Hi everyone! On behalf of my co-authors I am pleased to announce the publication of our new paper: Ana M. Garcia-Cegarra, Jean-Luc Jung, Rodrigo Orrego, Janeide de A. Padilha, Olaf Malme, Bernardo Ferreira-Braz, Ricardo E. Santelli, Karla Pozo, Petra Pribylova, Mario Alvarado-Rybak, Claudio Azati, Karen A. Kidd j, Winfred Espejo, Gustavo Chiang, Paulina Bahamonde. *Persistence, bioaccumulation and vertical transfer of pollutants in long-finned pilot whales stranded in Chilean Patagonia*. Science of the Total Environment, 770. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145259. Abstract Long-finned pilot whales (LFPW) are cetaceans with strong social groups often involved in mass strandings worldwide. However, these beachings occur for reasons that are not fully understood. In 2016, 124 LFPW were stranded on the Chilean Patagonian islands, offering a unique opportunity to obtain crucial information on the ecology, biology, and genetics of this population. In addition, we examined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace elements (TEs) were responsible for this mass mortality. Stable isotopes (δ13C & δ15N) and genetic analyses were used to reconstruct the trophic ecology, social structure, and kinship of LFPW and compared to POPs and TEs levels found in LFPW. Mitochondrial DNA analyses on 71 individuals identified four maternal lineages within the stranded LFPW. Of these animals, 32 individuals were analyzed for a suite of POPs, TEs, and lipid content in blubber. The highest levels were found for ΣDDXs (6 isomers) (542.46 ± 433.46 ng/g, lw) and for total Hg (2.79 ± 1.91 mg/kg, dw). However, concentrations found in these LFPW were lower than toxicity thresholds and those reported for LFPW stranded in other regions. Evidence was found of ΣDDX, Σ7PCBs, and Cd bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of POPs in mother/offspring groups. Nevertheless, no clear relationship between contaminant concentrations and LFPW mortality was established. Further research is still needed to assess LFPW populations including conservation status and exposure to chemicals in remote areas such as Patagonia. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721003259?via%... Please feel free to contact me if you need a pdf copy: *albatracu@gmail.com <albatracu@gmail.com>* All the best Ph.D. Ana M. Garcia Centro de Investigación de Fauna Marina y Avistamiento de Cetáceos, CIFAMAC, Chile