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WOODS HOLE, Mass. – �鶹ɫ��Ƭ marine scientists have been awarded two grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling more than $645,000 to investigate the hidden powers of gelatinous ocean animals – research that could reshape our understanding of marine ecosystems and transform the way we study the ocean.

The projects, led by �鶹ɫ��Ƭ Marine Biology and Environmental Science professor Sean Colin and his collaborators from various institutions nationwide, focus on two distinct but equally groundbreaking directions: revealing how comb jellies (ctenophores) use neurotoxins to subdue prey, and developing “biohybrid jellyfish” as low-cost, self-powered ocean robots.

Cracking the Code of Comb Jellies

Comb jellies are harmless, translucent “blobs” that are often seen drifting near the beach. They’re considered among the ocean’s most efficient predators. For decades, scientists believed comb jellies relied on sticky cells called colloblasts to capture unsuspecting plankton, but Colin’s team is finding the animals likely use a neurotoxin to incapacitate prey.

“The grant we received is to help us show that they are using a neurotoxin, to characterize the neurotoxins, and to determine how prevalent they are amongst all the different comb jellies around the world,” Colin said.

The team’s preliminary studies, a collaboration with the University of South Florida and Providence College, suggest that ctenophores secrete mucus laced with chemicals that rapidly, but reversibly, paralyze prey. That explains how comb jellies can capture fast, evasive organisms that should otherwise escape them. Colin emphasized there is no human health concern. “The neurotoxins don’t even kill prey. They only incapacitate them temporarily until they get them into their stomachs,” he said.

Colin says the implications of this research are far-reaching. Ctenophores are among the earliest branches of the animal kingdom, which means their chemical arsenal could represent an entirely new class of compounds. “There’s a good possibility that what they’re doing is using very novel chemicals,” Colin explained. “Since the toxin is reversible, this could have biomedical applications down the line because a lot of toxins, in low doses, can have therapeutic or beneficial uses. But just as important, it completely changes our idea of how this group of organisms functions, and why they’ve been so successful as predators globally.”

Jellyfish as Ocean Robots

The second NSF-funded project heads in a radically different direction – transforming living jellyfish into controllable ocean explorers.

This research builds on �鶹ɫ��Ƭ’s collaborations with the California Institute of Technology, the University of South Florida, and Providence College to create “biohybrid jellyfish.” By implanting tiny electrodes into the jellyfish’s bell, scientists can send electrical pulses that control its swimming.

“That allows us to get these jellies to sample deep down in the ocean,” Colin said. “You can program them to swim down and then go back up with sensors that record temperature or chemicals.”

Unlike conventional underwater robots, which are costly and limited by power supply, jellyfish offer unmatched efficiency. With bodies that are 95 percent water and natural resistance to extreme pressures, they can reach depths that challenge engineered machines. In fact, �鶹ɫ��Ƭ researchers have already tested moon jellies under simulated conditions of nearly 9,000 feet deep. 

Because jellyfish lack pain receptors and have only simple nerve nets, scientists say the work poses no harm to the animals. “We simply send a small electrical impulse that causes them to contract their bell in the same way they swim naturally,” noted Colin.

Expanding the Frontiers of Marine Science

Together, the two projects highlight the blend of basic science and technological innovation driving �鶹ɫ��Ƭ’s marine research. On one hand, scientists are decoding how some of the ocean’s oldest predators capture prey. On the other, they’re engineering living creatures into sustainable tools for exploring the more than 80 percent of the ocean that remains unmapped.

“These projects not only give us a better understanding of how the ocean works, but they could also open new doors in medicine and technology,” said Colin. “It’s exciting to see �鶹ɫ��Ƭ at the center of both discovery and innovation.”