cmcclain | March 2, 2007
#17! The question posed by a reader was just too good not to include the series.
What's the current take on a deep-sea origin of life? I just finished reading Genesis by Robert Hazen where he discusses some of the hypothesis' pros and cons and how there is something of a divide between the "ventists" and the "Millerites" and was wondering if deep-sea scientists naturally fell into the "ventist" camp.
First some background, in Origin of Life Circles you can either be a Ventist or Millerite. Millerites are disciples of Stanley Miller, who created an early earth analog in the laboratory…
cmcclain | March 2, 2007I was slow to transition to Sb. Why? It was all the advertising that occurs on the pages (although much less than other sites). Those who have been around for the long haul and remember the old site may recall the noticable absence of advertising. The positives of the move to Sb far outweighed this so Peter and I packed up and moved over. Typically, the advertisements are a matter of opinion. I am no big fan of the advertisement to right because I am concerned about the quality of education through avenues such as this. That's my opinion. Here are PZ's about another ad. Luckily,…
cmcclain | March 2, 2007
Picture from IPY website, Elephant Foot Glacier
From March 2007 to March 2009, grab your parka because it is International Polar Year(s). The organization of this falls to the International Council of Science and the World Meteorological Organization and involves 200 projects, 60 nations, and over 1000 scientists. The main research thrust appears to be the impacts of global warming on the poles and potential of a "ice-free" Arctic. Other projects include the installation of an Arctic Ocean monitoring system, described as an early warning system for climate change, and a census of…
cmcclain | March 2, 2007
From MBARI: When MBARI researchers explore the seafloor below 1,000 meters, the most common fishes they see are rattail fish such as this Coryphaenoides acrolepis, which was photographed in Monterey Canyon. Rattails are are very curious and will come to investigate any disturbance on or around the seafloor. Presumably this helps them find food in the darkness of the deep sea. Rattail fish are caught and sold under the more palatable name, "grenadier." However, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program recommends that consumers do not purchase or eat grenadier because the fish…
cmcclain | March 1, 2007 The picture is of DEPTHX. It weighs about 1.2 tons, shaped like a mushroom, and navigate itself into your bedroom. Just kidding. No not really. It can swim through a water-filled cavern creating its own map. It has already explored La Pilita, a 115 meter sink. So be weary not to let your house fill up with water.
cmcclain | March 1, 2007That's right, its a giant squid ready to eat the ivory-billed woodpecker! It is this years poster for the True/False Film Festival.
cmcclain | February 28, 2007
Prologue: The act begins with the gang leitmotifs established musically. The curtain rises. A conflict between two rival gangs, the Lobstermen and the Fishermen , is enacted through dance. The tension between the gangs is quite visible. The men are struggling for control of selling lobster. When you are a Jet, your Jet!
Seriously, some turf wars are occuring in Maine over whether fisherman can sell their lobster bycatch from trawling for cod, haddock, and other groundfish. Things are not going to be pretty next week when all this goes before the Maine Legislature. The current law, and the…
petnoyer | February 28, 2007
Your definition of what's deep and what's not depends on your perspective. If you're an oceanographer, 200m is deep. If you're a snorkeler, 50 feet is deep. If you're a reef-building coral, 50 meters is deep.
Craig and I forego our usual definition of deep (200m) this week so we can alert you to live feeds forthcoming from the Secrets of the Gulf Expedition March 3-9 with the US Navy NR1 nuclear submarine (pictured above) and Bob Ballard's Argos tow sled as they survey the Flower Garden Banks region for paleo-shorelines and deep octocoral habitats at 100m depth. Tell your classmates,…
cmcclain | February 27, 2007
From Bioluminescence Web Page: Nudibranchs are not generally thought of as bioluminescent organisms, but this pelagic form Phylliroe has the ability to produce light. (The head is on the left). (Length approx. 7 cm) See the SeaSlug Forum for more information
It has been a long time coming, but at last #16 is here! As I began to write this post, I soon realized that someone else had already compiled (and much better) the information on the web. Steve Haddock, Bioluminescent Expert Extraordinaire, maintains the Bioluminescence Web Page, which is chock-a-block full of information. Head…
cmcclain | February 27, 2007Some of my favorite science writers are not at National Geographic or Nature, but rather at the Monterey County Herald. They skillfully cover much of the fantastic science being conducted at MBARI, my current home. Karen Ravin, provides some of the importance and background of the hagfish story, covered by DSN last week.
cmcclain | February 25, 2007 Unfortunately, this weekend I came across the complete stupidity of Paul Hollrah and Phillip Brennan.
In their own words...
...the "inconvenient truth" is that Gore's hypothesis of global warming is exactly wrong... upside down...In the January 15 edition of NewsMax, writer Phil Brennan provides an excellent primer on global cooling that almost anyone - with the possible exception of liberals, Democrats, and radical environmentalists - can understand...It is not the impact of industrialization and fossil fuel combustion that is causing the seas and oceans to warm. To the contrary, it is…
cmcclain | February 25, 2007
About a year ago the Seed Mothership, sponsored an event that allowed readers to pose questions to their favorite blogger. Peter and I, before we had the mothership connection, joined up with that event. You, the readers, presented several insightful questions.
So once again, I ask you to suggest some questions/topics. Just put them in the comments and Peter and I will do are best to answer them. You may want to keep the questions deep sea related or you will be forced to read our ramblings on matters we have no idea about!
cmcclain | February 23, 2007During "Friday Night Discussion", aka pizza and pitchers, a question was posed. Which is prettier, Britney Spears or the Kraken?
OR
cmcclain | February 23, 2007
Hermit crab from a cold seep site sampled during seeps voyage on RV Tangaroa. Note the seep-associated bacterial filaments on its claws (furry-looking covering).
Image courtesy of NOAA/NIWA.
cmcclain | February 22, 2007Scientists added several species of deep sea sharks on Thursday to the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) endangered Red List due to overfishing.
cmcclain | February 22, 2007On the 15th, I reported about the recently sequenced genome of R. magnifica. One of the coauthors is not pleased with the papers outcome. Actually, in reality, most everything about this paper, well, kind of sucks.
Why? Not because of the quality of research or the topic. First, Science favored a jazzy, unecessary figure over content. Second, Science, and the paper, are not open access. And let me add a third, the poorly written press release on the work.
cmcclain | February 22, 2007Here are the pictures I promised yesterday of the new catch...
From Dominion Post...MONSTROUS CATCH: A colossal squid, weighing about 450kg, was caught by a longliner in Antarctica. It was barely alive when it reached the surface.
Photo courtesy of the New Zealand Fisheries department
cmcclain | February 21, 2007 Sweet Jesus! Several news agencies are reporting that New Zealand fisherman in the Ross Sea caught the LARGEST SQUID EVER FOUND. It's not Architeuthis dux, the giant squid but rather Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, the colossal squid! The monster comes into 450kg (992 lbs). That is 1/2 ton! It is 10m long (32.9ft). The previous record was 300kg from 2003, so you can see this quite a find. As I posted before, while the giant squid is longer, the colossal squid is heavier. "It is believed the crew on the boat stopped winching in the long-line and spent two hours manoeuvring a net under the…
cmcclain | February 21, 2007I asked Crissy Huffard, a cephalopod biologist, to look over Volume 3 (No. 164 of 307) of Haggis-On-Whey's World of Unbelievable Brilliance: Animals of the Ocean, In Particular the Giant Squid. Here are her impressions.
This book is slightly less biologically accurate than Life Aquatic and significantly more tasteful than Snakes on a Plane, but no less entertaining. I cried with laughter. If you're the type more inclined to tinkle when you giggle, then you should consider changing into a wetsuit whilst reading it, because it's socially acceptable to pee in your wetsuit but not in your pants…
petnoyer | February 20, 2007
What's 200 feet long, has 18 ways to reproduce, and breaks into pieces? The worm. Vermes.
National Geographic is running a beautiful multimedia story about Hawaii's Unearthly Worms. This week couldn't ask for better recommended reading material, except... "where did all the words go?". Nat Geo has evolved into a little multimedia jukebox right before our eyes. I remember stacks of old National Geographic magazines filled with text. Not any more. They probably have those online.
You can check out the photo gallery and three videos. They let you copy fotos, like this Hawaiian Chaetopterus sp…