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cmcclain | September 9, 2007What do they all have in common? Deep-sea coral microbial ecology. Coral microbial ecology is the study of the relationship of coral-associated microorganisms to each other, the coral host, and to their environment. Just as we humans have beneficial bacteria living on our skin and in our intestines, corals also have co-habitating, non-pathogenic microbes (and yes, I AM shooting for the most hyphens ever used in a DSN post*). These microbes include bacteria, archaea, and fungi--representing all three of the major domains of life (eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes).
What can we learn from…
cmcclain | September 9, 2007 A lot of planning goes into our theme weeks at DSN. It usually starts several months prior with a simple idea born out of discussion that start with "Wouldn't it be cool". I love theme weeks! As I ready the posts for the week, I am giddy with anticipation. Behind the scenes, things are frantic as we assemble posts, plan the event, set our strategery, and initiate a blitzkriegs of emails. Theme weeks allow us to focus on interesting topics and potentially 'school' the public on new or overlooked research while potentially generating some excitement. We hope these events also generate…
cmcclain | September 9, 2007Greek mythology portrays Atlas supporting the world, but the time has come to break it to you, Atlas is a metaphor for the vast unseen majority - the microbes. The few microbes that cause blood to spew from every human orifice get all the press. Most microbes are quietly minding their business and keeping life on this planet functioning. Beer, wine, cheese, bread, Penicillin--these are not just the components of a hot date, but everyday examples of microbiology in action.
Any biogeochemical cycle out there has a microbial component. Aerosol bacteria seed clouds and alter weather. The…
cmcclain | September 8, 2007Last year DSN, although not a Sb'ling, participated in the Donor's Choose Campaign. Various bloggers here at Sb, with the help of our readers, raised money for classrooms across the US. DonorsChoose is an organization that helps teachers fund classroom projects and other student learning experiences. DSN raised over $500 dollars last year to send children from a southern California school on a field trip to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Stay tuned for more details on this. So to follow Janet's lead...
If you're a school teacher trying to spin straw into gold -- or you know a school…
tlambert | September 7, 2007
A 2003 paper in the British Food Journal by Powell et al described an experiment that found that, given a choice between genetically modified sweet corn and the regular kind, consumers preferred to buy the GM corn by a factor of 3 to 2. However, Stuart Laidlaw reported that the experiment was flawed -- there was a sign above the regular sweet corn saying "Would you eat wormy sweet corn?", while the corresponding sign over the GM corn said "Here's What Went into Producing Quality Sweet Corn". The experiment shows that consumers prefer GM corn to wormy corn, but they may well prefer regular…
grrlscientist | September 7, 2007tags: logical, online quiz
You Are Incredibly Logical
Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic
You think rationally, clearly, and quickly.
A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!
How Logical Are You?
The one thing that bothered me about this quiz is that it didn't say how many I got correct. I assume I got all of the answers correct, though. How about you?
petnoyer | September 7, 2007
Clips from the BBC series Planet Earth Ocean Deep episode have found their way to YouTube. The clip embedded above starts in a deep (guessing 750m) gorgonian field on a Northeast Pacific seamount, and moves to follow a foraging nautilus that migrated into a shallow water reef by night, from ~400m depth.
thescian | September 6, 2007asks a Beebs poll that seems to equate morality with religion. The commenters do a good job of picking the poll apart.
Britain is in moral decline say 83% of people polled for the new BBC One religious and ethical programme "The Big Questions". Do you agree?
Religion may be a way of halting this decline. According to "The Big Questions" opinion poll 62% agreed with the statement that religion has an important role to play in the moral guidance of the nation with 29% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing with that statement.
Religion may be a way of halting this decline? Which religion?…
cmcclain | September 6, 2007Clione, a shell-less snail know as the Sea Butterfly swims in the shallow waters beneath Arctic ice. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer and Elisabeth Calvert, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
grrlscientist | September 6, 2007I thought I would feel better today, but instead, I feel worse. I am worried that this illness (I think it is bronchitis) will require medical intervention. Which means more unpaid hospital ER bills. But I am at the library today where I have access to a free, and very stable wifi connection, so I am working on a story for you right now.
petnoyer | September 5, 2007Part one of four in a series about Greenpeace recent manned submersible expedition to two of the largest submarine canyons in the world, the Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons in the Bering Sea off the west coast of Alaska.
One of the core principles taught to me and other students at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment is that the environmental movement at the turn of the century will be marked, or perhaps best remembered, by "the rise of non-governmental organizations (NGO's)" in the public policy arena. We learned that NGO activity expanded to fill a gap in civil society left open by a…
petnoyer | September 5, 2007Part two of four in a series about Greenpeace recent manned submersible expedition to two of the largest submarine canyons in the world, the Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons in the Bering Sea off the west coast of Alaska.
So, why would an environmental organization like Greenpeace go to the trouble of training staff to pilot a pair of manned submersibles through 2000 feet of water in the two largest submarine canyons in the world, the Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons, in the heart of the Bering Sea?
Because it's going to be a long, long time before federal agencies are willing to surrender the…
petnoyer | September 5, 2007Part three of four in a series about Greenpeace recent manned submersible expedition to two of the largest submarine canyons in the world, the Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons in the Bering Sea off the west coast of Alaska.
The following exclusive interview was conducted by Deep Sea News over email with John Hocevar, ocean specialist for the Greenpeace organization, and a sub-pilot for the 2007 Bering Witness Expedition.
1. What is Greenpeace hoping to accomplish on this Bering Sea Expedition?
This expedition was about increasing our collective understanding of Bering Sea canyons. Policy makers…
petnoyer | September 5, 2007Part four of four in a series about Greenpeace recent manned submersible expedition to two of the largest submarine canyons in the world, the Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons in the Bering Sea off the west coast of Alaska.
The following exclusive interview was conducted by Deep Sea news over email with Dr. David Guggenheim, submarine pilot and scientific advisor for the Bering Witness expedition. He is the founder of 1planet1ocean; and the OceanDoctor blog. In this interview, he answers 11 questions detailing his recent experiences as sub-pilot, scientist, and communicator.
1. What kind of subs…
grrlscientist | September 5, 2007I am still ill, and I have been going through an incredibly rough time these past few days, but things are getting better now. I will be back tomorrow, ready to tell you lots of science stories, so be looking for me then! Until then, take care of yourselves and give those whom you love an extra long hug today. You know, just because I said so.
cmcclain | September 5, 2007"Welcome to the ugly underbelly of marine science...The author does not condone the behaviors depicted on this website. Marine invertebrates should not use drugs or consume alcohol"
petnoyer | September 5, 2007The Corpus Christi Caller Times reported Monday that a record number of Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) nests were found this year on South Texas beaches, making the Padre Island National Seashore the hottest nesting spot for sea turtles in the United States.
To give you an idea of the effort that went into the search, a total of 135 sea turtle nests were located in 8,895 hours of surveys over 73,632 miles of daily patrols. Of these, 128 nests were Kemp's ridleys, six nests were loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), and one nest was from a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas…