The Ocean Is Infinite

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab
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People used to think that the sea’s bounty was infinite. Looking across the vast ocean, it was hard for any single fisherman to believe they could be contributing to the loss of species.

Hugo Grotius, commonly referred to as the founder of natural resources law, described the inexhaustible nature of the ocean:

“The sea is common to all, because it is so limitless that it cannot become a possession of any one, and because it is adapted for the use of all, whether we consider it from the point of view of navigation or of fisheries” (Grotius 1916)

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Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Banker Horses and Spanish Galleons

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
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Banker Horses are a breed of horses found on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. These feral horses grace one of our rotating banners. Legend goes that 16th century Spanish Galleons, heavy with treasure, were wrecked off the coast of North Carolina. The horses escaped from the wreck, settled on the Outer Banks, and thrived … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Banker Horses and Spanish Galleons” »

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Iron Fertilization: The Cure for Global Warming

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment on Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Iron Fertilization: The Cure for Global Warming
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If the marine productivity is iron limited, then adding iron should increase phytoplankton growth. This growth will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to fuel photosynthesis and on a global scale, has the potential to mitigate global warming by absorbing the extra carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. But is it really that … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Iron Fertilization: The Cure for Global Warming” »

Our favorite sea monsters – The Kraken (#1)

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Our favorite sea monsters – The Kraken (#1)
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It should come as no surprise that our favorite sea monster is the legendary giant of giants – The Kraken.

Originally of Norwegian and Icelandic legend, the Kraken is described as a giant, tentacled monster that rises from the deep. In the earliest legends, the Kraken resembles an island feeding on schools of fish. Bold fishermen would set their lines above the Kraken, catching the huge schools of fish that surround it. In these earliest stories, the danger to ships was not from the Kraken itself, but from the whirlpool formed when it dives.

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Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 6

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
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It’s the final day for Ocean of Pseudoscience, and our favorite observant nerd has weighed in on Shark Diver’s challenge. On Wednesday, Underwater Thrills broached the question “Do bull sharks have high enough testosterone levels that you can juice off bull shark blood?” We cried bull, but Christie did the leg-work to smash this video-game … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest, Round 6” »

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 – Chemosynthetic ecosystems and independence from the sun

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Science

One of the many frequent claims that crop up in both popular and scientific reports about deep-sea hydrothermal vents is that chemosynthetic ecosystems are independent of photosynthetic ecosystems. Even high quality scientific reporting have been guilty of making this claim: “These animals live completely independent of sunlight” (NOAA Ocean Explorer). But are chemosynthetic systems totally … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Chemosynthetic ecosystems and independence from the sun” »

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” »