Category: an Anomalous Ocean | Squids, Jellies, and Aglo in the Dark
Lurking in the Shadows of September 11
Today will forever be one of those days where every American will reminisce a bit and contemplate where and how we are moving forward. In my case, today the dive supervisor reminded me that this was the 4th anniversary of Lyle passing away. Lyle Smith was the owner of Coastal Diving in Middletown, RI –…
Read MoreThe a[l]lure of an Aquarium on Ice?
Just when you thought you’ve seen it all… A Japanese theme park tried to draw visitors by freezing 5,000 fish beneath its ice rink, but a public outcry forced it to close the attraction after just two weeks. Source: Aquarium on Ice, a Lure for Skaters in Japan, Appalls Them Instead – NYTimes.com From an…
Read MoreThe ‘Tails’ of Two Whales
Go figure – I’ve been making the drive to the Green Mountain State (Vermont) for ten years now, and it took until this past weekend to actually notice the ‘Reverence’ sculpture alongside 89 North. The Wikipedia write-up tells its story nicely, so I’ll spare the duplicate effort. However, a little more digging shed some…
Read Morethe best of both worlds
Gotta love it – the plan to dive the methane seas of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon – in 2040 nonetheless. That’s right around the corner in space exploration years! Despite being in a bit of a science funding slump in recent years, it seems sights are being set on some very bold horizons; manned missions…
Read MoreDeep. Dangerous. Determined.
Hrrmppff – the ‘D’ word strikes again: dangerous. Last night I received an email from a colleague that spread the word about the opening of ‘Deepsea Challenge 3D’, the film highlighting James Cameron’s epic descent to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. With big ocean exploration projects far and few between in recent years, this…
Read MoreExpedition Announced | First Mission for Exosuit ADS @amnh @oceanopp #exosuitproject
Correction: this mission has been rescheduled for summer 2015 following technical difficulties in 2014. Stay tuned! The first scientific exploration mission utilizing the Exosuit ADS is taking place this summer (2014), approximately 100 miles off of the Rhode Island Coast at a location called the Canyons, while working in the mesopelagic environment (depths of 200…
Read Morefinding light within the darkness | creatures of light
Today I’m very excited to share a recent publication by the collaborative team from Luminescent Labs: Sparks JS, Schelly RC, Smith WL, Davis MP, Tchernov D, et al. (2014) The Covert World of Fish Biofluorescence: A Phylogenetically Widespread and Phenotypically Variable Phenomenon. PLoS ONE 9(1): e83259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083259 link In laypersons terms – more than a decade…
Read MoreSea trials and tribulations
Some will say that every day out to sea is better than a day at the office. I’ve had my share of bad days at sea for certain, but today was certainly one of those good days. Calm seas, good company, and putting some new technology to the test. Dr. Vincent Pieribone (left), Dr.…
Read MoreCryptozoology | facts, fiction, and fantasy
There have been several reports of bizarre creatures washing up on the beach in recent months – triggering some hype about the field of ‘cryptozoology‘. This science, defined as the ‘study of hidden animals’, is arguably indeed a science – despite the overpowering popular myths and folklore that bring the body of work to the public.…
Read Moreon world views, and ‘overviews’
Having spent the last twenty days living and working within the surreal dimension of the island nation of the Solomons, I’ve had ample time to reflect on the underwater experience afforded from this pristine part of the Pacific‘s coral triangle. It’s difficult to call any field experience like this ‘routine’, though in many ways it…
Read More
Recent Comments