A shifting paradigm – Archaea aren’t the only organisms that produce methane

Most methane is produced by anaerobic Archaea. The formation and fate of methane has been the study of intensive research over several decades, because of its great importance in aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric processes. Methane has a global warming potential ~28 times that of CO2 over 100 years. Until recently, methanogenesis was thought to be … Continue reading A shifting paradigm – Archaea aren’t the only organisms that produce methane →

New insights into symbiont diversity in deep sea mussels

Exceptional diversity of chemosynthetic endosymbionts. Many deep-sea investigations have revealed the presence of dense colonies of large mussels belonging to the genus Bathymodiolus attached to rocks in the vicinity of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The gills of these mussels contain chemosynthetic bacterial symbionts within their cells. These endosymbionts use reduced inorganic compounds as a … Continue reading New insights into symbiont diversity in deep sea mussels →

Will declining sea ice lead to the spread of marine mammal diseases?

Viruses belonging to the Morbillivirus genus (in the Paramyxoviridae family of enveloped negative-sense RNA viruses) have been recognized as significant causes of disease in cetaceans and pinnipeds for several decades. Morbillivirus species are also responsible for measles in humans, distemper in dogs and Rinderpest in cattle. In all cases, infection usually leads to either rapid … Continue reading Will declining sea ice lead to the spread of marine mammal diseases? →