RESEARCH: Parasites of the hermit crab Pagurus hirsutiusculus; distribution, prevalence, and thermal ecology. Co-authored by Dr. Chris Harley (@zoology.ubc.ca) and Dr. Alyssa Gehman (@rhizalyssa.bsky.social ) journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Parasitic barnacles that turn hermit crabs into near-zombies? New UBC/Hakai research that surveyed 4,200 crabs at 65 sites shows these parasites are widespread across B.C., vulnerable to heat waves, and may be multiple cryptic species. Read more 🔗 tinyurl.com/4tfb5fjj

Can some sunflower stars resist disease? Hakai researchers, with DFO, are testing stars from Calvert Island for Vibrio pectenicida resistance and how warmer waters affect infection. A step toward protecting these vital marine predators!

So, right now, the only reliable way to diagnose endometriosis is with exploratory surgery. But finally, real scientists (instead of male scientists), are on the job & of course they’ve identified multiple markers in menstrual blood that point to noninvasive testing. www.science.org/content/arti...

🌊 A decade-long mystery solved: UBC-led researchers identified the bacteria behind sea star wasting disease (Vibrio pectenicida FHCF-3), published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. A huge step for marine recovery. 🪸🌍 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02797-2

Our marine biology career advice panel went great! Thanks to the Ecological Society of America for inviting me and giving me a chance to do something to help students. #ESA2025 @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social

A study in Nature Ecology & Evolution identifies a bacterial species as a cause of sea star wasting disease, which has been responsible for billions of sea star deaths since 2013 and widespread loss of kelp habitats. go.nature.com/46I4kx2 🌊 🧪

Unmasking the Sea Star Killer After a decade of carnage, we finally know what’s devastating sea stars along North America’s West Coast. Does that mean scientists can save them? by @craigwelch.bsky.social www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...

Spoke with @rhizalyssa.bsky.social and Melanie Prentice about their investigation into what was causing billions of sea stars to disintegrate to death. The culprit: a bacterium by the name of Vibrio pectenicida. Read more about their work here:

After a four-year investigation, a breakthrough study reveals the cause of sea star wasting disease (SSWD). A strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida is the culprit behind the marine epidemic that has killed billions of sea stars since 2013. Read the study: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/4rcb3xpf

Very proud of the work from lab members and collaborators that coincidentally came out today www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... and www.nature.com/articles/s41.... A bacterial and viral pathogen associated with mass mortality in seastars and oysters. @kevinzhong2006.bsky.social @rhizalyssa.bsky.social

We are so proud of our sea star wasting work that came out today. This interactive article is very complete and includes beautiful videos. Unmasking the Sea Star Killer www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...

For @biographic.bsky.social, writer @craigwelch.bsky.social followed @hakai.org scientist @rhizalyssa.bsky.social's quest to unveil the the killer that decimated populations of sea stars off the West Coast. It took a few years but the lab's hard work paid off: www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...

For those having a hard time following all the changes to NSF by the Trump administration, here's a wrapup of the past week's momentous events--and what they mean for the agency. www.science.org/content/arti...

Ten Vital Services Provided by NOAA (Beyond the National Weather Service) blog.ucs.org/science-blog...

New research on endangered sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) was just highlighted in @nature.com. The study, led by Hakai Institute research scientist @rhizalyssa.bsky.social, shows Pycnopodia finding refuge from sea star wasting disease in BC's coastal fjords🔗 tinyurl.com/shzdtawj

Mussel beds are vital to the health of rocky intertidal ecosystems. We recently sat down with two members of the Hakai geospatial team to learn how AI and deep learning are transforming mussel mapping and monitoring on BC's Central Coast. Read the full story 🔗 tinyurl.com/bdezt98t

A newly published study finds that sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) threatened by sea star wasting disease (SSWD) are finding marine refuge in the freshwater snowmelt of deep, cold-water fjords on BCs central coast. Full press kit now available🔗https://tinyurl.com/534rsnrj

Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs. Find out how your community may be impacted. Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org a 🧵

Ted Cruz said he’d found $2 billion in “woke” science grants, but his team used keyword searches that flagged things out of context, like a grant to develop a device to treat severe bleeding that mentioned “victims” and “trauma.” www.propublica.org/article/ted-...

And I am an ally. If you are too, let the world know.

Ending the week with a little motivation from our office mural. 💙 We hope you all have a great weekend. 🦈

Happy Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget to text your crush a squid fact today 😘

Hakai Institute researcher Alyssa Gehman is studying the impacts of sea star wasting disease on Pycnopodia helianthoides—sunflower sea stars. She recently traveled to central BC’s coastal fjords to explore whether these cold- water ecosystems could provide refuge for the endangered sea stars.

SCOOP: Cats that became infected with bird flu might have spread the virus to humans in the same household and vice versa, according to data that briefly appeared online in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but then abruptly vanished. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/h...

This is how you do it. Thank you @sicbjournals.bsky.social Read their whole email to membership here mailchi.mp/sicb.org/sic...

My creative outlet is pottery, often inspired by seaweeds #phycologyfriday #phycology #kelp #marinebiology #science #art #pottery #sculpture #seaweed #ceramics

And finally, this isn’t about exhaustive knowledge about what is happening - it’s about figuring out what to DO. We made an acronym to help us cope each time we feel our adrenaline spike. That & more in this week’s issue: buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Each week, we are collecting, reading, vetting & tagging all the links, news & rumors you’re seeing whiz past you online. We are also talking to dozens of researchers & PIs about their firsthand experiences. Every Friday, I debrief you over a drink at buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

🚨😷🧪 NEW: A growing body of evidence shows that pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change are part of a broader polycrisis - but there are no simple solutions. A sweeping overview of "Pathogens and planetary change" for the first issue of @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social, out now 🔓 rdcu.be/d6lHl

Here we go! The first issue of Nature Reviews Biodiversity is now live🥳🎉🥂. Thank you to our authors, reviewers, and community for the support! We hope you enjoy the reading. www.nature.com/nrbd/volumes...

Hello🦋 Hoping for a nice platform to exchange science again. I'm a #kelp ecologist, finished my PhD last year on climate change impacts on kelp forests (🇬🇧 @thembauk.bsky.social, @dansmale1.bsky.social) & work now on microbes (🇨🇦 @ubcbotany.bsky.social, @hakaiinstitute.bsky.social).Happy kelpy times🌊🌱

A new paper by Hakai Institute researchers points to bull kelp—those long whips seen on Pacific beaches—as an “ideal” biological indicator species for marine planning efforts in the Northern Shelf Bioregion. See the full paper 🔗https://tinyurl.com/9r3bub6e

Made a sea star themed Christmas Cake. Excited to see how it tastes after a month of prep.

Farming, aquaculture & population growth has increased nutrient overloads in the global ocean, which can lead to harmful algal blooms and dead zones—but monitoring is sparse. GEM-in-a-Box is aiming to fill the gaps, from Kenya to Malaysia to the Bahamas 🔗https://tinyurl.com/3nn6mxa4

NSF makes you say who you got conflicts (coauthored) with. We (really just Jordan Matelsky) just built you a tool for that. Literally one click: bib.experiments.kordinglab.com/nsf-coa

On B.C.'s coast, an invasion of the European green crab is happening below the waves 🦀 Their destructive impact on nearshore ecosystems is setting off alarm bells— but Hakai scientists are deploying a new tool making it easier to detect these invaders 🔗 tinyurl.com/5xbhhahw

ICYMI, Hakai Magazine will be joining forces with bioGraphic. But we need your help to hit the ground running! Please help us raise $150K by Giving Tuesday on Dec 3. We’re a little over a third of the way there, and no amount is too small. 🐳💙 www.biographic.com/hakai-magazi...

We're hiring! 📣The Hakai Institute is looking for an experienced Data Scientist and Developer to work closely with the oceanography team. View the full posting here 🔗 tinyurl.com/3a9dmed7