchers are measuring how marine organisms move between habitats and populations.
Infographic: Building an Artificial Chromosome
Infographic: Building an Artificial Chromosome
Integrating a specialized histone into large segments of transgenic DNA enables centromere formation.
Infographic: Plugged In
Infographic: Plugged In
How bacterial filaments ferry electrons through marine sediment
The Literature
Living Electrical Wires Plug into Worm Tubes for Stability
Living Electrical Wires Plug into Worm Tubes for Stability
Cable bacteria can live in stirred-up sediments by associating with structures built by Chaetopterus variopedatus.
Manta Ray Populations Have Complex Social Structures
Manta Ray Populations Have Complex Social Structures
Reef mantas in Indonesia exhibit social preferences and form distinct social groups.
The Brain Interprets Spoken and Written Language the Same Way
The Brain Interprets Spoken and Written Language the Same Way
Neural activity associated with the meaning of words is independent of whether those words are read or listened to, a study finds.
Scientist to Watch
Martha Muñoz Uncovers the Drivers and Dampers of Biodiversity
Martha Muñoz Uncovers the Drivers and Dampers of Biodiversity
The Yale biologist says that organisms’ behavior, physiology, and morphology engage in a constant “evolutionary dance.”
Profile
Watcher of Whales: A Profile of Roger Payne
Watcher of Whales: A Profile of Roger Payne
A love of music and science led the marine biologist to discover that whales sing songs, a discovery that he’s since used to convince the world the animals are worth saving.
Bio Business
Pharma’s Ghost Labs Find New Life
Pharma’s Ghost Labs Find New Life
Finding new tenants for former drug development sites isn’t always easy. But a new, thriving industry has materialized to do just that.
Reading Frames
How Underwater Photography Propels Marine Biology
How Underwater Photography Propels Marine Biology
Marine photographers are helping scientists to document the diversity of coral reefs before the imperiled ecosystems disappear.
Foundations
Poet of the Sea, 1940s–1950s
Poet of the Sea, 1940s–1950s
Most know Rachel Carson for her work on the dangers of chemical pollutants, but the writer’s earlier prose took readers on a tour of a mysterious underwater world.