Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

On Thursday, October 16, venture over to Footbridge Brewery in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, for the next talk in the Ocean on Tap series! 🏞️ Haley Bezos, founder and director of Hearty Roots, will discuss mindful environmental stewardship and the benefits of outdoor education. #maine #ocean #bigelowlab

Happy International Coccolithophore Day! 🎉 Today, #BigelowLab is proud to celebrate these mighty single-celled marine phytoplankton that build calcium plate shells, produce oxygen, and capture atmospheric carbon. #CoccolithophoreDay #science #ocean #maine

#Maine researchers and entrepreneurs are unlocking the potential of marine resources to develop new foods, medicines, materials, and climate-friendly products. Stay up to speed with #BigelowLab's regular #BlueBiotech Bulletin, available on Currents: https://currents.bigelow.org/?p=804 #ocean #jobs

Given that they are among the largest animals on the planet, it may seem puzzling that one of the North Atlantic right whale’s key prey species is the tiny Calanus finmarchicus. Learn how #BigelowLab is forecasting with Calanus: https://currents.bigelow.org/?p=801 📸: Cameron Thompson #ocean #whales

Measuring Time in Nanno Seconds: Transferring Nannochloropsis into a carboy of saltwater media takes some time. But Research Technician Lydia Pinard’s timelapse video makes the process look speedy! #algae #microalgae #bluebiotech #bigelowlab

Aw, Shucks: #BigelowLab hosted a table at the #Pemaquid Oyster Festival last weekend, proving once and for all that these tasty shellfish pair splendidly with a side of science (in addition to the usual cocktail sauce and mignonette, of course!). FMI: currents.bigelow.org?p=792 #oyster #maine

Bridging International Waters: This past summer, #BigelowLab was pleased to welcome Dr. Preston Akenga to our community for a few months. Akenga, from Kisii University in Kenya, joined the lab as a fellow in the #BioGeoSCAPES program. FMI: currents.bigelow.org?p=777 #science #ocean

Investing in Discovery: If you’re curious about the evolving U.S. science landscape, please join #BigelowLab President and CEO Deborah Bronk for a presentation at the Portsmouth Music Hall on Tuesday, October 14. FMI: www.themusichall.org/events/bigel... #ocean #science #nh #newhampshire #usa

Happy Friday! 🐬🐋🐟 Join us in jumping for joy just like this pod of dolphins, whale, and swordfish spotted in the Gulf of Maine by #BigelowLab team members during a research cruise aboard the R/V Bowditch last week.

📸: K. Johnston, K. Nutt, and M. Vilarello.

This month, 11 students from across the country arrived at #BigelowLab for the 2025 Sea Change Semester. This 14-week experience includes mentorship, research cruises, and ocean science coursework. Welcome to the Bigelow community! FMI: www.bigelow.org/seachange #education #maine

Environmental DNA has proven valuable for accurately, rapidly, and inexpensively detecting new species and answering important coastal management questions. Read about what #BigelowLab researchers discovered in the sediments below a commercial kelp farm: currents.bigelow.org?p=756 #ocean #science

Happy National Postdoc Appreciation Week! 🎉 #BigelowLab proudly celebrates these essential researchers who help advance novel and exciting #science. Learn how #postdoc Alaina Weinheimer partnered with an intern to discover dark ocean viruses: currents.bigelow.org?p=738 #npaw #ocean

Learning How to Cope-pod: During a tour of #BigelowLab, Advancement Officer Kim Nutt snapped PhD student Zach Wagner introducing visitors to Calanus, a tiny animal with a big impact here in the Gulf of Maine. Zach is presenting tonight at Footbridge Brewery: join us at 6 p.m.! #maine #ocean

Following the Fare: The North Atlantic right #whale is among the world's biggest animals. It's also one of its most endangered. Models of their distribution across vast territories are essential. 🐋 Learn about a new study led by #BigelowLab scientists: currents.bigelow.org?p=732 #ocean #science

Little Big Lies Under the Surface: Think #plankton are solely food sources? Think again! This Thursday, we invite you to take a seat at Footbridge Brewery for the next #OceanOnTap where we'll dispel fibs about #plankton and the big impact they have on our lives. #bigelowlab #ocean #science #maine

This #MicroMonday, check out this algae from the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. It might not appear threatening, but some species of this diatom have a secret that packs a punch. Learn how #BigelowLab researchers are quantifying its impact on marine food webs: currents.bigelow.org?p=724

📸: Peter Countway.

For Us, It’s Always Ocean Day: This #FlashbackFriday, we’re jumping back exactly one month to relive Ocean Day at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library! 🌊 Bigelowians Vishaan Nursey and Lydia Pinard helmed the lab’s table and hosted interactive plankton races! 📸: Lydia Pinard.

Colby College Receives the Largest Gift in its History Funding will create a solutions-oriented science and technology model in the liberal arts while enhancing the science ecosystem across the state of Maine

“We’ve worked closely with Colby College for 15 years to introduce students to cutting-edge research in the marine and environmental sciences,” said Deborah Bronk, president and CEO of #bigelowlab. Please join us in celebrating this major investment in science! FMI: news.colby.edu/story/colby-...

Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Nicole Poulton (left) and Senior Research Associate Brian Thompson (right) at work in the Single Cell Genomics Center.

Scientists know broadly how the process of horizontal, or lateral, gene transfer works and that it can be an essential force of evolution, especially for single-celled organisms. But they haven't had the tools to quantify the process — until now. FMI: www.bigelow.org/news/article... #science #genes

Harmful algae blooms that produce the potent neurotoxin domoic acid can have devastating impacts on marine animals. A team from #BigelowLab just published research in @dao-ir.bsky.social showing how DA is accumulating in wild sea stars. FMI: www.bigelow.org/news/article... #ocean #science #maine

Join #BigelowLab and Maine Coast Fishermen's Association for a Blue Drinks networking event at Robinson’s Wharf on Thursday, September 11 at 5 p.m. No registration required! For more information, email kat@mainecoastfishermen.org. #maine #southport #blueeconomy #ocean #networking

Bigelow Laboratory knows that the right equipment can make all the difference. After all, it’s pretty tricky to catch a copepod using a lobster trap! 🦞 To connect local youth with back-to-school gear, Bigelowians took part in the Set for Success event in Boothbay on Wednesday.

Thank you to the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture team for visiting #BigelowLab during their retreat in midcoast Maine last weekend! SRS José Fernández Robledo snapped this great group shot in the Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation and gave a campus tour.

While many families are gearing up for children to head back to school soon, nine Maine educators recently wrapped up some learning of their own during the BLOOM Educators program at #BigelowLab. FMI: www.bigelow.org/education/pr... #ocean #maine

📸: David Fields, Aislyn Keyes, and Nicole Poulton.

Scientists Continue to Advise Deep-Sea Mining Discussions - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Deep Sea Dialogue: Last month, diplomats, advocates, lawyers, and ambassadors from the @deepstewardship.bsky.social gathered in Kingston, Jamaica for the second part of the 30th session of the International Seabed Authority. Read more: www.bigelow.org/news/article... #bigelowlab #ocean #science

On August 19, 2024, an accidental release of approximately 1,450 gallons of PFAS-based firefighting foam concentrate mixed with water occurred in Hangar 4 on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. Post spill, #BigelowLab researchers regularly monitor PFAS in Casco Bay. #ocean #maine #pfas #science

Storytelling and the Sea: This month, #BigelowLab Senior Research Scientist Nichole Price participated in the National Geographic Society Storytellers Workshop, hosted by Builders Vision in Chicago. 🌊 Photo credit: www.dietzstudio.com #ocean #science #kelp #blueplanet #ngs #natgeo

Last month, more than 20 stakeholders came to Bigelow Laboratory’s campus for a workshop that kicked off a 90-day innovation "sprint" that will result in a report laying out the priorities to establish Maine as a blue biotech hub. FMI: www.bigelow.org/news... #ocean #oceanscience

Catch the Mega Wave: This Thursday, please join us for the next talk in the Ocean on Tap series at Footbridge Brewery! 🌊 Leah Campbell, Bigelow Laboratory’s lead science writer, will crash the myths of ocean mega waves. #bigelowlab #oceanscience #tsunami #roguewaves #ocean

Photos 1 and 2: Postdoctoral scientist Melissa Rocker poses with a lobster from the experiment. A lobster with some evidence of the pitting and spots emblematic of ESD. Credit: Catie Cleveland/College of Charleston.

Photo 3: A haul of lobsters with evidence of ESD visible. Credit: Kirsten Johnston.