Huge Silicate Sponge Spicules and the Evolution of Calcification
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By , on May 27th, 2010 4 comments   Adaptations, Ecology, New Research, Organisms   , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Picture is copyright Emily S. Damstra and used by permission. The deep-sea sponge Monorhaphis chuni (Hexactinellida) has the world’s largest known biosilica structure! A silicate spicule that can grow up to 3 meters long. That’s at least a meter longer than you! I don’t really know how to construe to enormity of such a structure. . . . → Read More: Huge Silicate Sponge Spicules and the Evolution of Calcification

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Repost: Deep-Sea Corals and Methane Seeps
Repost: Deep-Sea Corals and Methane Seeps avatar

By , on January 18th, 2010 2 comments   Ecology, New Research, Seeps, Vent, & Whale Falls   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

This is a repost of KZ’s winning post for Open Laboratory 2009: The Best Science Writing on the Web. Congrats to KZ! ———————————————————————————————————— This is a tale of cause and effect in the deep sea woven by threads of hypotheses held together by the loom of targeted sampling efforts and multiple lines of evidence. You . . . → Read More: Repost: Deep-Sea Corals and Methane Seeps

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Ocean Acidification, Not Good For Living
Ocean Acidification, Not Good For Living avatar

By , on April 13th, 2009 6 comments   Adaptations, Conservation & Environment, Environmental Sciences, Geology, New Research, Seeps, Vent, & Whale Falls   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Two recent papers in Nature GeoScience demonstrate the real effects of ocean acidification. For those not in know, there is an ongoing decrease in the pH of the oceans from carbon dioxide released by humans into the atmosphere. From 1751 to 1994, the pH of the world’s oceans has dropped by 0.1, an considerable decrease . . . → Read More: Ocean Acidification, Not Good For Living

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