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From gene-editing squid to Zoom classes and digital learning lessons, 2020 may not have been a typical year for the Marine Biological Laboratory, but it was an exciting one. Dive into some of the most exciting content you may have missed!��

MOST POPULAR NEWS STORY OF THE YEAR

First Gene Knockout in a Cephalopod is Achieved at ��Ůֱ������

A team at the Marine Biological Laboratory achieved the first gene knockout in a cephalopod using the squid Doryteuthis pealeii, an exceptionally important research organism in biology for nearly a century. The milestone study, led by MBLscientists Joshua Rosenthal and, is reported in the July 30 issue of.

The team used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to knock out a pigmentation gene in squid embryos, which eliminated pigmentation in the eye and in skin cells (chromatophores) with high efficiency.

With thousands of views on the MBLwebsite and appearing in dozens of media publications, including and , the milestone study was the ��Ůֱ������’s biggest news story of the year.

Read the MBLNews Release��

MOST-WATCHED VIDEO

Flamboyant on Special Occasions Only

With a name like the "flamboyant cuttlefish," you would expect these cephalopods to show their dazzling, colorful displays all the time. But research from the Roger Hanlon Lab at the ��Ůֱ������, found that Metasepia pfefferi save their technicolor display for special occasions only. An explainer video on the study reached thousands of viewers and was the ��Ůֱ������'s most popular video of the year.

Read the MBLNews Release

VIRTUAL EVENTS

The MVP was an MVP

Since COVID-19 kept everyone off campus this summer, the MBLEducation team worked with course directors to launch the MVP (MBLVirtual Programs) webinar series. This virtual series ran from July 6-17 and included offerings from many of our summer programs including the advanced research training courses and the Logan Science Journalism program. With nearly 12,000 registrants and 6,000 attendees, the event was a big success.

Watch the Course Webinars��

An MBLTradition Goes Virtual

The Friday Evening Lectures are the quintessential MBLtradition, given each and every summer since our founding in1888. Neither World War I, World War II, nor the flu pandemic of 1918 stopped this tradition and neither did COVID-19. The tradition continued this summer with streamed lectures delivered by notable FEL “alumni” who will help us carry on the legacy of the Friday Evening Lectures. With more than 1,000 attendees, the July 10 Forbes Lecture featuring from the University of California drew the largest virtual crowd.

See the 2020 Friday Evening Lectures��

A Partnership on the Airways

For the last 30 years, the Falmouth Forum, presented by the Friends of the ��Ůֱ������, has brought free cultural enrichment to our Cape Cod neighbors. In the wake of COVID-19, MBLpartnered with WCAI, , to air the Falmouth Forum on the first Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. ET. The November 5 talk by Susan Hockfield, author and former president, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, titled “,” was the most popular day-of broadcast, with more than 7,000 people on the webcast and more listening over the airwaves.

Check out the full Falmouth Forum Lineup

DIGITAL LEARNING

A Snapshot of Science with ��Ůֱ������SciShoots

With students unable to come to the campus to learn, MBLleadership launched a new initiative in the spring to bring science to the students—virtually. The #��Ůֱ������SciShoots lessons, ranging from local invasive species and horseshoe crab blood to axolotls and octopuses, drew more than 22,000 views across YouTube and Facebook. A deep dive into the ��Ůֱ������’s by Bret Grasse, manager of cephalopod operations, was the most popular lesson of the 15 videos.

Lunch & Learn with MBLEcosystems

This fall, the MBLEcosystems Center scientists held a series of lunchtime webinars highlighting environmental issues and challenges facing the 21st century. Inspired by their research, seminars touched on topics covered as part of the Semester in Environmental Science at the ��Ůֱ������, and spanned diverse ecosystems ranging from Arctic tundra to temperate forests, coastal marshes and wetlands to the open ocean, deserts to Cape Cod’s salt ponds. Take a dive into ecosystems science with Ecosystems Center Director Anne Giblin and Research Scientist Inke Forbrich for the most popular Lunch & Learn webinar of the fall—a talk titled “.”

A SPECIAL SEMESTER

UChicago Autumn Quarter at MBL– Pandemic Style

The MBLleapt at the opportunity to house and educate 12 University of Chicago undergraduates for eight weeks this fall, the first student group in our teaching labs and dorms since COVID-19 emptied the campus in March.

Read more about the UChicago Autumn Quarter

SOCIAL MEDIA STAR

Flamboyant Cuttlefish Embryos

A relaxing was our most popular social media post of 2020. This MBLMoment of Mindfulness features flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) eggs spinning in their incubation device. The recirculator was created by our manager of cephalopod operations, Bret Grasse.��Video by: Danielle Dallis

Follow the MBLon social media!

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A very happy new year from all of us at the Marine Biological Laboratory!