Southern Fried Science

Dear Shark Man, is the aquarium trade a major shark conservation issue?

January 31, 2018 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Welcome to Dear Shark Man, an advice column inspired by a ridiculous e-mail I received. You can send your questions to me via twitter (@WhySharksMatter) or e-mail (WhySharksMatter at gmail).

Dear Shark Man,

What are your thoughts on elasmobranchs in the pet and aquarium trade? Is this a serious conservation issue?

Sincerely,
Nonchalant in New Zealand

2 minutes to midnight, 3D printed turtle eggs, awkward fiddlers, Egyptian welders, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: January 29, 2018.

January 29, 2018January 29, 2018 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

Good morning. The time is now 2 minutes to mid-night. Doomsday Has Never Been Closer. Good luck.

Despite the fact that we live in extremely dangerous times, the scientists in charge of the clock said there is hope. The clock has been wound backwards before, in the wake of the Cold War or during times when nuclear superpowers expressed interest in not mutually assuring destruction.

The scientists argue that civil society should turn the screws on government to reduce carbon emissions and push for even more ambitious climate action than what the Paris Agreement calls for. That sounds like a more fruitful plan than huddling in a bunker.

Source.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Some technology is pretty good, though: Cracking down on poaching with 3D-printed fake turtle eggs

Fun Science FRIEDay – A blood test for cancer

January 26, 2018 Kersey Sturdivant

Science

Cancer is a tricky disease. It comes in many varieties and can pop-up anywhere in the body seemingly at random. The somewhat cryptic nature of this disease can make diagnosis difficult; this can be frustrating because most cancers are treatable if diagnosed early. Thats what makes this most recent breakthrough all the more exciting; a method to detect cancer through a single blood test!

The blood test is called CancerSEEK and its speculated that it would cost less than 500 USD, which is comparable to or lower than other screening tests. CancerSEEK, is a single blood test that was shown to detect 8 types of common cancer (ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, esophagus, colorectum, lung, and breast) and helps identify the location of the cancer.

Imaginary islands, lobster pain, porgs and puffins: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, January 25th, 2018

January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Cuttings (short and sweet): Follow Kelsey James, a graduate student studying the age and growth of batoid fishes, on twitter! Ancient maps show islands that don’t really exist. By Greg Miller, for National Geographic. Global registry of invasive species is a milestone for conservation. By Jonathan Watts, for the Guardian. Want to buy a tshirt, mug, … Read More “Imaginary islands, lobster pain, porgs and puffins: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, January 25th, 2018” »

6 Essential Tips for the 3D Printing Newbie.

January 23, 2018 Andrew Thaler

Education

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been enjoying watching David Shiffman and Craig McClain take their first steps into 3D printing. For a small subset of people, small consumer 3D printers can be an incredibly useful tool, for a larger subset, 3D printing has fantastic teaching applications, but for most enthusiasts, it’s a fun hobby. Fortunately, the 3D printing hype train has slowed down in the last few years and it is now much easier to separate the wheat from the chaff and drill down into the applications where 3D printing really shines.

3D printers are fairly inexpensive now. You can get a pretty okay 3D printer like the Monoprice Mini (which we used at various hack-a-thons and maker events) for around $220 USD on Amazon. I’ve worked a bit with that particular printer and it’s good. It won’t blow you away but it will do everything you’d expect a solid 3D printer to do. My in house machine is a Printrbot Simple Metal, which has since been replaced by the Simple Pro. It’s not the cheapest one out there, but it’s an absolute beast, taking all the abuse I can throw at it. It’s even been to sea.

Science as graphic novel, baby eels, anglerfish emoji, drone ocean rescue, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: January 22, 2018.

January 22, 2018January 21, 2018 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Weekly Salvage

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

The US Government is shut down. This is not great news for science (at the moment, my project to train ROV technicians and deliver 5 – 10 observation-class underwater robots to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is on hold pending resolution). Call you congressperson and give them an earful. Call you senator and give them an earful.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Women Writing About the Wild: 25 Essential Authors: A primer on who to start reading and who you’ve been overlooking for too long.

This paper: Managing marine socio-ecological systems: picturing the future, which, holy mola, is written in graphic novel format!

Managing marine socio-ecological systems: picturing the future.

Sinking squid, salmon-eating seals, and rebounding cod: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, January 18th 2018

January 18, 2018January 19, 2018 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Dr. Toby Daly-Engel’s shark research lab on twitter!
Cod catch at an all-time low, but a rebound could be near. By Patrick Whittle, for the Associated Press.
Right whale died from fishing gear. From CBC News

Dear Shark Man, can rubbing a shark’s snout cause blindness?

January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Welcome to Dear Shark Man, an advice column inspired by a ridiculous e-mail I received. You can send your questions to me via twitter (@WhySharksMatter) or e-mail (WhySharksMatter at gmail).

Dear Shark Man,

Someone I follow on Instagram posted this earlier this week. In this post, she claims that a shark became blind in one eye because SCUBA divers were regularly rubbing it’s snout. Is that a thing? It doesn’t seem like a thing.

Sincerely,
Frustrated in Fort Lauderdale

Snot Bots for whale health, critical dolphins, lobster considerations, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: January 15, 2018.

January 15, 2018January 19, 2018 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized, Weekly Salvage

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

2018 is almost certainly going to be a record year for FOIA requests. Learn how to do them right and get results thanks to Pro Publica: I’ve Sent Out 1,018 Open Records Requests, and This Is What I’ve Learned.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)