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- Introduction
- Exploring the Promises of Ocean Science
- The ocean is the most promising frontier for sources of new drugs.
- Marine organisms provide models for understanding human biology.
- Case Study: Bioluminescent bacteria from the sea shed light on some human diseases.
- Marine products are being used as research tools and in industry.
- Spotlight: The Surprising Squid
- Scientists face challenges in exploring unique ocean habitats.
- Fighting Ocean-Related Threats to Human Health
- The threat of harmful algal blooms
- The incidence and geographic spread of algal blooms is increasing.
- Determining the causes of harmful algal blooms should be a high research priority.
- Research Spotlight: A Positive Side of Toxic Algae?
- Better tracking can help prevent human exposure to algal toxins.
- The Role of the Ocean in Spreading Disease
- Case Study: Public Health Effort in Bangladesh
- The ocean can influence human health even hundreds of miles inland.
- Ocean and climatic conditions often influence outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
- Case Study: El Niño Linked to Hantavirus Outbreak in the Southwest United States.
- There is a growing need for rapid, inexpensive tests for detecting waterborne pathogens.
- Conclusions
Introduction
Societies rely heavily on the ocean for many of their needs, not the least of which is providing rich harvests to feed billions
of people on Earth each day. The ocean is also a key source of organisms that
are beginning to yield new and potent drugs for the treatment of human disease, as
well as new products for use in biotechnology. Unfortunately, the ocean can also harbor
disease-causing agents. Ocean research offers promising new ways to predict disease
outbreaks and to help reduce the risks associated with waterborne diseases. By pursuing
the medical promises hidden within the ocean, while also managing the dangers to human
health found in this new frontier, ocean scientists can make a major contribution to improving human health in the twenty-first century and beyond.
