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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

Big Whale, Big Sharks, Big Stink

Big Whale, Big Sharks, Big Stink

September 19, 2005

A shipping tanker first spotted the whale on Sept. 9 about 24 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass. It floated belly up—species unknown, cause of death a mystery. Like a detective, Michael Moore, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, scrambled…

Anderson Addresses UN Ocean Commission

Anderson Addresses UN Ocean Commission

August 25, 2005

Senior Scientist Don Anderson of the WHOI Biology Department was invited to deliver the Bruun Memorial Lecture in June at the 23rd annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

A Whale Expert is Called in to Decipher Odd Elephant Calls

A Whale Expert is Called in to Decipher Odd Elephant Calls

July 28, 2005

An article about work done by WHOI postdoctoral investigator Stephanie Watwood to analyze atypical sounds made by two African elephants, one imitating a truck and one the calls of another elephant species

Red Tide—Gone for Now, But Back Next Year?

Red Tide—Gone for Now, But Back Next Year?

July 15, 2005

The historic bloom of toxic algae that blanketed New England’s waters and halted shellfishing from Maine to Martha’s Vineyard in the spring of 2005 is over. But scientists are now wondering if there will be an encore.

Before departing, the algae likely left behind a colonizing population that may promote blooms in southern New England for at least the next few years.

Settling on the Seafloor

Settling on the Seafloor

July 8, 2005

People may search for a long time, but they know it when they see it—the right job in the right town, or the right house in the right neighborhood. Then they settle down, set up shop, and put down roots.…

News Releases

Jeff Adams

Researchers to map the genome of the invasive European green crab

April 2, 2025

Washington Sea Grant will work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to shed light on a highly invasive species

Mark Hahn March 2025

WHOI’s Mark Hahn named AAAS Fellow

March 27, 2025

American Association for the Advancement of Science welcomes 471 scientists and engineers in the class of 2024

Emperor Penguins

New Study Calls for Uplisting Emperor Penguins to Threatened on IUCN Red List

March 25, 2025

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution among research groups that offer findings to support protection of species

‘Fishial’ Recognition: Neural Network Identifies Coral Reef Sounds

March 11, 2025

Faster identification of fish sounds from acoustic recordings can improve research, conservation efforts

WHOI scientists aim to improve the study of marine heatwaves

February 28, 2025

Researchers call for regional and context-specific approaches to these extreme events

News & Insights

Valentine’s Day Courtship Tips from the Ocean

February 10, 2025

Are you an ocean lover? Go a little deeper with these courtship tips from beneath the waves!

Recognizing Massachusetts Right Whale Day

April 24, 2023

April 24 marks the first-ever Right Whale Day in Massachusetts. WHOI biologist and veterinarian Michael Moore recently met with the resident who brought this special recognition about– and explains why it’s important to raise awareness about the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Getting Smaller, New Research Finds

June 10, 2021

A report out this week in Current Biology reveal that critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are up to three feet shorter than 40 years ago. This startling conclusion reinforces what scientists have suspected: even when entanglements do not lead directly to the death of North Atlantic right whales, they can have lasting effects on the imperiled population that may now number less than 400 animals. Further, females that are entangled while nursing produce smaller calves.

right whales

Rare Drone video shows critically endangered North Atlantic right whales

May 10, 2021

May 10, 2021   During a joint research trip on February 28 in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., WHOI whale trauma specialist Michael Moore, National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry, and scientists from New England Aquarium, witnessed a remarkable biological event: North…

Unicorns of the Arctic face a new potential threat

December 1, 2020

Narwhals and other marine mammals could be vulnerable to a new threat we’ve become all too familiar with: COVID-19