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Ocean-Inspired Art

Jellyfish are known for their painful stings—but they can also serve as a source of artistic inspiration. Artist Christina Machinski painted this image of a clinging jellyfish, which in real life are no bigger than a quarter. The jellies are undergoing a resurgence along the northeastern U.S. coast, but they prefer the shelter of seagrass and seaweed to the pounding surf of most ocean beaches. WHOI researcher Annette Govindarajan is studying their genetics to better understand their toxicity and distribution. If you find a clinging jellyfish, do not touch it. Instead, please send us an email with its location to jellyfish@whoi.edu. (Courtesy of Christina Machinski)