The Foul Chartreuse Sea

Researchers in Kotzebue, Alaska, are investigating why their town is increasingly playing host to harmful cyanobacteria.

May 2, 2023 | 2,000 words, about 10 minutes

Human Pathogens Are Hitching a Ride on Floating Plastic

Studies show that various human pathogens cling to microplastics in seawater.

Jul 27, 2022 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

And Then the Sea Glowed a Magnificent Milky Green

A chance encounter with a rare phenomenon called a milky sea connects a sailor and a scientist to explain the ocean’s ghostly glow.

Jun 21, 2022 | 2,100 words, about 11 minutes

Viruses Are Not Always the Villain

We can thank microbes for moving carbon to the depths of the ocean, but will our changing world mess with their good work? And should we intervene?

Apr 12, 2022 | 2,400 words, about 12 minutes

A Cancer-Quashing Microbe Emerges from the Deep

A species of marine bacteria shows promise for curing a nasty brain cancer.

Aug 31, 2021 | 4,100 words, about 21 minutes

How Aquaculture Is Spreading a Salmon Virus

A genetic analysis of Piscine orthoreovirus shows how it was repeatedly transported from Norwegian salmon farms to aquaculture operations around the world—and on to wild Pacific salmon.

May 26, 2021 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

For a Peek Inside Wisconsin’s Watery Past, Thank the Microbes

Since its discovery in the 1980s, a fossil site in a Milwaukee suburb has borne some of the best-preserved soft-bodied organisms from the Silurian.

May 5, 2021 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

Could Marine Mammals Contract COVID-19?

Scientists say it’s possible.

Sep 17, 2020 | 900 words, about 4 minutes