Overview
- Dolphin brains from 20 strandings in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon were examined in a peer-reviewed Communications Biology study.
- Dolphins stranding during bloom seasons had up to 2,900 times more of the cyanobacterial neurotoxin 2,4‑DAB than non-bloom cases, with BMAA also detected.
- Neuropathology included β‑amyloid plaques, tau protein clusters, and insoluble protein build-ups alongside 536 Alzheimer’s‑associated gene expression changes.
- Researchers report seasonal disorientation and higher summer mortality in dolphins, consistent with harmful algal bloom exposure, and call for expanded monitoring and study.
- Scientists describe dolphins as sentinel species as cyanobacterial blooms intensify with warming and nutrient pollution from runoff and sewage.