✨Species Spotlight✨ Can you see it? 👀 Pictured is a baby sacoglossan, measuring at only around 2 millimeters! In the video you can see it eating codium, the algae that they live on and eat. This stunning video was captured by Angela Jones from the Helmuth lab using OGL's microscope. 💚

✨ Welcome to the team, Kavin! We are excited to welcome Kavin as our new Research Volunteer! He is currently a graduate student studying Cell and Gene Therapies at Northeastern. 🧬

📰 Energy and antibiotics from paper waste? Researchers at the University of Utah and OGL show that bacteria in shipworm could be very valuable in a recent publication. 🪱 Read our newsletter about it here: https://tinyurl.com/mejw8ydw

✨Species Spotlight✨ How do sacoglossans get their green color? Pictured is codium, also known as “dead man’s fingers”, the algae that the slugs steal chloroplasts from! Photos taken by Grace Nyberg and Angela Jones from the Helmeuth lab. 💚

✨Species Spotlight✨ We’re excited to highlight heterobranchia, a marine creature also known as the “sap sucker” who is a cousin of the nudibranch. These stunning photos of the slugs found in Nahant were captured by Angela Jones and Mica Weld from the Helmeuth lab using OGL's microscope. 💚

How it started vs. how it's going: “I’m so excited for the data from my undergraduate Capstone project to be published! I had a blast working on this study with all the lovely folks at OGL and I hope our findings help other researchers isolate high quality DNA from their specimens!” -Ella Messner

How it started vs. how it's going: “My time with OGL made me realize my passion for the research community and contributing to our understanding of how the world works. Now, as I prepare to embark on a research fellowship at Harvard, I’m incredibly grateful for all OGL has provided.” -Ryan Pianka

How it started vs. how it's going: "In 2022, I worked at OGL as a Lab and Collections Assistant, where I contributed to the EDTA/Ethanol experiment. It was an incredible opportunity to be part of impactful research, and I’m thrilled to be a co-author on the resulting paper."​ -Caleigh Pierce

How it started vs. how it's going: "I am so grateful to be a part of this paper and to have worked with the OGL team! It can be a very rewarding process to see the research you've worked on as an undergraduate co-op turn into a peer-reviewed paper." ​ -Lizzy Soranno

How it started vs. how it's going: "It's been such a joy to see this study come to fruition since my time as a co-op student in 2019! Who could have guessed then that an initially confusing and compelling result would lead to a manuscript?" -Mia DeSanctis

How it started vs. how it's going: "It's exciting to see the results of the freezer project finally published! Through working on these DNA preservative experiments as a research assistant at OGL, I learned valuable lab skills that gave me a strong foundation for my graduate research." -Lev Becker

How it started vs. how it's going: "I am extremely excited for the publication of this paper! All the authors worked so hard, and we have grown so much as scientists throughout the process. Working with OGL during my undergraduate years has been a privilege." -Molly Johnson

How it started vs. how it's going: This experiment stemmed from the question ‘Is it beneficial to preserve tissue after it’s been frozen?’. The gel on the left is the first gel from the experiment, which showed an improvement in DNA quality when tissue was preserved after it was frozen.

Perfect pipetting: A fun and educational activity from OGL’s Coastal Ocean Science Academy (COSA) workshop where middle and high school students learned to apply their scientific skills with the help of outreach @northeasternmes.bsky.social 🧪 #ScienceEducation #Pipette #Outreach

Introducing Neptune 🔱 Meet the newest member of our touch tank at the MSC, an incredibly rare blue lobster. The blue coloration comes from a genetic anomaly-- resulting in Neptune being a one in two million lobster! 💙 #Lobsters #BlueLobster #MarineBiology

This video features an Obelia in its medusa stage, which is the second part of its life cycle. In this stage, it freely swims just like a really tiny jellyfish. 🪼 This stunning video was captured by Angela Jones and Mica Weld from the Helmuth lab using OGL’s dissecting microscope.

🌊🔍 #TBT to January 2, 2024, when OGL scientists made an exciting discovery! They identified a new species of marine mussel, Vadumodiolus teredinicola, from the Alabama Undersea Forest. This marks the first species to be named and described as part of the Ocean Census project! 🧬🐚

✨Species Spotlight✨ This video features Obelia in its polyp stage, which is the first part of its life cycle. Obelia asexually forms medusa buds that will eventually split off to continue reproduction. Video captured by Angela Jones and Mica Weld from the Helmuth lab using OGL’s microscope.

🌍✨ #TBT to July 21, 2023: OGL joined the Arctos Collaborative Collection Management Solution! This partnership makes all the OGL’s data openly available to the public and scientists all over the globe via the Arctos (Add link) digital platform, enhancing collaboration for researchers. 🧬

Species Spotlight We’re excited to highlight Obelia, a fascinating marine creature also called “sea fur” for its fine, feathery appearance. These stunning photos were captured by Angela Jones and Mica Weld from the Helmuth lab using OGL’s dissecting microscope and the Volmer Lab compound microscope.

✨ Welcome to the Team, Emma! We are excited to welcome Emma as our new Research Assistant! She is currently studying Cell and Molecular Biology at Northeastern University. 🔬

🌊🔬 #TBT to October 12, 2023: OGL joined forces with Ocean Census to uncover the ocean's taxonomic dark matter! This pioneering collaboration aims to discover and describe 100,000 new marine species in the next 10 years!

✨ Welcome to the Team, Anna! ⁠ We are excited to welcome Anna as our new Curatorial Assistant Co-op! She is currently studying Environmental Science and Sustainability at Northeastern University. 🌳

🌍💚 #TBT to January 24, 2023: OGL became an Environmental Partner of 1% for the Planet! This alliance, which includes over 5,400 businesses and individuals, commits to giving back to environmental nonprofits to protect our planet. 🌱🌏

❄️🧬 #TBT to July 1, 2021: OGL launched the Polar Genomic Resource Collection! With support from the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs and generous specimen donations from Dr. Bill Detrich, a Northeastern University Antarctic researcher. 🌍🐧

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight Mark from the Ries lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! He explored how carbon capturing minerals from seawater using electrochemical processes was possible, but inefficient. 🌊⚡ #MineralCarbonation #CarbonCapture #StudentResearch

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight Alivia from the Hall lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Her work focused on analyzing legislation all about pollinators, and how we can effectively create new policies for the future to ensure our pollinators receive the support they need. 🐝

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight Charlee from the outreach team at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Through his presentation, he shared the valuable lessons he learned about developing strategies to communicate scientific knowledge to students of all ages. 🧑‍🏫🪸

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight Outreach member and student researcher Celia from the Kimbro lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Through her presentation she shared the rewarding experiences she had studying wrack, a type of coastal grass, and her time working with Outreach.

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight OGL’s very own co-op student, Ainsley! Their presentation was a great overview of the work that we do, and went over exciting projects that OGL has gotten to be a part of over the years. 🧬♥️ #Biorepository #Genomics #StudentResearch

🌍✨ #TBT to September 13, 2022: OGL proudly announced a new collaboration with the Sena Institute of Technology in Penyi, Ghana! This partnership aims to survey coastal biodiversity of Ghana and formalize mirrored collections at both institutions. 🌱🔬

PT. 1 🧵🔎 Can you identify the creatures that make up each color on this flag? Made up of photos taken by Angela Jones, this flag celebrates not only the diversity of marine life around the world, but also how diverse our scientific community is. 🌈 #Pride #Biodiversity #MarineLife

🌈 Ocean Genome Legacy celebrates #Pride! This Progress Pride Flag was created by student volunteer Mica with stunning images taken of local marine life by Angela Jones and others in the Helmuth Lab @aquanaut1967.bsky.social using OGL's microscope.🔬👀

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight student researcher Nour from the Lotterhouse lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Through this project, he created an AI tool to assist scientists to better categorize and organize their data, making data sharing and research more accessible. 📊

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight student researcher Eshna from the Stubbins lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Her work examines how various drinking water sources across the country vary in terms of disinfection byproducts, which are used to purify water.

🌊✨ #TBT to May 3, 2021: OGL scientists and collaborators made an exciting deep-sea discovery! OGL scientists and collaborators at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History uncovered two new genera and two new species of black corals. 🖤🌿

✨Symposium spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight student researcher Brooke from the Stubbins lab at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ! Her project investigates how microplastic size impacts their recovery during chemical digestion—a key step in accurately studying microplastic pollution. 🧪

✨Symposium Spotlight ✨ We’re excited to highlight student researcher Cassandra from the Hughes & Bowen labs at @northeasternmes.bsky.social ‬! Her project explores genetic diversity in both restored and natural salt marshes.🌿🌊

👀 Did you know OGL's very own Dan Distel was quoted in a History article? Learn about how one of OGL's favorite creatures, the mighty shipworm, feasted its way through world history. 🚢🪱 https://www.history.com/articles/shipworms

🌊💙 #TBT to May 11, 2020: OGL teamed up with Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue to create a global wave of community support for ocean conservation! 🌍✨ This powerful partnership aims to inspire actions to protect our oceans, ensuring a healthier future for marine ecosystems worldwide. 🌊🔬

🌊Yesterday, OGL celebrated at the Marine Science Center undergraduate symposium. From oysters to outreach 🦪, students showcased the research they’ve been working on for the past semester.

📰 How do researchers understand the quality of their DNA samples? Read our newsletter on the new TapeStation OGL has purchased thanks to the Goelet Charitable Lead Trust! 🧬👇 https://ogl.northeastern.edu/2025/06/07/new-grant-for-ogl-accelerates-dna-research-at-the-msc/?_thumbnail_id=5045

#TBT to December 7, 2019: OGL scientists and collaborators made a historic dive at the Alabama Undersea Forest! Learn more: https://ogl.northeastern.edu/2024/07/17/ogl-newsletter-spotlight-on-ancient-underwater-cypress-forest/

🌊🦠 #TBT to June 18, 2019: OGL researchers made an exciting discovery! They uncovered Lithoredo abatanica, a rock-eating shipworm, buried in the sandstone rock of the Abatan River in the Philippines. 🪨🔬This new species, capable of feeding on rock, adds a whole new understanding of marine life.

📰 How does one word hurt millions? OGL's Dan Distel gives insight on a how new rule could weaken the Endangered Species Act by redefining “harm” to ignore habitat destruction. 🌎 Read the newsletter here: https://ogl.northeastern.edu/2025/05/23/the-harm-in-harm/

🌊✨ #TBT to June 11, 2019: Dr. Marian Litvaitis made a generous donation to OGL! Dr. Litvaitis, of the University of New Hampshire, donated her extensive marine flatworm collection, sparking the launch of the Genome Resource Rescue Collection.

🌟 Welcome to the Team, JD! 🌟⁠ ⁠ We are excited to welcome Jaydip (JD) as our new OGL volunteer 🎉⁠ ⁠ JD is a Masters student majoring in Biotechnology at Northeastern University. He previously studied Animal Science at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.

🌊🦠 #TBT to February 11, 2019: OGL researchers made an exciting discovery! They identified a new genus and species —Tamilokus mabinia, a shipworm found in the Philippines. Image credits: Reuben Shipway

🌟 Welcome to the Team, Julia! 🌟⁠ ⁠ We are excited to welcome Julia as our new OGL Communications Assistant 🎉⁠ ⁠ Julia is a rising fifth year Environmental Science and Sustainability student with a minor in Data Science at Northeastern University.

🦞🔍 #TBT to January 22, 2019, when OGL scientists collaborated with the New York State Office of the Attorney General to tackle seafood mislabeling in grocery stores! 🏙️ Through this partnership, they addressed issues of seafood fraud, ensuring access to accurate seafood choices. 🌊💡