Highlights
Changing the Code: New Naming System for Microbes
The long-standing rules for assigning scientific names to bacteria and archaea are overdue for an update, according to a new consensus statement backed by 119 microbiologists from around the globe. Bacteria and archaea (single-celled organisms that lack cell nuclei) make up...
New Review updates knowledge on and biodiversity of Archaea
Archaea are quite possibly the most abundant and diverse life on planet, but why haven’t you heard about them? The little-known world of archaea gets a big spot light with a new review in Nature Microbiology, released this week by lead...
Marine Science News - 1st edition 2020
Greetings! We hope that you are all healthy and doing well. Click the image below to view The University of Texas Marine Science Institute’s newsletter, 1st Quarter edition of 2020.
If You Built It; Fish Will Come
Anglers know that oil and gas platforms mean fish, but a recent study investigated which types of platforms and water conditions were best for finding specific types of fish. Derek Bolser, a graduate student at the University of Texas Marine Science...
Extinction Risk to World’s Groupers Reassessed and Not Improved
Groupers are among the highest valued reef fish, and a reassessment of all the grouper species around the world demonstrated that as much as 26% are threatened. In a recent paper published in Marine Policy, authors, including fisheries professor Dr. Brad...
Derelict Crab Trap Roundup
Every February, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department closes the bays to commercial and recreational crabbing for 10-days each February. This temporary closure enables a coordinated effort by agencies and organizations to remove derelict crab traps. Derelict traps can cause problems as...
Researchers Determine the Best Formula for Baby Flounder
Just like humans, baby flounder need nutrients and specifically omega-3 fatty acids to thrive after birth. Fisheries researchers at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas are working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to understand what is...
Skinny Seagrass May Increase Hurricane Risk
As the saying goes ‘you can never be too rich or too thin’ unless of course, you’re a seagrass blade in Texas. In Texas, the climax species such as Thalassia, or turtle grass, are two times narrower than their relatives in...
Check out our Newsletter
Happy Holidays! Click the image below to read the 4th Quarter edition of Marine Science News.
Public Lecture Series is Back!
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute hosts a FREE public lecture series every winter. This year, lectures are every Thursday in February. They begin at 7:00 p.m. and the doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Pioneer Beach Resort, 120 Gulfwind Drive,...
It’s a SWaMP Thing
With the wind whipping through her hair, donning polarized sunglasses and a bucket full of probes, research associate, Kelley Savage is the opposite of who you’d imagine when you picture the slimy green, frightening, superhero Swamp Thing. Unlikely as it may...
Beware of the Dead Zone; it’s sucking the oxygen out of the ocean
Deep beneath the waves of northern Gulf of Mexico is an area so dark and devoid of oxygen that few creatures can survive. It’s the Dead Zone and every summer it grows to cover on average of over 5,000 square miles...
2020 Discovery Fellowship Application Open
This highly selective doctoral studies fellowship is open to recent graduates with a bachelor or master of science degree. The fellowship will support an exceptional student with full tuition, competitive stipend, fringe benefits, and subsidized residential housing for five years. The...
Finding the Bad Actors in Fish Poisoning
Peering into an image of lots of brightly colored lines that look like a barcode, Dr. Deana Erdner, an associate professor the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, is on the hunt. She’s stalking dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus, to see...
Viruses in mangrove muck may be important influencer of methane emission
PORT ARANSAS - Viruses aren’t just in the germy smear a kindergartener can leave on the refrigerator door; they are all around us and infect every living creature. In fact, viruses may play a big role in the amount of methane...
A Hawaiian Cruise for Camera Enthusiast
PORT ARANSAS - This summer, biological oceanographer Tracy Villareal cashed in some frequent flyer miles and caught a flight to hop onboard a cruise off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The cruise had all the promise of relaxation: calm seas,...
Fingerprinting Oil
Oil is no stranger to the Gulf of Mexico and recently beachgoers have come face to face with sometimes-sticky oil remnants or tar balls. Oil can be released in gulf waters from naturally occurring seeps, or through accidents associated with man-made...
Back to School Shopping; when there’s a lab coat involved
This week students around the country head back to the classroom. The graduate students at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute are no less immune to the headache of back to school shopping, but instead of erasers and rulers, their...
Two-year Anniversary of Hurricane Harvey
August 25th, 2019 marked the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. UTMSI sustained approximately $45 million dollars worth of damage. It's been a long road to recovery, but we have made great progress.The University of Texas
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