David Shiffman

Introducing Shark Science Monday!

September 20, 2010September 19, 2010 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

I am proud to introduce a new weekly series of posts- Shark Science Monday! Each Monday, I will post an interview with someone from the world of shark science or conservation. Representatives from more than half a dozen countries are featured, covering topics such as conservation economics, feeding behavior, new species discoveries, policy, ecology, and … Read More “Introducing Shark Science Monday!” »

Sharks are not to blame for increases in California Sea Otter deaths

September 17, 2010September 17, 2010 David Shiffman

Science

Deaths among California’s sea otter populations have been increasing in the last few years. The last few years have set records for dead otters washing ashore on beaches throughout central California. The real reason for this was recently discovered (and covered earlier today by Andrew here), but I wanted to stress what was NOT responsible. … Read More “Sharks are not to blame for increases in California Sea Otter deaths” »

Innovative Conservation: Shark Attack Survivors Speak About Saving Sharks

September 15, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

Last Monday, the Pew Environment Group’s Global Shark Conservation Campaign arranged for a brilliant PR stunt – they arranged for survivors of shark attacks to speak about shark conservation outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York. Though very few people are ever bitten by sharks, many fear them, which makes it difficult to … Read More “Innovative Conservation: Shark Attack Survivors Speak About Saving Sharks” »

Real Monsters – Eurypterids!

September 11, 2010September 10, 2010 David Shiffman

Science

My favorite real sea monster is the Eurypterid, also known as the Sea Scorpion. These fearsome predators were the largest arthropods ever to live- they could grow to over six feet in length! Eurypterids are believed to have crawled along the seafloor using their pincers to grab trilobites and other prey. Sadly (or fortunately, depending … Read More “Real Monsters – Eurypterids!” »

Atlantis

September 10, 2010August 31, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Popular Culture

The legend of Atlantis, a once-great civilization that sank into the ocean, has captivated humanity’s imagination for over 2,000 years. The earliest mention of Atlantis came from Plato’s Timaeus in 360 B.C., and the idea has spawned countless campfire stories, books, movies, and even one of my favorite TV shows. Plato’s original description mentions an island nation with a mighty military, and claims that the whole island sank after a failed invasion of Athens. Later interpretations of the story have elaborated, giving ancient Atlanteans technology that puts what we have today to shame. Some legends claim that a few Atlanteans escaped the sinking of their city, dispersed around the world, and founded our world’s known ancient civilizations. This fantastical story has wide-ranging implications for human history… but is any of it true?

The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis

September 9, 2010August 30, 2010 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Science can often be complicated, which makes a simple explanation extremely appealing. Sometimes, these simple explanations are correct. Sometimes they are spectacularly wrong.

One of the most complicated areas of science is evolutionary biology. Describing the origin of current species is a lot like putting together an enormous puzzle when most of the pieces are missing. A simple explanation for an evolutionary problem would be very, very appealing. Some people believe they have found one for human evolution, and they call it the “Aquatic Ape Hypothesis”.

Reader mail: Shark Fin propaganda

September 9, 2010August 31, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Science

Last weekend, longtime SFS reader Suzy sent me an interesting question. Suzy is Asian, and though she is a committed conservationist, several members of her family regularly eat shark fin soup. One relative just sent her a copy of a news article entitled “Shark Fin Soup: Eat it without guilt” (available here). Suzy asked me if the information in this article is correct, and how she should respond to her family members.

Though it is a few years old, I had never seen this article, and it’s a little shocking. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better example of distorting or ignoring science to promote a political agenda outside of Fox News. In short, Suzy, most of the information in here is either false or intentionally misleading.

Our favorite sea monsters – Aspidochelone (#3)

September 8, 2010September 8, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Uncategorized

Though the Aspidochelone is not as well known as some other sea monsters, the story surrounding it is so awesome that we had to include it on our list of favorites.

According to legend, this crafty turtle/whale/fish (the story varies between cultures on this point) is so big that sailors think it is an island. Excited to see land after so much time out on the water, sailors make landfall on the Aspidochelone. The beast then submerges, taking the unsuspecting sailors with it to the depths.

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Bloop!

September 7, 2010September 7, 2010 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Our oceans have always been full of mystery, and those mysteries have inspired many fascinating stories over the centuries. We tend to think of sea monster stories as ancient superstitions, but the tale of the Bloop is less than 15 years old. In 1997, some US Navy hydrophones that had been in place for decades … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Bloop!” »

Our favorite sea monsters – Nessie (#6)

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Uncategorized

One of the most famous “sea monsters” of all time – so famous that her outline graces the Ocean of Pseudoscience Week logo – actually lives in a lake. I’m talking, of course, about “Nessie”, the Loch Ness monster.

Local reports of a bizarre creature inhabiting the Scottish lake go back over a thousand years, but the story became popularized in the 1930’s when Dr. Robert Kenneth Wilson took a now-famous photograph.