Category: Uncategorized

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?” »

Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 12 Comments on Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)
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Sitting squarely in the middle of our favorite sea monsters is a new entrant in the world of cryptic sea monsters, the Ningen. The Ningen is a recent sea monster reported by Japanese fishermen working in the Antarctic. Allegedly, Ningens are up to 30 meters long, have a human like body, and a tail. Reports of what they look like seem to vary quite a bit, but the one consistent bit is that they have a human face and other human features.

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“You Could Walk On The Backs of Sea Turtles”

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment on “You Could Walk On The Backs of Sea Turtles”
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Sea turtle research is unique in that many if not most of the people actually out in the field taking data are volunteers. By day, they are teachers, librarians, business owners, lifeguards, firefighters, students, retirees, you name it. If you’re curious, check out the network’s website. Sea turtles are the classic cute endangered animals that can really make someone care about marine conservation. And all of this data has gone to help produce population assessments such as this that confirm that while overall population is declining, some areas are actually increasing. But no where is back to the populations on which people could walk out to sea on the backs of turtles.

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Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Bloop!

Posted on By David Shiffman 2 Comments on Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Bloop!
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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 – Mermaids (#5)

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 5 Comments on Our favorite sea monsters – Mermaids (#5)
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Mermaids occur in legends from cultures around the world and vary in shape, origin, and intent. From the beautiful temptress on the cliffs luring boats onto dangerous shoals to peaceful coexisting aquatic humans, mermaids have made a place for themselves in history. The basics of merfolk is that they are neither human nor fish but some sort of mammal that includes elements of both. They are musically talented and astoundingly beautiful.

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