Ruth Gates, a marine biologist at the University of Hawaii who became known for her work to save the world’s coral reefs through assisted evolution, died on Thursday (October 25), five months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. She was 56.
“Ruth was not only a shining star in coral research, but an indomitable spirit in every aspect of life,” Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) researcher Judy Lemus, a friend and colleague of Gates, says in a statement. “Her enthusiasm was contagious, and she absolutely loved what she did. Her loss will be felt deeply within our own community and throughout the broader research community.”
Gates, who grew up in England, attributed her appetite for marine research to an early diet of documentary films by Jacques Cousteau. “Even though Cousteau was coming through the television, he unveiled the oceans in a way nobody else had been able to,” Gates ...
