Southern Fried Science

Real Leadership for the Deepwater Horizon Disaster

May 25, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Conservation

I’ve been a fan of Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen for a while now. His blog, iCommandant, provided a window into a world few of us glimpse. His openness, honesty, and no nonsense attitude made the iCommandant blog one of the best blogs on the internet. Which is why I began today disheartened to see that he was relieved as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard by Admiral Robert Papp. But that sadness was short lived when it was announced the Admiral Thad Allen will continue serve as National Incident Commander for the Gulf of Mexico.

And sense achieved a great victory – 85 years after Scopes

May 25, 2010May 25, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Science

85 years ago today John Scopes was indicted for violating the Butler Law – a law that made it illegal to teach evolution in Tennessee. The Scopes Trial, engineered by several parties to bring attention to both Dayton, Tennessee and the controversial anti-evolution laws, left a lasting mark on America’s legal system and the public perception of science. It was the bombastic firebrand H. L. Menken, one of the architects of the trial, that summerised best the spirit of the Monkey Trail:

The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame.

Aftermath by H. L. Mencken

Charlie and the Adventure – 365 days of Darwin

May 25, 2010May 19, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

Packed up and ready to go, an artist’s facsimile of Charlie, ready for adventure Six months ago we made a declaration. It was the end of the Year of Darwin – his 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin. The science blogosphere had been abuz all year with Darwin themed events, … Read More “Charlie and the Adventure – 365 days of Darwin” »

Welcome stumblers, reddit-ers, and neatorama readers

May 24, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

We’re getting a huge surge in pageviews from reddit, stumble, and neatorama today. If you’re new here check out some of our classic Southern Fried Science Posts: How to brew beer in a coffee maker, using only materials commonly found on a modestly sized oceanographic research vessel. The Cove, Dolphins, and Mercury Ethical Debate: Captive … Read More “Welcome stumblers, reddit-ers, and neatorama readers” »

Are sandbar sharks more like bowhead whales or cod?

May 24, 2010December 20, 2011 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

At first glance, the question posed in the title seems silly. Both cod and sandbar sharks are fish, therefore they must be more similar to each other than either are to bowhead whales (which are mammals). However, a recent conservation genetics paper has demonstrated that one aspect of a sandbar shark’s life history is more similar to that of bowhead whales: both sandbar sharks and bowhead whales have an effective size that is very similar to their census size.

Day 5: Storm with no rain

May 24, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab

Science

We’d all been staring at the weather forecast in disbelief for the last couple of days. We had plenty of warning it was coming, but even in the midst of a storm, I don’t believe it’s happening. Why? Because it’s sunny out. However, there are gale force winds outside causing 12-14 foot swells and rocking the boat every which way.

Read More “Day 5: Storm with no rain” »

365 days of Darwin: The second 3 months

May 24, 2010May 24, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

Today marks the official halfway point for our year long adventure traveling the world with Charles Darwin. his first 3 months are summarized here – 365 days of Darwin: the first 3 months. Charlie has had an exciting 3 months, traveling across the country, diving into the Deep Sea Lab, and even testing out his green thumb in the garden. He kicked off these three months with a celebration of Mardi Gras:

Unguided deep-sea research is essential for national and global security

May 24, 2010January 14, 2013 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Science

This Sunday on NPR I heard the following paraphrased comment: “The ROV pilots have never had to deal with anything like this before, no one has trained for the kinds of maneuvers needed to close to well.” I’ve known many ROV pilots. They are all incredibly skilled, know how to handle their robots, and generally have many years of experience working in industrial settings.

But commercial ROV work tends to be monotonous. Many pilots I know spend the vast majority of their time inspecting pipelines and oil rigs, flying over long tracks of seafloor with little to no variation, looking for any signs of damage. When their skills are put to the test, it’s often the same repetitive motion, over and over. Even training simulations to prepare them for catastrophes cannot predict the infinite variations that could occur as an oil-rig collapses. It’s impossible to train for everything.

Until you throw a biologist into the mix.

Bio ex machina – Craig Venter unveils synthetic life

May 24, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Science

Monday morning blogaerobics: shark news roundup and a message from Antarctica

May 24, 2010May 24, 2010 David Shiffman

Science

In the last few weeks, I’ve been busy with final exams and the start of my field season. Fortunately, many of the other shark bloggers have written about the important topics I’ve missed. RTSea and Underwater Thrills both have written about how the Gulf oil spill can affect whale sharks, which are filter feeders who … Read More “Monday morning blogaerobics: shark news roundup and a message from Antarctica” »