Southern Fried Science

The Quest for the best tough 3D Printer for under $200: Our final recommendations

May 8, 2019November 15, 2019 Andrew Thaler

You thought we were done, here. You were wrong. After extensively reviewing 5 3D printers for sale under $200 and picking the best from the reviews, we went back to our two favorites and put them through their paces, abusing both for an extra month to make sure that when I say this is the best printer for field work, I mean it.

These printers have been dragged around, beaten up, put in the hands of children and child-like adults, and run through the wringer to ensure that they stand up to the kind of abuse you might expect from the field. Now we’re really ready to make the call and tell you which are the best dirt-cheap, field-ready 3D printers.

The Global Extinction Vortex, rising regulations for deep-sea mining, biodegradable bags that don’t, Scientology’s measles cruise, and more! The Monday Morning Salvage: May 6, 2019.

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

Now might be a good time to talk about this with, well, everyone. Everything Is Fucked, Major New Extinction Report Finds.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

I missed this the first time around, but it’s still worth a read: Thinking about Climate on a Dark, Dismal Morning.

Hope is the knowledge that we can prevent bad things—but also the realization that we might choose not to.
Thinking about Climate on a Dark, Dismal Morning

100 people are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. Names and Locations of the Top 100 People Killing the Planet.
‘Biodegradable’ Bags Can Still Carry Groceries After Three Years in the Ground, Study Finds.

Three years after being in sea water, this bag could still hold some groceries.
Photo: Lloyd Russell (University of Plymouth)

Three entries about bitcoin-powered seasteaders that are absolutely full of cringe, plus some stuff that actually matters to the ocean. Monday Morning Salvage: April 22, 2019.

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Stories in the Land: Tales of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.
- This masters thesis by way of illustrated volume is an absolute masterpiece.
What Would Really Happen if Thanos Erased Half of All Life on Earth? It would not be good.

Could floating cities be the answer to rising sea levels? I mean, no, obviously.

Hagfish nom-nommers, Trample-gramming, boring clams, I’m still in love with these giant isopods, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: April 8, 2019.

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

Good job, everyone! NOAA Budget Proposal Hits Rough Waters in Congress.
Tool Foundry expands access to science by promoting tools for discovery: Luminary Labs initiative launches four-month accelerator to help inventors bring better scientific tools to more communities

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Cambodia’s endangered river dolphins at highest population in 20 years.

Dick-Shaped, Wood-Munching Clams Are More Diverse Than We Thought, Study Finds.

A wood-boring clam inside a piece of wood
Photo: Jenna Judge

How Miami’s realtors lie to themselves, each other, and you about climate change in America’s largest sinking city: Heaven or High Water: Selling Miami’s last 50 years.
The Video of Giant Isopods Eating an Alligator in the Deep Sea You Must Watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54YezX7HeSI

Research expedition: what ever happened to the world’s first certified sustainable shark fishery?

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 David Shiffman 2 Comments

Conservation, Science

My Postdoctoral research has focused on understanding the causes and consequences of public misunderstanding about shark fisheries management. While scientists overwhelmingly support sustainable fisheries management as a solution to shark overfishing, many concerned citizens and conservation activists prefer total bans on all shark fishing and trade. Some go so far as to (wrongly) claim that sustainable shark fisheries cannot exist even in theory and do not exist in practice anywhere in the world, and that bans are the only possible solution.

There’s an important piece of data that very rarely makes it into these discussions. Amidst the ongoing discussions about whether or not sustainable shark fisheries are even possible, one right in my backyard became the first shark fishery anywhere in the world to be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

However, a few years after BC’s spiny dogfish fishery got certified, the certification was quietly withdrawn. I couldn’t find any information in the MSC reports, or in associated scientific literature or government reports, that explained what happened to this fishery, which was thriving until recently. No scientists, managers, or conservation advocates who I asked about this knew exactly what happened to BC’s spiny dogfish fishery.

At last, a $200 3D Printer that might actually hold up to a field season. The Creality Ender-3 (review).

April 1, 2019November 15, 2019 Andrew Thaler

Reviews and Interviews

[NOTE: Please see our update regarding this printer: Finding the best dirt-cheap, field-tough 3D printer for science and conservation work: six months later.]

Somewhere between the Prusa printers with their paired z-axis motors and the cantilever systems with a gantry arm spanning the x- or y-axis with only a single point of support, lies printers like the Creality Ender-3. Where a more conventional 3D printer uses rails and linear bearings to drive the axes, these printers forgo the standard model.

You won’t find a single linear bearing on the Creality Ender-3 or it’s clones. Instead, rubber rollers pass through v-slot grooves in extruded aluminum, removing the need for complex gantry systems.

This is an incredibly robust method for cutting costs, but it is not a compromise. Roller and v-slot printers can be just as precise as their rail and bearing counterparts, and the mandated all aluminum construction makes them strong and durable.

For a general-use field-ready 3D printer, you could not do much better than the Creality Ender-3.

Deep-sea gator bait, a mining company’s continued decline, why are there so many Garfield phones on French beaches, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: April 1, 2019.

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

Shameless plug for my Patreon! This month, subscribers who sign up for the Ocean Pun Sticker reward will get this glorious squat lobster in high quality vinyl. Suitable for dive gear, laptops, field equipment, or anywhere luxuriously goofy stickers are displayed.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Gator falls!
- Scientists Dropped Dead Gators to the Seafloor to See What Bites.
- Why A Scientist Dropped Dead Alligators In The Gulf Of Mexico.

Each giant isopod is around the size of a football. LOUISIANA UNIVERSITIES MARINE CONSORTIUM

Researchers beginning to uncover the mystery of hagfish’s zombie hearts.

New paper: feeding ecology of South Florida sharks

March 29, 2019April 1, 2019 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

We have a new paper out today in the journal Aquatic Ecology! Read it here, open access copy here. This is the last paper from my Ph.D. dissertation, and coauthors include my Ph.D. advisor Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, Ph.D. committee member Dr. Mike Heithaus, and colleague Dr. Les Kaufman. It’s called “Intraspecific Differences in Relative Isotopic Niche Area and Overlap of Co-occurring Sharks,” which I think rolls right off the tongue and would make a pretty sweet band name. This research was crowdfunded by the SciFund challenge a few years ago, so thanks again for your support! I want to tell you a little bit about what we did and what we found!

All the times gender bias has reared its ugly head

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 Bluegrass Blue Crab 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Maybe it’s because I’m actually intimidating, but I for the most part consider myself fairly lucky as a woman in science. I’ve been fortunate enough to escape the horror stories of exploitation and sexual harassment that fill many of my colleagues’ journals. Yet, the recent story about the lack of medium-sized spacesuits – and the social media chatter about lack of women’s field gear – hit a nerve. It made me question my perceived luck.

I also remembered reading other women’s long list of times gender bias reared its ugly head in a career perfectly devoid of major sexual misconduct. I bet I could write that, I thought to myself. I wonder how long the list would be. So here goes, starting with the most egregious:

30 Earth Month Heroes

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 Angelo Villagomez 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Earth Day is April 22, which makes next month Earth Month. I’d like to invite you to participate in a Twitter hashtag campaign for the entire month. The purpose of this campaign is to bring some attention and praise to the people who are doing great conservation work. I’m calling the campaign #30EarthMonthHeroes. Participation is … Read More “30 Earth Month Heroes” »