Life & Ocean Science
True to form, I missed an important day while being busy with this annoying thing called every day life. Last week was World Biodiversity Day. However, such an important topic deserves to be talked about more than on just one day! What exactly is biodiversity? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Bio = life,... Continue Reading →
So fierce! Or so the movies would tell you. In fact, Carcharhinus plumbeus, or sandbar sharks (sometimes also called brown or thickskin sharks) are typically very calm. If you were to be in the water with them, they’d likely ignore you or more likely immediately swim away from you. In fact, that’s what pretty much... Continue Reading →
Last Friday was Endangered Species Day here in the U.S. (maybe elsewhere too, but for sure here). Sadly, as of the beginning of 2019, about 98,500 species of animals and plants are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List (aka, the IUCN Red List as it most commonly referred to). Some of... Continue Reading →
According to National Geographic, this week was whale shark day! And who am I to argue? I personally have not yet had the pleasure of encountering them in the wild, but they are definitely one of my very favorite marine organisms. Seeing one of these gentle giants in person would complete my life! While their... Continue Reading →
Yes, I just used the term ‘boiling hot’ to describe the deep ocean. And no, it is not a typo. While the vast majority of the deep ocean is indeed very cold, that is not true for its entirety. Along major ocean basins lie long series of underwater mountains, or ridges. Along these ridges scientists... Continue Reading →
Not all sand is created equal. Depending on the location of the beach or dessert, it can be made from a wide variety of materials and in as many different processes. Sand can be made of quartz, basalt, garnet, silica, olivine, glass, coral, and more. It can be made from wind or water currents eroding... Continue Reading →
To round out my posts about coral disease, I thought I would choose a disease that hits close to home for the United States, and is one we do know a *bit* about. The paper I am summarizing today also happens to be co-authored by one of my favorite graduate professors, so shout-out to Dr.... Continue Reading →
To build on my last post about corals, a lot of recent research has attempted to study coral diseases. The fact is, there is just not that much known about what causes these diseases, how many diseases there are, and how they spread. What is known however, is that cases of diseases have been increasing... Continue Reading →
Continuing on with the theme of coral, here is another not-so-well known phenomena: Bleaching may lead to a change in the gene expression of corals’ immune systems As I mentioned in the previous post, coral bleaching does not equal death. If conditions improve, the symbiotic algae can/will return and the coral will continue. Sounds like... Continue Reading →
