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cover of episode 803: Conducting Research on Complex Marine Microbial Communities - Dr. Ed DeLong

803: Conducting Research on Complex Marine Microbial Communities - Dr. Ed DeLong

2025/3/10
logo of podcast People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

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Edward DeLong
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专注于电动车和能源领域的播客主持人和内容创作者。
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Edward DeLong: 我从事海洋微生物群落的研究,特别关注那些作为海洋初级生产者的微生物,它们对海洋生态系统至关重要。我的研究结合了生态学、进化生物学、生物化学和基因组学等多个学科,旨在揭示这些微生物的生态、进化机制以及它们对海洋系统的影响。在业余时间,我喜欢亲近自然,进行远足、皮划艇和浮潜等活动,这与我的科研工作有异曲同工之妙。 我的研究的一个重点是探究海洋微生物如何适应不同的环境条件,例如光照和营养物质的可用性。我们发现,即使是截然不同的微生物,也会根据营养物质的可用性(例如氮)来微调它们的DNA,以优化自身的代谢过程。这项研究让我们能够从分子水平深入到生态学层面,观察生态因素如何驱动微生物基因组的进化。 此外,我们还发现了一种新的光合作用蛋白——视紫红质,它广泛存在于海洋细菌中,能够帮助这些细菌利用光能。这一发现改变了我们对海洋食物网的理解,因为许多我们之前认为仅依靠有机分子获取能量的微生物,实际上也可以利用光能。 总的来说,我的研究旨在理解海洋微生物群落的复杂性,以及它们在维持海洋生态系统中的作用。我们利用基因组学等新技术来研究这些微生物,并试图将分子水平的细节与宏观生态学联系起来。 在南极洲进行的研究是一次难忘的经历,那里的环境极其原始,我们不得不使用越野滑雪和冰钻等特殊方法来采集样本。这次经历让我深刻体会到自然环境的挑战性和科研工作的冒险性。 如果不受任何限制,我最想研究的是微生物群落之间如何协调互动,以及人类活动如何与微生物活动相互作用,影响地球的未来。人类活动正在扰乱地球上的微生物循环,这将对全球气候、大气成分和生态系统产生深远的影响。 主持人: 本期节目我们采访了Edward DeLong博士,他主要研究海洋微生物群落,特别是那些作为海洋初级生产者的微生物。他的研究涵盖了生态学、进化生物学、生物化学和基因组学等多个领域,旨在揭示这些微生物的生态、进化机制以及它们对海洋系统的影响。DeLong博士还分享了他对科研工作的热情,以及他在南极洲进行研究的难忘经历。他认为,科研工作不仅需要严谨的科学方法,还需要团队合作和对人类价值观的重视。

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Dr. DeLong shares his passion for nature and how he incorporates it into his life outside of his career in science. He enjoys activities like kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, and yoga.
  • Enjoys outdoor activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking.
  • Practices yoga to maintain physical health.
  • Lives in Hawaii near coral reefs.

Shownotes Transcript

Dr. Edward DeLong is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa as well as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. Research in Ed’s lab brings together a variety of disciplines to study microbial communities in the ocean. He is interested in their ecology, evolution, biochemistry, genomics, and their impacts on marine systems. Particularly of interest for Ed are the microscopic organisms that are the primary producers or “forests of the ocean” responsible for releasing oxygen and serving as food for other organisms in marine food chains. When he’s not working, Ed loves to be out in nature. He enjoys spending time outside with his family, hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs near his house. Ed has also taken up yoga to help him stay limber and relaxed. Ed received his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University. Ed has worked as a research scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and a faculty member at MIT before accepting his current position in Hawai’i. His honors and achievements include the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the DuPont Young Faculty Award, the Apple Bioinformatics Cluster Award, the Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal of the European Geosciences Union, the Proctor and Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology D.C. White Research and Mentorship Award, the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award, A.G. Huntsman Medal for Excellence in Marine Science, and the Moore Foundation Marine Microbiology Investigator Award. Ed is also an Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology. Ed has also been elected as an Associate of the European Molecular Biology Organization and is the Vice President and President Elect of the International Society of Microbial Ecology. In addition, he currently serves as the co-director of the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE). Ed joined us for a conversation about his experiences in life and science.