BASIC RESEARCH | CULTURE OF SCIENCE

"Alien Ocean" explores the world of marine microbiologists
 

Stefan Helmreich

Professor of Anthropology and author of "Alien Ocean" Stefan Helmreich by a map showing areas where the microbes his subjects study proliferate.

 

When MIT Professor of Anthropology Stefan Helmreich set out to examine the world of marine microbiologists for a new book, his research took an unexpected twist. Helmreich, who has been recognized for his innovative cultural anthropology work, had decided to study scientists who chase some of the world's smallest creatures in some of the world's most forbidding places. So he spent long hours interviewing microbial biologists. But during the years of Helmreich's research, the entire field shifted gears.

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