Colleen Cavanaugh
Encyclopedia
Colleen Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
, is a microbiologist
and Edward C. Jeffrey Professor
of Biology
at Harvard University
who has studied hydrothermal vent
ecosystem
s for over 20 years. As a graduate student, Cavanaugh was the first to propose that the giant tube worm
, Riftia pachyptila, obtains its food from bacteria
living within its cells
. In a process called chemosynthesis
, these bacteria use the energy locked within reduced chemicals (e.g., hydrogen sulfide
) to synthesize organic matter, allowing organism
s such as the giant tube worm to exist on the ocean floor without sunlight
.
and knew as early as second grade that she wanted to be a scientist. "In English
class you had to write, in science class you didn't," she has said, "So science became my first choice." She began focusing on biology and ecology by the seventh grade and says "I thought about working on the Great Lakes
, and decided to major in biology at the University of Michigan
."
Her life direction was changed in her sophomore year when she heard about a course in marine ecology at the oceanographic
center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
. Cavanaugh's work there involved wading out into chilly waters to study the mating habit
s of horseshoe crab
s but still she "fell in love" with the relaxed camaraderie and exchange of ideas between biologists, geologists
, and scientists from other disciplines.
Through a series of events Cavanaugh ended up stranded in the Greater Boston
area looking for a job as waitress but ended up replacing a last minute dropout in a Boston University
undergraduate research program and returned to her work with local horseshoe crabs. She met Phillip Gschwend, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology
graduate student studying chemical oceanography, and later married him.
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1977, Cavanaugh moved to Cape Cod
to work at the Marine Biological Laboratory
at Woods Hole. During the next two years, the focus of her attention shifted from Crustacea to bacteria
, "creatures that impressed her for their ability to live anywhere". Ready to pursue her education, Cavanaugh applied to several graduate schools and was accepted at her first choice: Harvard.
Shortly after Cavanaugh began her graduate studies
, she was attending a lecture by Meredith Jones, curator of worms at the Smithsonian Institution
. Jones was discussing the giant tube worm, a creature which had neither a mouth
nor a gut
, and the challenge was to figure out how such a creature could survive. When Jones mentioned elemental sulfur
crystals within the worms gut, Cavanaugh states, "It was at that point that I jumped up and said, 'Well, it's perfectly clear! They must have sulphur-oxidising bacteria inside their bodies'".
Jones apparently told her to sit down but provided Cavanaugh with a specimen captured by a research submarine
working on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
. Cavanaugh eventually proved her case and thus the Harvard Gazette describes Cavanaugh's pioneering study of these unique creatures:
Cavanaugh went on to earn a masters degree and a doctorate degree in Biology and to find similar symbiotic partnerships among Solemyidae
clams living in shallow eelgrass
beds and mudflat
s along the New England
coast and in shrimp near sub-sea springs in the middle of the Atlantic
. A 2004 television
mini-series hosted by Bill Nye
named chemosynthesis as one of the 100 greatest scientific discoveries of all time.
in 1981, a Ph.D. in 1985, a Junior Fellowship in the Society of Fellows in 1986-89, an assistant professorship in 1989, and an associate professorship in 1993. Then in 1995, "for these discoveries and her reputation as a teacher and mentor", Cavanaugh was given tenure
at Harvard and has continued to build her career on the study of hydrothermal vent ecology.
Cavanaugh believes that life on Earth
may have started under similar conditions and says "the idea makes sense because some of the oldest forms of free-living bacteria
show signs of being heat-loving organisms." Cavanaugh's work has made the scientific community rethink the "warm chicken soup
" theory
of life's origins in which the accumulation of organic molecules in shallow waters
was a result of lightning
electricity
.
Cavanaugh's ground-breaking discoveries of the biology of the deep Pacific Ocean
were made in a Cambridge, Massachusetts
laboratory
and she worked on marine life in the laboratory and onboard ship
s for twelve years before she won a place on the deep-diving submarine Alvin
and went to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
off the Florida
for the first time in 1992. According to a 1996 magazine
article:
She later participated in more "Extreme Expeditions" -- such as a dive to a depth of 8,200 feet off the west coast of Mexico
-- to collect tube worms and their bacteria, the chemically-rich fluids that flow out of the vents, and mineral samples from the deep sea
ocean floor. Cavanaugh, who has been called "a scientific Captain Nemo
" is prominent in her field of biology and according to a 2001 Discover
magazine article about a visit to "a hot crack in the Earth under the Indian Ocean
":
Cavanaugh is the discoverer of a new species
of deep-dwelling mussel in the Gulf of Mexico
that shares its body with symbiotic bacteria that feed on methane. She has also co-authored a research paper
(supported in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
's National Undersea Research Program
and its West Coast and Polar Regions Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks) published in Nature
about how whale
corpses -- and their bone
s in particular—that drop to the bottom of the ocean play an important role in the ecology there.
in marine invertebrates from deep sea hydrothermal vents, methane
seeps, and coastal reducing sediment
s. Researchers there have a special interest in characterizing the metabolic
and genetic
capabilities of symbionts, their evolution
ary relationships with free-living bacteria, and the co-evolution of symbiont and host.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, is a microbiologist
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
and Edward C. Jeffrey Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
who has studied hydrothermal vent
Hydrothermal vent
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...
ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s for over 20 years. As a graduate student, Cavanaugh was the first to propose that the giant tube worm
Giant tube worm
Giant tube worms, Riftia pachyptila, are marine invertebrates in the phylum Annelida related to tube worms commonly found in the intertidal and pelagic zones...
, Riftia pachyptila, obtains its food from bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
living within its cells
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
. In a process called chemosynthesis
Chemosynthesis
In biochemistry, chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules or methane as a source of energy, rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis...
, these bacteria use the energy locked within reduced chemicals (e.g., hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
) to synthesize organic matter, allowing organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
s such as the giant tube worm to exist on the ocean floor without sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
.
Early life
Cavanaugh grew up in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and knew as early as second grade that she wanted to be a scientist. "In English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
class you had to write, in science class you didn't," she has said, "So science became my first choice." She began focusing on biology and ecology by the seventh grade and says "I thought about working on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, and decided to major in biology at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
."
Her life direction was changed in her sophomore year when she heard about a course in marine ecology at the oceanographic
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands...
. Cavanaugh's work there involved wading out into chilly waters to study the mating habit
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
s of horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...
s but still she "fell in love" with the relaxed camaraderie and exchange of ideas between biologists, geologists
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, and scientists from other disciplines.
Through a series of events Cavanaugh ended up stranded in the Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
area looking for a job as waitress but ended up replacing a last minute dropout in a Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
undergraduate research program and returned to her work with local horseshoe crabs. She met Phillip Gschwend, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
graduate student studying chemical oceanography, and later married him.
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1977, Cavanaugh moved to Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
to work at the Marine Biological Laboratory
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
at Woods Hole. During the next two years, the focus of her attention shifted from Crustacea to bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, "creatures that impressed her for their ability to live anywhere". Ready to pursue her education, Cavanaugh applied to several graduate schools and was accepted at her first choice: Harvard.
Discovery of chemosynthesis
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
, she was attending a lecture by Meredith Jones, curator of worms at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. Jones was discussing the giant tube worm, a creature which had neither a mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
nor a gut
Gut (zoology)
In zoology, the gut, also known as the alimentary canal or alimentary tract, is a tube by which bilaterian animals transfer food to the digestion organs. In large bilaterians the gut generally also has an exit, the anus, by which the animal disposes of solid wastes...
, and the challenge was to figure out how such a creature could survive. When Jones mentioned elemental sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
crystals within the worms gut, Cavanaugh states, "It was at that point that I jumped up and said, 'Well, it's perfectly clear! They must have sulphur-oxidising bacteria inside their bodies'".
Jones apparently told her to sit down but provided Cavanaugh with a specimen captured by a research submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
working on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Cavanaugh eventually proved her case and thus the Harvard Gazette describes Cavanaugh's pioneering study of these unique creatures:
As a first-year graduate student, she discovered what makes life possible in a hell-on-earth where the sun never shines, temperatures can exceed 250 degrees F, and the ocean exerts pressures of thousands of pounds on every square inch of an animal's body. Giant worms, huge clamClamThe word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s and musselMusselThe common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s, and strange shrimpShrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
thrive in such conditions because of one-celled bacteriaBacteriaBacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
who live on and inside them. The bacteria turn sulfur, methaneMethaneMethane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
, and other inedibles into organic molecules that their hosts feed on.
Cavanaugh went on to earn a masters degree and a doctorate degree in Biology and to find similar symbiotic partnerships among Solemyidae
Solemyidae
Solemyidae is a family of protobranch bivalves in the order Solemyoida. .Solemyids are remarkable in that their digestive tract is either extremely small or non-existent, and their feeding appendages are too short to reach outside the shell ....
clams living in shallow eelgrass
Zostera
Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called marine eelgrass or simply eelgrass . The genus Zostera contains sixteen species.-Ecology:Zostera is found on sandy substrates or in estuaries submerged or partially floating...
beds and mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s along the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast and in shrimp near sub-sea springs in the middle of the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. A 2004 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
mini-series hosted by Bill Nye
Bill Nye
William Sanford "Bill" Nye , popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American science educator, comedian, television host, actor, mechanical engineer, and scientist...
named chemosynthesis as one of the 100 greatest scientific discoveries of all time.
Career
This research earned Cavanaugh an M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1981, a Ph.D. in 1985, a Junior Fellowship in the Society of Fellows in 1986-89, an assistant professorship in 1989, and an associate professorship in 1993. Then in 1995, "for these discoveries and her reputation as a teacher and mentor", Cavanaugh was given tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
at Harvard and has continued to build her career on the study of hydrothermal vent ecology.
Cavanaugh believes that life on Earth
Life on Earth
Life on Earth: A Natural History by David Attenborough is a television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions...
may have started under similar conditions and says "the idea makes sense because some of the oldest forms of free-living bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
show signs of being heat-loving organisms." Cavanaugh's work has made the scientific community rethink the "warm chicken soup
Chicken soup
Chicken soup is a soup made by bringing to a boil and then simmering chicken parts and/or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with noodles or dumplings, or grains such...
" theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
of life's origins in which the accumulation of organic molecules in shallow waters
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
was a result of lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Cavanaugh's ground-breaking discoveries of the biology of the deep Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
were made in a Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and she worked on marine life in the laboratory and onboard ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s for twelve years before she won a place on the deep-diving submarine Alvin
Alvin
Alvin is a male given name.*Alvin Seville, Cartoon singing chipmunk from, "Alvin and the chipmunks "Alvin and the Chipmunks " and "Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel"*Alvin Adams, early 19th century businessman...
and went to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
off the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for the first time in 1992. According to a 1996 magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
article:
Not many people have visited with 6-foot-long, bright red worms on the boiling bottom of the ocean. It sounds like a Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
fantasy, but newly tenured Professor of Biology Colleen Cavanaugh has seen these and other strange creatures on voyages to the bottom of the deep sea.
She later participated in more "Extreme Expeditions" -- such as a dive to a depth of 8,200 feet off the west coast of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
-- to collect tube worms and their bacteria, the chemically-rich fluids that flow out of the vents, and mineral samples from the deep sea
Deep sea
The deep sea, or deep layer, is the lowest layer in the ocean, existing below the thermocline and above the seabed, at a depth of 1000 fathoms or more. Little or no light penetrates this part of the ocean and most of the organisms that live there rely for subsistence on falling organic matter...
ocean floor. Cavanaugh, who has been called "a scientific Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar, is a fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island ....
" is prominent in her field of biology and according to a 2001 Discover
Discover (magazine)
Discover is an American science magazine that publishes articles about science for a general audience. The monthly magazine was launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It was sold to Family Media, the owners of Health, in 1987. Walt Disney Company bought the magazine when Family Media went out of...
magazine article about a visit to "a hot crack in the Earth under the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
":
Biologists who study the physiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
of organisms are under time pressure: They must dissect the organisms before they deteriorate. Colleen Cavanaugh, a microbiologist from Harvard, needs animals that are alive and not starved; once they've been away from their vent too long, even if they've been sitting in a box on the ocean floor, they start to digest the symbiotic bacteria in which she is interested.
Cavanaugh is the discoverer of a new species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of deep-dwelling mussel in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
that shares its body with symbiotic bacteria that feed on methane. She has also co-authored a research paper
Research paper
Research paper may refer to:* Academic paper , which is published in academic journals and contains original research results or reviews existing results* Term paper, written by high school or college students...
(supported in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
's National Undersea Research Program
National Undersea Research Program
The National Underwater Research Program is a U.S. government program that operates six facilities for undersea research, including the world's only permanent undersea research facility, Aquarius. The program is operated under the auspices of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, a...
and its West Coast and Polar Regions Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks) published in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
about how whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
corpses -- and their bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s in particular—that drop to the bottom of the ocean play an important role in the ecology there.
Cavanaugh Laboratory
The Cavanaugh Laboratory at Harvard works on a number of projects related to bacterial symbiosisSymbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
in marine invertebrates from deep sea hydrothermal vents, methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
seeps, and coastal reducing sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s. Researchers there have a special interest in characterizing the metabolic
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
and genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
capabilities of symbionts, their evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary relationships with free-living bacteria, and the co-evolution of symbiont and host.
External links
- Interview with the Harvard University Gazette
- Cavanaugh lab