Science – Page 55 – Southern Fried Science

Happy Hour Science – Domesticating Microbes for Beer

September 2, 2011September 2, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab

Science

Saccharomyces_pastorianus_Weihenstephan_34_70 — Little yummy beer yeasts, thanks www.diArk.org

As our ancestors transitioned from hunter-gatherer to agricultural society, they had to domesticate the plants and animals we know today as farm life. Corn kernels became larger and more full of starch, cows became more docile, and all farm organisms became accustomed to life in rows or pastures tended by humans. But some of what we eat depends on more than just these plants and animals – example, take beer. A new study in PNAS by Diego Libkind et al. describes the domestication of the microbes and yeast needed to make lagers of old and describes an unwitting process paralleling agricultural domestication.

Saving Coral Reefs, today at 3 EDT

September 1, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

ScienceLIVE will be featured noted marine biologists Dr. John Bruno and Dr. Mark Eakin who will be discussing the state and future of coral reefs. From the website: Coral reefs from Australia to the Gulf of Mexico are some of the planet’s most vibrant ecosystems. They’re also among the most threatened habitats in oceans today. … Read More “Saving Coral Reefs, today at 3 EDT” »

Climbing Mount Chernobyl

August 30, 2011June 6, 2012 Andrew Thaler 5 Comments

Conservation, Science

In the last century, humans have made dramatic changes to both local and global ecosystems. Some of these changes have been subtle and remained unnoticed until very recently, while others were so visible and so destructive that their names are indelibly etched into our collective consciousness. Despite a legacy of desolation, many of these places, unsafe and long-abandoned, have made dramatic recoveries. Standing tall, but not alone, among these environmental catastrophes is the melt-down of reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Read More “Climbing Mount Chernobyl” »

Shark Science Monday: Austin Gallagher discusses shark stress physiology

August 29, 2011 David Shiffman

Science

In this week’s edition of Shark Science Monday, Austin Gallagher of the University of Miami discusses the stress physiology of sharks. If you have a question for Austin, please leave it as a comment below.

What killed this lemon shark? University of Miami scientists perform necropsy to solve this mystery

August 15, 2011 David Shiffman 9 Comments

Science

Last week, volunteers monitoring a sea turtle nesting beach on Virginia Key came across a beached lemon shark. They called in scientists from the University of Miami’s RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation program, including myself . Dunlap program director Dr. Neil Hammerschlag decided to film the necropsy to use as an online teaching tool. The end … Read More “What killed this lemon shark? University of Miami scientists perform necropsy to solve this mystery” »

Diving the deepest hydrothermal vent field in the world – experience it live!

August 5, 2011 Andrew Thaler 4 Comments

Science

The Okeanos Explorer is diving on the Cayman Rise – the location of the deepest known hydrothermal vent field, and they are broadcasting the ROV feed live, right now. You can be experiencing this: …right now. Go here: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html

Tagging Bull Sharks in the Neuse River

August 4, 2011August 4, 2011 Guest Writer 17 Comments

Science

Meagan Dunphy-Daly is a graduate student at the Duke University Marine Lab studying the effectiveness of marine reserves in protecting apex predators. She also has ongoing research examining bullshark/dolphin interactions in the Neuse River, NC, where she recently caught an 8 foot bullshark.

Well, it’s Shark Week and instead of heading up to the Neuse River to try to track bull sharks, I’m sitting in front of my computer staring at the marine forecast. Right now, we’re under a small craft advisory until tomorrow night and we’re all keeping our eyes on what Tropical Storm Emily is going to do over the weekend. Such is the ever-exciting life of a field biologist. Although there are a fair number of days spent in an office in front of a computer (be it checking the weather, entering data, or hoping that a manuscript will write itself), the days in the field are what make this job so sweet. I’m a graduate student in Dr. Andy Read’s Lab at Duke University and, in addition to my dissertation interest in the effectiveness of marine reserves for apex predators (think sharks, tuna, and billfish), I have the chance to carry out and participate in many other research projects in North Carolina and elsewhere (check out Reny Tyson’s previous posts on our trip to Antarctica). This summer, I’m studying bull shark habitat use in the Neuse River. Andrew joined us for a day of fieldwork last week and, although we didn’t catch a shark on this trip, we caught a big bull shark on the first day of our season the week before.

Shark Experts and Shark Celebrities are being Auctioned during Shark Week

August 1, 2011August 3, 2011 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

Science

Including our very own David Shiffman (aka WhySharksMatter)!

You’ve seen them on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Animal Planet, Nat Geo and the BBC − they are the top shark experts in the world! Now meet them in person for lunch or dinner, learn why they love sharks, and why sharks need protection!

More than 50 of the world’s top shark experts are allowing themselves to be auctioned to raise funds for the Shark Research Institute’s conservation programs. Up for auction are dinners (or lunches) with the world’s foremost shark experts. Each winning bidder has the unique opportunity to “talk shark” face- to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks.

A primer for climate change

July 24, 2011July 24, 2011 Andrew Thaler 69 Comments

Conservation, Science

Sea level rise. Desertification. Ocean acidification. Climategate. Permafrost. Greenland ice sheet. Hockey stick. The language of global climate change can be overwhelming. Every year, as we learn more about the ways that human activity fundamentally alter global processes, the subject becomes even broader and more complicated. Fortunately, world renowned oceanographer Orrin Pilkey and his son, Keith Pilkey, have produced a comprehensive and readable primer on global climate change. The strength of Global Climate Change: A Primer can be broken into three sections – the content, the conflict, and the illustrations.

World’s oldest known bonnethead shark captured in South Carolina!

July 21, 2011 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Conservation, Science

Bonnethead sharks have always occupied a special place in my heart (and in the photo of myself that I use for Southern Fried Science). These animals, a member of the hammerhead family, are some of the most abundant sharks along the coast of the Southeastern United States. While the IUCN Shark Specialist Group rates bonnetheads as “Least Concern”, the assessment noted that these sharks are subjected to heavy commercial and recreational fishing pressure.