Southern Fried Science

Chemistry of the Great Big Blue: Nutrients

September 7, 2010September 7, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment

Science

The Great Big Blue looks like it contains nothing but water and maybe a little salt, especially out in the open ocean. However, this kind of sparse environment is exactly where the chemistry matters the most – it’s a fine line between not enough, too much, and just right. Given this, there’s no distinct myth here but an underlying unresolved question: what is the limiting factor that keeps the open ocean at low productivity?

Our favorite sea monsters – Mermaids (#5)

September 7, 2010September 7, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 5 Comments

Uncategorized

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.

365 days of Darwin: September 7, 2010 (3/7)

September 7, 2010August 31, 2010 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Charlie wants to see what it’s like to be a Mer-Darwin

An Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest

September 6, 2010September 8, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

Below are all the other blogs that have joined in on our week long adventure into an Ocean of Pseudoscience. Ya Like Dags? – There’s an Ocean of Pseudoscience Out There Arthropoda – Ocean of Pseudoscience Week Cephalove – News flash: Octopuses are actually psychic Observations of a Nerd – Ocean of Pseudoscience: Sharks DO … Read More “An Ocean of Pseudoscience Linkfest” »

Our favorite sea monsters – Nessie (#6)

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Uncategorized

One of the most famous “sea monsters” of all time – so famous that her outline graces the Ocean of Pseudoscience Week logo – actually lives in a lake. I’m talking, of course, about “Nessie”, the Loch Ness monster.

Local reports of a bizarre creature inhabiting the Scottish lake go back over a thousand years, but the story became popularized in the 1930’s when Dr. Robert Kenneth Wilson took a now-famous photograph.

The Green Flash

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 5 Comments

Uncategorized

Legend goes that just as the sun sets below the horizon, a flash of green light appears to kiss the day goodbye. Sailors say that when the flash appears, it means a soul has crossed over. Jules Verne wrote that those who witnessed it could no longer be deceived because he could read the thoughts of others. Admiral Byrd supposedly saw one that lasted 35 minutes. For a full record of sightings, see here. But is this really stuff of legend or a real phenomenon in the sky?

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Sharks and Cancer

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Science

One of the most prevalent shark myths is “sharks don’t get cancer”. This is associated with the more troubling myth that consuming shark cartilage will cure humans of cancer. Despite the success of books with titles like “Sharks don’t get cancer: How shark cartilage could save your life” and “Sharks still don’t get cancer: The … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Sharks and Cancer” »

Greenwashing – Is there really a sustainable Orange Roughy fishery?

September 6, 2010September 13, 2010 Andrew Thaler 9 Comments

Conservation, Science

Wandering through the grocery store the other day, I noticed something strange in the fish bin. Now, in general I’m pretty conscious of where my fish comes from, how it was caught, whether the fishery as a whole or the specific population is sustainable. I pay attention to those details and I can usually tell when a company’s branding is legitimate and when it’s just greenwashing.

Imagine my shock when I found a packet of Orange Roughy, sold by the Full Circle brand, and marketed as sustainable.

The Gentle Tasaday: An anthropological hoax

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 7 Comments

Uncategorized

In 1971, a group of people known as the Tasaday were discovered on a remote island of the Phillipines known as Mindanao. They wore leafy loincloths and subsisted off what the forest could provide, possessing no knowledge of tobacco, corn, rice, or domesticated animals. They spoke a new dialect of Malay-Philipino language that included no word for outsiders, war, weapon, or enemy, giving them the title ‘The Gentle Tasaday’. The family unit was nuclear and the community has no formal organization or government outside of some loose food-sharing networks.

Today, Tasaday life is way different and matches more modern tribal life in the Phillipines, as documented on their website. The question is, however, whether this modernization was normal development post-contact or whether there was a hoax involved.

Our favorite sea monsters – Steller’s Sea Ape (#7)

September 6, 2010September 7, 2010 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Uncategorized

Georg Wilhelm Steller was a highly influential 18th century German naturalist who explored the coasts of Russia and Alaska. During his career, he described many species, including the northern fur seal, sea otter, Steller’s sea lion, Steller’s eider, spectacled cormorant, and the now extinct giant Steller’s sea cow. In addition to his many observed findings, he also described a fat, hairy creature with a dog-like head that he termed Simia marina, the sea ape.