Southern Fried Science

Scientists deploy satellite tags on rarely studied sawsharks for the first time

March 23, 2017March 23, 2017 David Shiffman

Science

An Australian research expedition has successfully deployed three satellite telemetry tags on sawsharks for the first time! These rarely-seen sharks have a toothy rostrum similar to a sawfish, but are true sharks while sawfish are rays. Sawshark rostrums also have sensory barbels, unlike the rostrums of sawfish. “This is actually a good example of convergent evolution where two distantly related species have adaptations that have converged to be very similar in looks and (purportedly) function,”said professor Jane Williamson, the head of the Marine Ecology Group at Macquarie University and the leader of this expedition. “Sawsharks probably use their rostrum in a similar manner to sawfish: as a tool for sensing and capturing prey, and possibly for self-defense.”

“When we left the beach…” Monday Morning Salvage: March 20, 2017

March 20, 2017 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

The poetry of Derek Walcott.

Nobel laureate, poet, and perhaps the finest English-language writer of any generation, died this weekend. His poetry, particularly the epic poem Omeros, which draws upon the themes of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey to tell the story of colonization, imperialism, slavery, and humanity’;s relationship to the sea over more than 8000 lines.
If you’re new to the poetry of Derek Walcott, The Sea is History is a great place to start and the New York Times published a short selection of his poetry: The Pages of the Sea.

Monday Morning Salvage: March 13, 2017

March 13, 2017 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

This Great White Shark, who definitely just poo-ed all over some unsuspecting SCUBA divers.

Watch a Great White Shark Shit All Over a Group of Cage Divers.

Jetsam (what we’re enjoying from around the web)

Please don’t ride sharks, and other great tips from the new guide to responsible shark diving

March 12, 2017March 13, 2017 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

Shark wildlife tourism* is a growing marine industry with big implications for shark conservation. While there are many competing definitions, generally shark wildlife tourism refers to SCUBA dive operators who offer trips that guarantee that you’ll see sharks, often through the use of bait or chum to attract sharks to the divers. This has become a contentious issue in marine science and conservation circles. That’s why last week’s news that WWF, Project AWARE, and the Manta Trust released the first-ever guide to responsible shark and ray tourism best practices is so welcome. This thorough and well-researched guide guide is designed for dive operators who want to minimize their potential harm to sharks and rays while maximizing the potential conservation benefits of shark wildlife tourism.

The call of the Chthulucene ?

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 Chris Parsons 1 Comment

Climate change

We are currently in the Holocene epoch, and many of us have heard about calls to name the current era (from the industrial revolution) the Anthropocene (which dates back to at least the industrial revolution, if not before): a period when humans change the essential nature of the planet through their activities (primarily via the production of greenhouse gases).

But what comes after the Anthropocene? Some sort of Mad Max style wasteland perhaps?

Donna Haraway (2015) proposed that there will be a new epoch, the “Chthulucene” where refugees from environmental disaster (both human and non-human) will come together .

Thursday Afternoon Dredging: March 9th, 2017

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Logo by Ethan Kocak

Watch this whale shark suck fish out of a net in Indonesia, video from Conservation International
Follow #2017MMM, March Mammal Madness, and read my story about it from American Scientist.
The fish that hunts with flashlights embedded in its face. By Jason Bittel, for Hakai Magazine.

Help an ocean student catch a break!

March 6, 2017 Andrew Thaler

Uncategorized

The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), located at the very tip of Louisiana’s boot, is a special place. The only marine lab in Louisiana, LUMCON serves public universities and supports marine science for the entire state. I had the pleasure of visiting LUMCON late last year to lead an underwater robotics workshop for local high … Read More “Help an ocean student catch a break!” »

Monday Morning Salvage: NOAA Special Edition (call your representatives!)

March 6, 2017March 6, 2017 Andrew Thaler

Weekly Salvage

This weekend, the Washington Post reported on a leaked proposed budget from the Administration which includes drastic, agency-breaking cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This comes in the wake of new Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pledging to protect peer-reviewed researchers and shield NOAA climate scientists from partisan attacks and that the Department of … Read More “Monday Morning Salvage: NOAA Special Edition (call your representatives!)” »

Thursday Afternoon Dredging: March 2nd, 2017

March 2, 2017 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Logo by Ethan Kocak

Watch this school of hammerheads swim! Video by Earth Touch.
Follow seahorse conservation biologist Lindsay Aylesworth on twitter!
147 individual great white sharks were spotted off Cape Cod last year. By Steve Annear, for the Boston Globe.
Tips for planning an environmentally-friendly vacation. By Shivani Vora, for the New York Times.

Why do wizards go adventuring ? Or …. you thought that your tenure requirements were tough?!

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017 Chris Parsons

Academic life, Popular Culture

Something that has been bothering me for a while, is why do wizards go adventuring?

Source: ClipArtLord.com

Now if you are a big geek like me, you’ll know that practically every adventuring party has a wizard. But these wizards are incredibly unprepared for exploring dungeons and have a shockingly high mortality rate. In the dungeons and dragons* of my youth, a starting wizard had a mere 1 to 4 hit points and was equipped with dagger (or is they were luck a staff). Did these budding Gandalfs get armor? Of course not, they faced ogres and basilisks in the fantasy equivalent of sweat pants.

The statistics of a starting wizard meant that they could easily be killed by a house cat. Also they had just one spell. Cast “light” so that your party could see in a cave, and you were done for the day. If you had the most destructive spell of the first level wizard, you would fire a “magic missile” that always hit, but did a miserable 2 to 5 (1d4+1) points of damage. So if jumped by above mentioned angry house cat, you literally had a 50/50 chance of killing it before it killed you**.

So why do all these highly educated, highly intelligent wizards leave their ivory (or mithril) towers and trudge through cold, dank dungeons with groups of characters that generally make the knights in Monty Python and the Holy Grail look like Seal Team 6 in comparison?

Why does every early career academic pursue elusive gold and put their common sense and lives on the line? Why…? To get tenure of course…