Category: Featured

Of all the things that haven’t happened, these are the things that haven’t happened in the Ocean so far this year

Posted on By Southern Fried Science
Blogging, Climate change, Conservation, Exploration, Featured, Science

In the past, we’ve done a little write up whenever some exaggerated of fabricated piece of ocean news crosses our desk. This year, we’re going to try something new. A one-stop, periodically updated clearinghouse for all the things that did not happen in the ocean this year. A shark did not impregnate a stingray Some … Read More “Of all the things that haven’t happened, these are the things that haven’t happened in the Ocean so far this year” »

NOAA confirms North Atlantic Right Whale killed by commercial lobster gear

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Conservation, Featured, News

North Atlantic Right whales are on the brink of extinction. There are approximately 360 individuals left, of which only about 70 are reproductively active females. In 2017, an unusual mortality even resulted in the death of 37 individuals. Ship strikes and entanglements remain the leading cause of death for this population. On August 20, 2022, … Read More “NOAA confirms North Atlantic Right Whale killed by commercial lobster gear” »

Weekend electronics projects for kids that love the ocean.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Education, Featured

Note: This is an updated and expanded version of the original article: 3 kid-friendly STEAM electronics projects that harness NOAA’s massive public databases. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a stack of assorted electronics in various stages of disrepair, which is great for your hardware hacking dads and moms, but kids need projects … Read More “Weekend electronics projects for kids that love the ocean.” »

Bluesky is now open. Science Twitter, here’s how to use it!

Posted on By David Shiffman
Blogging, Featured

The once-great science twitter is, depending on who you talk to, either dying or dead. Once a vibrant place for many discussions related to my fields of marine biology, ocean conservation, and public science communication, it’s been described now as an abandoned shopping mall that’s been taken over by neo-Nazi gangs. Lots of people have … Read More “Bluesky is now open. Science Twitter, here’s how to use it!” »

Roll for Climate Initiative: A Dungeon Master’s Guide to Running for Local Public Office

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Climate change, Featured

Hello Friends, do you like Dungeons and Dragons? What’s your favorite class and why is it Circle of Spores Druid? In the campaign I run for my family, my daughter was sent to rescue the mayor, who was kidnapped by dwarves during a property dispute. In the process, she uncovered an illegal quicksilver mining operation, … Read More “Roll for Climate Initiative: A Dungeon Master’s Guide to Running for Local Public Office” »

It is your ocean. You should have access to the tools to study it.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Climate change, Conservation, Education, Exploration, Featured, Science

The structure of scientific inquiry has coalesced around a model that is, in general, both expensive and exclusive. This centralizes knowledge production within a circle of individuals, organizations, and institutions which rarely reflects the breadth of identities, experiences, and ways of knowing of those most directly connected to the places being explored. Nowhere is this … Read More “It is your ocean. You should have access to the tools to study it.” »

The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site
Exploration, Featured, Science

In a region once thought to be so ecologically uninteresting that it was viewed as a useful testbed for deep-sea mining equipment, NOAA researchers have detected what could be the world’s largest cold water coral reef. “For years we thought much of the Blake Plateau was sparsely inhabited, soft sediment, but after more than 10 … Read More “The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site” »

Lessons learned from teaching the public about shark science and conservation: Insights from my SICB Plenary

Posted on By David Shiffman
Academic life, Education, Featured

In January 2024, I presented the John Moore Lecture at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference. The aim of the Moore plenary is to offer the society a new perspective on science education, and my talk was entitled “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Engagement Strategy: Lessons Learned from Teaching the Public About Shark … Read More “Lessons learned from teaching the public about shark science and conservation: Insights from my SICB Plenary” »

Deep Ocean Exploration needs to move beyond Imported Magic

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Exploration, Featured, Science

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that deep ocean exploration is an expensive endeavor. Vessels, instrumentation, deep-submergence vehicles, and analytical tools are costly to run and the specialized training needed to maintain that equipment is often a career in itself. Deep-sea research cruises are among the most logistically complex peacetime operations in human history. When access to … Read More “Deep Ocean Exploration needs to move beyond Imported Magic” »

A good joint is built to last: archaeologists uncover evidence for the earliest structural use of wood. 

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Built to Last, Featured

Just how long should a woodworking joint last? Towards the middle of 2021, I started writing what could be generously described as a manifesto for environmentally conscientious woodworking. In Furniture as Revolution, I argue that: “In a present defined by levying a tax on future generations through manufactured frailty, making something designed to persist beyond … Read More “A good joint is built to last: archaeologists uncover evidence for the earliest structural use of wood. “ »