New USF study identifies virus that causes red tide
The study, published in the American Society for Microbiology's journal mSphere, involved researchers testing water samples from red tide blooms off southwest Florida in which they found several viruses, including a new species that is present in red tide blooms.
This discovery shines a light on the environmental factors that cause red tide blooms to grow and marks an important step towards better understanding the virus.
'We know that viruses play an important role in the dynamics of harmful algal blooms, but we haven't known what viruses might be associated with Karenia brevis blooms,' said Jean Lim, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS). 'Now that we've identified several viruses in red tide blooms, we can work to determine which viruses might have an influence on these events.'
Racers excited to hit the track for NASCAR at Homestead-Miami
Red tide blooms are a naturally occurring event driven by various factors such as ocean circulation, nutrient concentration, and climate change.
Karenia Brevis, the single-celled organism responsible for red tide blooms, can not only kill marine life but also cause respiratory issues ultimately impacting coastal economies that predominantly rely on tourism and fishing.
The findings of this study could not only help predict bloom cycles but perhaps even provide environmentally-friendly ways to manage red tide blooms.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Atlantic
23-07-2025
- Atlantic
The Sea Slug Defying Biological Orthodoxy
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The slug digests the rest of the cell but keeps the chloroplasts—the plant organelles responsible for photosynthesis—and distributes these green orbs through its branched gut. Somehow, the slug is able to run the chloroplasts itself and, after sucking up enough of them, turns a brilliant green. It appears to get all the food it needs for the rest of its life by way of photosynthesis, transforming light, water, and air into sugar, like a leaf. The horoscope took this all as a metaphor: Something I'd 'absorbed from another' is 'integrating into your deeper systems,' it advised. 'This isn't theft, but creative borrowing.' And in that single line, the horoscope writer managed to explain symbiosis—not a metaphor at all, but an evolutionary mechanism that may be more prevalent across biology than once thought. Elysia chlorotica is a bewitching example of symbiosis. It is flat, heart-shaped, and pointed at the tail, and angles itself toward the sun. 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A biological skill leaked out of one creature into another. All of us are likely leakier than we might assume. After all, every cell with a nucleus, meaning all animal and plant cells, has a multigenetic heritage. Mitochondria—the organelles in our cells responsible for generating energy—are likely the product of an ancient symbiosis with a distant ancestor and a microbe, and have their own separate DNA. So we are walking around with the genetic material of some other ancient life form suffused in every cell. And the earliest ancestor of all plants was likely the product of a fusion between a microbe and a cyanobacterium; plants' photosynthesizing organelles, too, have distinct DNA. Lynn Margulis, the biologist who made the modern case for this idea, was doubted for years until new genetic techniques proved her correct. Her conviction about the symbiotic origins of mitochondria and chloroplasts was a monumental contribution to cell biology. But Margulis took her theory further; in her view, symbiosis was the driving force of evolution, and many entities were likely composites. Evolution, then, could be traced not only through random mutation, but by combination. 'Life did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking. Life forms multiplied and complexified by co-opting others, not just by killing one another,' she wrote, with her son, in 1986. This remains pure conjecture, and an exaggeration of the role of symbiosis beyond what mainstream evolutionary theory would support; random mutation is still considered the main driver of speciation. Yet more scientists now wonder if symbiosis may have played a larger role in the heritage of many species than we presently understand. 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Encounters with pollution can reroute the trajectory of our health and even, in some cases, the health of our offspring. Researchers think access to healthy foods—a factor of our environments—can modify how our genes are expressed, improving our lives in ways that scientists are just beginning to understand. We are constantly taking our environment in, and it is constantly transforming us.
The Hill
19-07-2025
- The Hill
Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay video goes viral
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Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Tragic beach discovery sparks fresh alarm over ‘horror' issue in Australia: ‘Devastating'
One of the country's leading marine biologists is warning there may be long-term ecological consequences in the wake of the toxic algae bloom currently killing thousands of animals in waters of the South Australian coast. Professor Shauna Murray, from the UTS School of Life Sciences, said she doesn't believe the crisis has been managed poorly, in response to some commentary earlier this week insisting the event would have received much more attention and swifter action if it had impacted eastern states like New South Wales or Queensland. But, Murray said, there is an opportunity for Australia to take global leadership when it comes to marine ecosystem threats. For months now, many thousands of marine animals, spanning over 390 species, have been washing ashore dead along beaches in the south, with the toxic algae Karenia mikimotoi to blame. Some believe that figure is modest, with not all deaths being witnessed, and incidents being heavily reliant on reporting. In an interview with Yahoo News Australia, Murray said she believes "it's too early to say exactly what factors" are driving this particular harmful algal bloom (HAB) of Karenia mikimotoi, though in general, climate change is "certainly having long-term impacts on HABS". "Every species of harmful algae has highly individual conditions that it grows under, and these vary. Karenia mikimotoi is normally a temperate species, which blooms in the north of China, the north Atlantic, and other countries," she explained. "However, having said that, it could be that a one-degree increase in water temperatures over an extended time frame could be contributing to the growth of the species. Other conditions, such as currents, water nutrients, and other factors, are also contributing. HABs are almost always due to a specific combination of factors unique to the algal species." Murray believes there could be long-term ecological consequences, given that after a Karenia species bloom in Wellington Harbour in New Zealand in the 1990s, it took about three to five years for the ecosystem to recover. Though the current bloom involves similar Karenia species and brevetoxins, it is impacting a much larger area. "Hence, while I think habitat collapse is unlikely, I do think that we will need to closely monitor fish and invertebrate species abundances to understand impacts," Murray said. On social media, dozens of individual examples continue to emerge from beaches around the state that have been inundated with carcasses, attracting tens of thousands of responses from upset Australians, questioning if more could have been done. "This is literal horror," one person said. "We should all be losing it at this. This is devastating," another said, with each comment attracting hundreds of likes. 'Toxic to anything with gills': algal bloom spreading Algal bloom turns coast into a 'marine graveyard' Warning to Aussie beachgoers after deadly discovery in waves But according to Murray, the response was as appropriate as it could have been. "I think the event has been handled as well as it could be, given that there are very few (literally about five to 10) marine HAB experts in Australia, including myself," she said. Murray said Australia has an opportunity to develop a strong response to harmful algal blooms in future, which could serve as a model for other countries. She noted that threats to marine environments like coral bleaching and kelp forest dieback are well known, and the increasing incidence of harmful algal blooms is one of the more manageable challenges. "This is not a failing. HABs are very well managed in Australian waters relative to the marine aquaculture industry, as they are regulated, monitored and managed, and have been for many years," she said. "This particular SA situation is quite unusual in the length of time the HAB has persisted and the area over which it has extended, as well as the fish killing mechanisms and hence the wider impacts. I think we need to learn from this and build more expertise in the field, so that more people have the relevant knowledge and skills for when situations like this arise next time." While federal governments typically don't get involved in matters concerning state waters, Murray said it may now have a role to play given the scale of the outbreak, particularly in funding research and future monitoring systems. "I believe the best role would be for them to fund research and set up systems for future monitoring, so that if something like this were to happen again, we would be prepared," she said. "So far, we have learnt that the main microalgal species is Karenia mikimotoi. But it's not the only species of Karenia present, and it makes up around 50 per cent or more of the microalgae in the water in some regions, with the rest being a mixed standard marine microalgal community. "We still need to understand the identities of the other HAB species, their abundance and distribution, the microalgal producers of brevetoxins, and the toxic mechanisms of other Karenia species present. "We also need to fully investigate oceanographic conditions before, during and hopefully following the HAB to develop models to understand the drivers of this one." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
