I just read that Lonesome George, the presumed sole-remaining member of the Pinta Island giant tortoise species of the Galápagos, has died. Lonesome George was…
View More Encomium: Lonesome GeorgeCategory: Biology
Preserved in the Act and Fossilized Turtle Whoopie
This is really too good not to share immediately. A recent study reports on numerous pairs of fossil turtle couples caught in the act of copulation. The…
View More Preserved in the Act and Fossilized Turtle WhoopieDramatic impacts on beach microbial communities following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Ironically enough, I was at a meeting about oil spills when the Macondo well blew. The “Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) in Arctic waters” workshop…
View More Dramatic impacts on beach microbial communities following the Deepwater Horizon oil spillFishy phone home
If you’re at all interested in charismatic megafauna (it’s OK, embrace the shame), then you’ve probably heard of satellite tagging before. This is the idea…
View More Fishy phone homeCoordinated Hunting in Red Devils
With just reason Humboldt or Jumbo Squid are called Diablo Rojo. The skin of Dosidicus gigas is blood red but can change to bone white.…
View More Coordinated Hunting in Red DevilsThese Arms Were Made For Walking
Unlike their Echinoderm brethren, brittle stars do not move along on tube feet that can propel them in any direction. Instead, brittle stars ‘walk’. This…
View More These Arms Were Made For WalkingA Lonely Tree Far From Home Brings New Life to the Ocean Deep: A Narrative in Five Acts
Act 1: Wood Falling on Water At two miles below the ocean’s surface, I see wooden carcasses, once buoyant, lying listlessly on the abyssal seafloor.…
View More A Lonely Tree Far From Home Brings New Life to the Ocean Deep: A Narrative in Five ActsTGIF – the coral triangle, a-capella style!
From the Barber lab at UCLA comes this awesome video. Not only can they sing better than most biologists, but the lyrics are great! I…
View More TGIF – the coral triangle, a-capella style!Cool as a sea cucumber: life (and death) at extraordinary deep sea pressures
Edit – In the original article I said that the sphere of the Deep Challenger was made of titanium. In fact, it’s made of steel. …
View More Cool as a sea cucumber: life (and death) at extraordinary deep sea pressuresVeins of Water: The Evolution of the Echinoderm Water-Vascular System
Echinoderms are one of the most highly derived groups of animals with many species as significant components of several marine communities. They’re classified by…
View More Veins of Water: The Evolution of the Echinoderm Water-Vascular System