Posted by on December 24, 2019 4:33 am
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By Amy Apprill, Associate Scientist of Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

As we drew closer to the massive humpback whale, I became painfully aware how small our inflatable motorboat actually was. I also realized I’d been unconsciously holding my breath and that conversation in the boat, aside from commands from our spotter, had long since faded. The whale scientist next to me raised a crossbow and I heard a soft click as the dart released and crossed the final 20 yards of open water between us and the whale.

It hit the upper flank of the whale without even a flinch from the animal, who swam, arched and dove as if nothing had happened. As our markswoman reeled in the dart, our team celebrated the capture of a precious skin biopsy sample. Back on shore, it would be used to identify to which population the whale belonged. But at the same time, I began wondering if that same sample and others like it could be used to tell us something about the smallest forms of life—microorganisms—that associate with whales and that might contribute to their health.

Read more at The Daily Beast.