News archives

Portrait of a smiling woman with long brown hair; she is seen near a pier.

Scripps Student Spotlight: Chanel Robles

MAS MBC student researches the roles of green sea turtles in Baja California

A pod of Southern Resident orcas in British Columbia, Canada. Photo:cullenphotos/iStockPhoto

A New Way to Differentiate Orca Whale “Cultures” through Audio Recordings

The lifestyles of three types of orcas revealed through their clicks and whistles

scientist studying beaker

Deciphering the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Potent Freshwater Toxin

Scientific discovery enables future monitoring of harmful toxin

Dante Capone headshot

Scripps Student Spotlight: Dante Capone

PhD student researches how California wildfires affect coastal marine plankton

Osmund Holm-Hansen in lab in 1971.

Osmund Holm-Hansen: 1928-2021

Leading scientist in plankton dynamics of polar regions

Images of dinoflagellates collected during Long-Term Ecological Reseach cruise off California, 2021

Scientists Announce Comprehensive Regional Diagnostic of Microbial Ocean Life using DNA Testing

Large-scale ‘metabarcoding’ methods could revolutionize how society understands forces that drive seafood supply, planet’s ability to remove greenhouse gases

School of fish over a coral bed underwater

Ambitious New Environmental Challenge Aims to Rewild 40 Globally Significant Island Ecosystems from Ridge to Reef by 2030

Island Conservation, Re:wild, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the Government of Panama, and the Government of Palau Launch 2030 Island-Ocean Connection Challenge at Our Ocean Conference with $50 Million Secured

Microbial ecologist Jack Gilbert

A Scientist's Life: Jack Gilbert

Microbial ecologist seeks ways to collaborate with bacteria to improve human and ecosystem health

Scripps Student Spotlight: Natalie Posdaljian

PhD student examines marine mammal acoustics as a signal of greater changes in the ecosystem

Sand dollars off La Jolla, Calif. Photo: Greg Rouse

Study Reconsiders Early Evolution of Sea Urchins

Genome-scale analysis of evolutionary relationships and times of origin of sea urchins and their relatives prompts re-evaluation of their fossil record

Close-up image of a coral.

Advanced Imaging Reveals New Cellular and Molecular Details of Coral-Algae Relationship

Findings expand understanding of ecologically important animal-microbe relationship

Ryan Kich in front of Golden Gate Bridge

Scripps Student Spotlight: Ryan Kich

Graduate student researches the microbiomes of fish gills, and how those bacteria potentially affect fish health

Reefscapes of the Mo’orea backreef. Photo credit: Shayle Matsuda/ UH SOEST.

“Taste” and “Smell” of Coral Reefs Provide Insights into Dynamic Ecosystem

Breakthrough in detecting chemical identity of reefs

Erica Ferrer close-up shot

Scripps Student Spotlight: Erica Ferrer

PhD candidate researches sustainability in small-scale fisheries

Adrianus Kalmijn, pioneer of shark electromagnetic research, 1933-2021

Adrianus Kalmijn: 1933-2021

Pioneer in discovering how sharks harness electromagnetic energy to sense prey

Sydney Plummer headshot

Scripps Student Spotlight: Sydney Plummer

PhD student investigates marine phytoplankton and their influence on the environment

mask floating in ocean

New Study Pinpoints Likely Path of COVID-Related Plastic Waste in the Ocean

Researchers use a new model to project where the surge of mismanaged medical waste will end up—including beaches, seabeds, and the Arctic Ocean

fish

Better climate models predict worse outcomes for future marine ecosystems in our warming oceans

Results show continued high emissions “much worse” for marine life

Nicole Adamson

Scripps Student Spotlight: Nicole Adamson

Undergraduate student examines red blood cell activity in teleost fish

High-Frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP) on the deck of R/V Pelican

Dodging Hurricane Ida While Listening to a Changing Gulf

Supercharged storms, marine mammal movements have human influence as a common cause

An underwater view of fish swimming in the submerged roots of a red mangrove forest.

Hidden Mangrove Forest in the Yucatan Peninsula Reveals Ancient Sea Levels

Researchers investigate an ancient coastal ecosystem found more than 120 miles from the nearest ocean, revealing sea level impacts from the last interglacial period

Alejandro Cano Lasso Carretero portrait

Scripps Student Spotlight: Alejandro Cano-Lasso Carretero

A Master of Advanced Studies student fuses art and science in order to understand the natural world

A male Halobates splendens specimen. Photo: National University of Singapore

The History of Insects Living on the Open Ocean Tracks with the History of the Currents They Ride

Researchers uncover how climatic changes influence the evolution of ocean skaters

Researchers use Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian to collect sediment push cores and collect video footage, data that will assess how this stretch of deep sea is responding to DDT.

Scientists Explore Mineral-Rich Seafloor, DDT Dump Sites; Discover Methane Seep, Whale Fall

Exploratory dives off California coast in waste dumping grounds and areas of potential mining will advance understanding of human impacts on deep-sea ecosystem

Deployment of phased array Doppler sonar (PADS) unit

Researchers Observe Potential Impacts of Seafloor Mining

Team uses field data to create a model to show behavior of sediment plumes

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