Deep Sea News

“Why should men have all the fun?” The seafaring ladies of physical oceanography

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:50:01 -0400

There are definitely a lot of research cruise videos out there. But this one caught my eye because, HEY, it focuses on physical oceanography! You learn about the Agulhas current, expensive s**t is thrown into the ocean and you get to meet a bunch of female physical oceanographers! It’s a little long but definitely worth … → Read More: “Why should men have all the fun?” The seafaring ladies of physical oceanography http://dlvr.it/3Pt0lt

historyartandstuff: Thomas Moran (1837 - 1926), American...

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:59:17 -0400

historyartandstuff:

Thomas Moran (1837 - 1926), American artist, part of the Hudson River School.

1902 “Moonlight Seascape”

jtotheizzoe: Meet Mr. Camouflage, one of the special stars of...

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:59:00 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

Meet Mr. Camouflage, one of the special stars of sea life in the Lembeh Strait. I literally said “Whaaaaaaaat the f…” when I saw that amazing color change.

Isn’t evolution grand?

Check out more from the Sea’s Strangest Square Mile in this post.

Here’s a feature from Science Friday on octopus and cuttlefish camo skills.

You want mustard with that clam?

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:03:26 -0400

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report put out by the Centers for Disease Control makes for fascinating reading sometimes. One came out recently that contains three startling case reports linked to clam beds on the US east coast, but they do not involve, as you might expect, infectious diseases. In the first case a member … → Read More: You want mustard with that clam? http://dlvr.it/3NKf1K

It’s not uterUS, it’s uterME

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:03:04 -0400

Dear Abby, It’s just not fair. There I was, a freshly produced sand tiger shark embryo, developing nicely and making my way down the ovarian ducts to one horn of the uterus. I had blastulated like a boss, totally owned gastrulation and even did a half decent impersonation of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny. Things were looking … → Read More: It’s not uterUS, it’s uterME http://dlvr.it/3Mp9vD

Is this Polar Pod genius or just plain insanity?

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:53:01 -0400

People come up with all sorts of wacky ideas to explore the oceans. And here is another one of those ideas. Meet the Polar Pod, a manned research platform dreamed up by French Explorer/Physician Jean-Louis Etienne to drift around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. My first thought when I saw this concept was WTF. … → Read More: Is this Polar Pod genius or just plain insanity? http://dlvr.it/3MdX5b

TGIF – Wonderful Whale Sharks

Fri, 10 May 2013 07:01:06 -0400

Sorry for the silence of late, just spinning a few too many plates. One of those plates was an invited lecture in the STEM lecture series at University of Texas PanAmerican. They just posted it on their website. It’s kind of long, over 50 minutes, but if you’re interested in whale sharks and procrastinating this … → Read More: TGIF – Wonderful Whale Sharks http://dlvr.it/3LvjSR

thelovelyseas: Le silence propice te berce Souris et sois...

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:32:16 -0400

thelovelyseas:

Le silence propice te berce Souris et sois complice Laisse tes sens glisser vers ces delices tentatrices by lesantipodistes on Flickr.

Photo

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:31:54 -0400

Photo

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:31:09 -0400

From coast to canvas: The art of biological illustration

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:28:32 -0400

Source: A. Bachar They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” As cliche as it is, that phrase could not resonate more clearly for this visual learner than when I am flipping through a 10 lb. biology textbook full of thousands of words. I can read through pages and pages describing some ecological process … → Read More: From coast to canvas: The art of biological illustration http://dlvr.it/3LC8cr

Break through 2 months of Antarctic sea ice in 5 minutes

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:05:02 -0400

Love, love, love, love this video. Marine scientist Cassandra Brooks strapped a camera to the front of NSF’s icebreaker the Nathaniel B. Palmer as it sailed for two months through the ice-choked Ross Sea off Antartica. But unlike her, you don’t have to sit through two-months of ice smashing while fighting your shipmates for the … → Read More: Break through 2 months of Antarctic sea ice in 5 minutes http://dlvr.it/3KyWqw

mucholderthen: Palaeopagurus vandelenengeli Lower Cretaceous...

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:30:25 -0400

mucholderthen:

Palaeopagurus vandelenengeli
Lower Cretaceous hermit crab in an Ammonite shell
by =avancna

Based on In situ fossil hermit crabs (Paguroidea) from northwest Europe and Russia [PDF]

The Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) hermit crab, Palaeopagurus vandelenengeli, in a simberskitine ammonite shell.

From the Speeton Clay Beds of Speeton, Yorkshire England.

Outreach, the academic formula, and the need for critical examination

Sun, 05 May 2013 17:54:02 -0400

COMPASS recently published a commentary in PLOS Biology on the journey from science outreach to meaningful engagement. This post attempts to synthesize a series of reactions, reflections, and personal experiences that followed with the hope to expand the conversation. Read the summary post here, or track the conversation by searching for #reachingoutsci Image courtesy of … → Read More: Outreach, the academic formula, and the need for critical examination http://dlvr.it/3Km3hS

infinity-imagined: Coccolithophores are microscopic algae that...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:35:38 -0400

infinity-imagined:

Coccolithophores are microscopic algae that first appeared 220 million years ago, and flourished during the cretaceous period. They produce peculiar plates called cocoliths out of calcium carbonate, and incorporate them into their shells. As they die and sink to the ocean floor, they remove carbon from the atmosphere and produce chalk. This biological activity is an important regulator the global carbon cycle.

10 Reasons Why Bone Eating Worms Are F’n Awesome

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:12:32 -0400

The deep-sea Osedax bone-devouring worms could easily have been the poster child for Deep-Sea News instead of the Giant Squid. Below is list of 10 reasons why Osedax are the shiznit. The chicas are freaky. All whalebone-eating, female worms have dwarf males, up to 114 in Osedax rubiplumus, fruiting around inside of their body. The … → Read More: 10 Reasons Why Bone Eating Worms Are F’n Awesome http://dlvr.it/3K74Q7

buenavistas: Landscapes and Vistas

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:22:49 -0400

buenavistas:

Landscapes and Vistas

A New Stereomicroscope for $440?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:24:01 -0400

Can you smell that? Despite being spring it smells just a little less green. Indeed, there is a little less green around me. Sure the plants around me in North Carolina are in full emerald plumage. However the green that really matters—dollars, money, cash, currency, dough, bread, Benjamins, dough, bank, cabbage, chedda, dead presidents, folding … → Read More: A New Stereomicroscope for $440? http://dlvr.it/3JbSH6

rhamphotheca: Stygiomedusa MBARI’s research expeditions...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:15:30 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Stygiomedusa

MBARI’s research expeditions sometimes yield encounters with extraordinary animals. During MBARI’s 2003 expedition to the Gulf of California, scientists spotted this massive jelly known as Stygiomedusa gigantea 1,300 meters below the surface of the Gulf. Its enormous reddish brown bell stretched about a meter (three feet) across and its oral arms were at least three meters (10 feet) long.

The researchers also collected a small fish in the genus Thalassobathia that was swimming over the jelly’s bell and among its billowing oral arms. In over 20 years of deep-sea dives, MBARI researchers have only seen Stygiomedusa jellies three times, so finding this drifting behemoth provided a truly memorable experience.

(via: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

* look at that frisky little Lumpfish (Psychlorutes sp.) clinging to the side of the bell :3

whalessinging: Bryde’s whale

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:15:28 -0400

whalessinging:

Bryde’s whale