An oil spill off the southwest coast of the Mediterranean didn’t just leave a dark slick on the surface—it quietly rewired the entire underwater food chain. Scientists tracked what happened to plankton, the microscopic plants and animals that power ocean life, over 18 days. Right after the spill, ti
The ocean is full of tiny creatures called protistan plankton. These little guys are super important. They help make up the food chain and keep the ocean healthy. But what happens to them when the environment changes? Scientists wanted to find out. They set up a big experiment in the Humboldt Curre
Dams are changing rivers in big ways. They are breaking up rivers and messing with tiny plant-like creatures called phytoplankton. But how exactly do lots of dams, especially in rocky rivers, affect these tiny plants? That's what scientists wanted to find out. They looked at a river in China with l
In the southern Barents Sea, tiny creatures are making a big impact. These are zooplankton, the small animals drifting in the ocean. They are super important for fish and shellfish. This area is a hotspot for fishing. So, understanding zooplankton here is crucial. A recent study looked at these tin
DES, a chemical often found in water, is causing trouble for tiny ocean plants called diatoms. These plants are super important because they make a lot of the oxygen we breathe. But DES is making it hard for them to do their job. When diatoms are exposed to DES, they can't make as much chlorophyll,
In the coastal waters of Southern East, tiny plant-like organisms called phytoplankton are facing some big changes. The ocean is getting warmer and more acidic. This is not good news for these little guys. They are super important because they help make the oxygen we breathe. Scientists wanted to s
The tiny organisms known as plankton are masters of adaptation. They have developed clever ways to cope with the ever-changing conditions of the global oceans. While scientists have studied how microbes react to environmental shifts in labs, the real-life adaptations of plankton's lipidomes in the w
The ocean's temperature is climbing, and that's changing how tiny plants in the sea grow and work. These plants, known as phytoplankton, are super important for the ocean's health and the planet's climate. One type of phytoplankton, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, has been studied to see how it handles d
The Baltic Sea is getting hotter, and that's bad news for its tiny plant-like residents, the dinoflagellates. These microscopic organisms are crucial for the sea's health, but they're facing a double threat. First, there are the heatwaves, which are becoming more common and intense due to climate ch
Have you ever wondered how some sea creatures light up the dark ocean? Let's talk about the European brittle star, which has a unique trick up its sleeve—or rather, at the tips of its arms. These arms glow a soft blue, but how do they manage that? The answer is a chemical called coelenterazine. Here
