Mission Blue – Stephen Palumbi

Stephen Palumbi’s talk on the Mission Blue voyage can be summed up – If the Ocean ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. He shows us a tight and surprising link between the ocean’s health and ours. He shows us how toxins at the bottom of the ocean food chain find their way into our bodies. His work points a way forward for saving the health of the oceans and the health of humanity.

Stephen Palumbi received his Ph.D. from University of Washington in marine ecology, and is a professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. He has contributed a wealth of scientific literature on issues such as the genetics, evolution, and conservation of sea urchins, whales, cone snails, corals, sharks, spiders, shrimps, bryozoans and butterfly fishes. A primary focus is the use of molecular genetic techniques in conservation, including the identification of whale and dolphin products available in commercial markets.