Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
I am extremely pleased to announce that a book I contributed to is now available for pre-order. Ocean: From Shore to Abyss, led by the legendary Dr. Asha de Vos, is a visual journey through the oceans, from sandy beaches to the deepest trenches. I, along with Tony Martin, Helen Scales, Peter Godfrey-Smith, and Rebecca … Read More “Ocean: From the Shore to the Abyss” »
The Natural History Society of Maryland is redoing their public exhibit halls, including a new exhibit on shark science and conservation. I’m helping them to design it, we’re fundraising, and we can use your help! The centerpiece of the exhibit is a shark diving cage with a fascinating history: It was used during the filming … Read More “Help support a new shark science and conservation exhibit in Maryland!” »
After a two and a half year slumber, we brought Southern Fried Science back into the blogging world in a big way. Last year, we published 96 posts, ranging from weird rants about epoxy river tables to long reflections on my reality TV past, to dressing up as a shark and going to a birthday … Read More “Bringing Ocean Blogging Back! What you read on Southern Fried Science in 2024” »
The year was 1916, the First World War raged, Woodrow Wilson was in a desperate three-way race for reelection, and sharks were about to experience a shift in public perception that would endure into the next millennium. Prior to 1916, sharks weren’t regarded as particularly dangerous in the United States. A 1915 letter in the … Read More “How the summer of sharks reshaped our understanding of US presidential elections.” »
It’s been three months since we posted our last traffic update. I’ve been prepping or traveling since August running OpenCTD workshops and the rest of the team is likewise busy with research, outreach, and policy work. We’ve been quiet, only publishing 12 articles in the last quarter and the traffic reflects that. Traffic is down … Read More “Project 2025, chicken coops, seabed mining, and the classics: 3 Months of readership stats for Southern Fried Science” »
One of the most iconic images of shark behavior is a great white shark hitting its prey so hard from below that the whole shark flies out of the water. This behavior, called “breaching,” has been documented in many species, and is useful for a variety of ecological functions, not just hunting. I spoke to … Read More “Jumping the shark: New study reviews the breaching behavior of sharks and rays” »
The former President’s recent bizarre rant about sharks has gone viral on social media, but this is just the latest in a long and weird saga. These tweets are real. Did you know their backstory? July 2007: Donald Trump meets with adult film star Stormy Daniels, inviting her to his hotel room. Upon arrival, he … Read More “Donald Trump and Sharks: An Annotated Timeline” »
A joint statement from David Shiffman Consulting, Inc and Blackbeard Biologic: Science and Environmental Advisors A 2024 presidential hopeful recently expressed concerns regarding the relative risks of electric boats and shark attacks, stating that: “What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery is … Read More “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Experts respond to concerns over the relative risks of electric boats and shark encounters” »
May has historically been one of the slowest months on the blog. The weather is getting nice and Southern Fried Science readers and writers have other priorities as the academic year comes to a close. We only published 8 articles this month and logged about 11,000 unique visitors. You were interested in the news that … Read More “Not much: What you read on Southern Fried Science in May” »
After a trio of very widely read articles triggered a traffic surge in February, including David’s critical expert analysis of cross-order hybridization, our visitor count normalized a bit on the old ocean science and conservation blog. A little more than 19,500 people visited Southern Fried Science in March, a roughly 50% increase from January. You … Read More “Space Crabs, Big Boats, and Fake Sharks: What you read on Southern Fried Science in March” »
