Mission Blue & Ocean-Themed TED Talks
While you’re home this holiday weekend, check out some of these great ocean-themed TED talks.
Tag: "marine science"
Nov 23, 2012 | 0 comments
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Chilean Fossil Site Rich with Discoveries—and Mysteries
By Henry Workman In the Atacama Desert near Caldera, Chile, fossils of 75 prehistoric whales were discovered amid a highway construction project. Estimated at more than 2 million years old but remarkably intact, the remains were found in an unusual cluster no less than 800 meters (or ½ mile) from the ocean. Theories are accumulating [...]
Nov 23, 2011 | 0 comments
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Hagfish Slime Chokes Predators
By Henry Workman Research from New Zealand’s Massey University and Te Papa has produced footage revealing the hagfish’s one-of-a-kind defense mechanism. When threatened the creature will expel a mucus-like substance which interferes with the gill functioning of predators, causing them to gag and swim away. The study also yielded insight into the hagfish’s own predatory [...]
Oct 31, 2011 | 0 comments
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Jellyfish Prove Unexpectedly Efficient Predators
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer Species of jellyfish provide greater competition for more complex organisms than previously thought. Recent research published in Science reveals that in areas where plankton-feeding fish populations have dropped off, mostly due to overfishing, jellyfish that occupy a similar ecological niche have taken their places. The jellyfish populations have [...]
Oct 03, 2011 | 0 comments
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Potential New Virus Treatment of Shark Origin
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer A virus-fighting substance known as squalamine is the subject of new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The compound was originally discovered in the liver of dogfish, where it plays an important role in protecting it, as well as some other species, from [...]
Sep 24, 2011 | 0 comments
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Bacterial Carbon Fixation in Dark Ocean Depths
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer The biological process of carbon fixation plays indispensable roles at the primary level of ecosystems and in the world’s carbonic cycle. Where there is sufficient sunlight to drive photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert CO2 into sugars and expel O2 as waste, energy passed through food [...]
Sep 08, 2011 | 0 comments
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Risk Factors of Maine Lobster Boom
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer Authentic Maine lobster is considered by many to be an unparalleled seafood dining experience. Despite estimations that a large percentage of “Maine lobster” sold worldwide doesn’t actually originate from the Maine coast, these crustaceans have been the enduring cornerstone of the state’s seafood industry. Lobstering here has [...]
Aug 29, 2011 | 0 comments
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Plesiosaurs’ Live Birth
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer There is a tendency to identify viviparity, that is, giving birth rather than laying an egg, as a trait exclusively characteristic of mammals. However, just as there are examples of egg laying mammals (the platypus, to name one), cases of live birth can be seen across multiple classes [...]
Aug 28, 2011 | 3 comments
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Latest Model Indicates Ice Caps Can Recover
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer Today, the body of evidence that points towards the climate change driven melting of the polar ice caps is substantial, and continues to grow. The environmental implications of this process have been consistently shown to be severe, and the problems associated with the subsequent rise in sea levels [...]
Aug 21, 2011 | 0 comments
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Puffins’ Migration Mystery Begins to Unravel
By Henry Workman Marine Science Today Writer The Atlantic Puffin is a species of monogamous seabird with a long history in the arts and culture, thanks to its distinctive appearance and unique habits during mating season. During the summer months breeding pairs can be found sparsely distributed throughout northeastern America, as far north as [...]
Aug 10, 2011 | 0 comments
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