New Sub-species of Pilot Whale Identified in Pacific Ocean
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 3 June 2019
Researchers discovered two subspecies of short-finned pilot whales, separated not by continents but by the Pacific’s low-food “oceanic desert”—changing how we understand whale evolution and conservation.
Keywords: pilot whales, WHOI, subspecies, genetics, Pacific barrier
Surprising Enzymes Found in Giant Ocean Viruses
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 5 June 2019
Scientists discovered cytochrome P450 genes in giant viruses, opening potential drug targets for human pathogens like pneumonia-linked viruses and offering insights into virus evolution.
Keywords: giant viruses, cytochrome P450, WHOI, drug targets, pneumonia
NASA Makes Dual Investment in Ocean Worlds Research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 21 June 2019
NASA funds a five-year $7.6M project, Exploring Ocean Worlds (ExOW), led by WHOI to study life-supporting potential on icy ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus and launches the new Network for Ocean Worlds (NOW).
Keywords: NASA, ocean worlds, astrobiology, WHOI, Europa, Enceladus
