News From the Field
Marine Bacteria's Mealtime Dash is a Swimming Success

March 10, 2008

Goldfish are able to dash after food flakes at mealtime, reaching them before they sink or are eaten by other fish. Researchers in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently proved in lab experiments that marine bacteria behave in a similar fashion at mealtime, using their swimming skills to reach tiny food patches that appear randomly in the ocean blue. This behavior at small scales could have global implications for the oceans' carbon cycle. Full Story

Source
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $6.06 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

 Get News Updates by Email 

Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/