Rockefeller University

Program for the Human Environment

News

Science magazine on eDNA conference report

Science magazine runs a helpful story by Alex Fox on the final report from our 29-30 November 2018 National Conference on Marine eDNA:

The ocean is full of drifting DNA. The United States needs to collect it, researchers say

Also, a good new Japanese research paper is published on eDNA:

Effect of water temperature and fish biomass on environmental DNA shedding, degradation, and size distribution

and in Revelator 27 February 2019

How Do You Protect a Species You Can’t See? For manatees and other hard-to-spot species, the answer may lie in the minute particles of DNA they leave behind as they move through their environments.

Nordhaus Nobel recollection

In December 2018 Jesse Ausubel had the privilege and fun of inclusion in the delegation to Stockholm of William Nordhaus for his receipt of a Nobel prize.  The occasion stimulated Jesse’s recollection, “Getting to know Bill Nordhaus and Climate: On the occasion of his receipt of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for the study of the economics of climate change.“

Marine eDNA works–let’s get going!

Together with Monmouth University, we hosted the first National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA, November 29-30, 2018. The Conference included approximately 100 American ocean scientists and associated stakeholders, including representatives from academe, federal, state, and local governments, non-governmental organizations concerned with marine environment, and the private sector. The strong sense of the meeting was “eDNA works–let’s get going.” The Conference Final Report and press release summarize the meeting and outline concrete steps forward. 

Jacques Perrin film about American West

Galatee Productions, the company of French producer-director-actor Jacques Perrin, the genius of Winged Migations, Oceans, Microcosmos, The Seasons, and other films, has advanced toward making a film about the American West, The Photographer.  Producer Antoine de Cazotte (Oscar for The Artist) is leading the project development.  The concept of the film is described in a 13 December 2018 article in France-Amerique.  Jesse Ausubel as well as environmental scientist Mark Schaefer have been assisting the effort.