The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis

Posted on By 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”.

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Our favorite sea monsters – Scylla and Charybdis (#2)

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab
Popular Culture

Scylla and Charybdis team up to make passing through the Straight of Messina impossible – to be a safe distance from one meant being too close to the other. They were one of Odysseus’ many challenges during his epic journey. Scylla is a six-headed monster storied to have become that way after poisoning by the jealous wife of Poseidon who captured sailors off their boats and ate them. Charybdis is best described as a whirlpool bringing ships to the bottom of the sea. She was the daughter of Poseidon and converted by Zeus.

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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” »

Reader mail: Shark Fin propaganda

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Reader mail: Shark Fin propaganda
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.

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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
Uncategorized

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 – The Giant Manta Special Edition

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Our favorite sea monsters – The Giant Manta Special Edition
Conservation, Science

Sea Monsters, mythical beasts of legend and lore that ply the world’s oceans, sinking ships, terrifying sailors, swallowing entire crews whole. Sea monsters occupy a special place in our imagination. The ocean is huge, unfathomable. Of course mighty beast could dwell within, undetected.

Every once in a long while, the myths, the legends, the stories, turn out to be true. This is one of those times.

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