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Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 5

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
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Below are the blogs that have joined in on our week long adventure into an Ocean of Pseudoscience, today. Don’t worry, at the end of the week we’ll have an aggregate post linking to everyone who’s participated. There have been tons of great posts from within the Southern Fried Science Network: Bomai Cruz – Cryptic … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 5” »

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Montauk Monster

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 4 Comments on Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Montauk Monster
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The headlines read: “Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk” So what exactly was this crazy dead thing? Some call it a marketing scheme and no one can deny that it brought attention to the town of Montauk. Others say it might have been a prank by a local filmmaker to bring attention to his movie. … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Montauk Monster” »

The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis

Posted on By David Shiffman
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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”.

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Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Bermuda Triangle

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Bermuda Triangle
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There is a place in the Atlantic where ships vanish, where planes fall from the sky, where vast, inexplicable mysteries haunt the sea. The Bermuda Triangle, darling of mysterious disappearance buffs. What causes all these weird disappearances? Numerous hypotheses have been put forward, from aliens to methane bubbles, to magnetic anomalies. Unfortunately, the real answer … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – The Bermuda Triangle” »

Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 4 and reader challenges

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 5 Comments on Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 4 and reader challenges
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More people have joined in on the Ocean of Pseudoscience week. First, Shark Diver from Underwater Thrills throws down with Shark Pseudoscience – Juicing Tweaked Bulls. Something tells me Bull Shark Testosterone isn’t going to make you cool, but let’s see if our readers can come up with an explanation why. Sheril, from the intersection … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 4 and reader challenges” »

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Pickles for Seasickness

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab
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My grandfather, who was on board Marine ships from 1928 through the Korean War, used to suggest eating pickles for seasickness. During my recent cruise in the Sargasso Sea, I finally had a chance to test his theory and it worked. Was it just a placebo effect, was it the vitamin C, or something else … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Pickles for Seasickness” »

An Ocean of Pseudoscience, Linkfest Round 3

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on An Ocean of Pseudoscience, Linkfest Round 3
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We’re halfway through our first ever Ocean of Pseudoscience Week. Many great blogs have decided to enter the fray, tackling pseudoscience in their own fields. If anyone wants to join in, either as a guest post on our blog or as a post on your own blog, let me know. Below are all the blogs … Read More “An Ocean of Pseudoscience, Linkfest Round 3” »

Our favorite sea monsters – Aspidochelone (#3)

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Our favorite sea monsters – Aspidochelone (#3)
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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.

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Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Can methane bubbles sink ships?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Can methane bubbles sink ships?
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One of the often cited causes for ships that mysteriously and quickly disappear are methane bubbles, released from sub-seafloor gas pockets. The story goes that as methane rises to the surface, the bubbles cause the density of seawater to drop, and any ships in the area suddenly lose buoyancy and spontaneously sink. This effect has … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Can methane bubbles sink ships?” »