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If you haven’t noticed, us Discover Magazine bloggers have weaseled our way into the print version through a new monthly feature called Ask Discover. You ask, we answer. Last month Neuroskeptic took on dreaming, but this month, it’s all about intercellular chatter:
Recently, BuzzFeed came out with what sounded like a really interesting article: 16 Things No One Knows About The Ocean. I’ve been a fan of BuzzFeed lists before, and some are humorously accurate. But when I clicked through to read the list, I was disappointed. This wasn’t their usual hilarious-because-you-know-it’s-true-even-if-you-don’t-want-to-admit-it style post, or even an awe-inspiring-fact roundup. It was mostly, well, wrong.
The post begins: “Welcome to the last frontier on Earth. Sure, the oceans are terrifying and the Kraken might have been real, but the things we don’t know could fill a thousand documentaries on the Discovery Channel.” Perhaps the allusion to Discovery is all the more fitting given their recent penchant for faux marine science, but that’s no excuse for this shoddy list riddled with factual errors and pseudoscience. I know BuzzFeed community content is produced by a suite of random people, but come on—they need to have some kind of quality control! As a marine scientist, I just couldn’t let it slide.
So here is a point-by-point explanation of what BuzzFeed doesn’t apparently know about the oceans:
Continue reading “16 Things BuzzFeed Doesn’t Know About The Ocean”
In all species, some males are simply better looking than others. They have the right shape, dance, color or attitude to make the ladies of their species swoon. It’s generally assumed that good looks come from one thing: good genes. Win the genetic lottery and you’re set. Get a bum hand from mom and dad and, well, you can always try to mate again next year.
In turkeys, male come in one of two varieties: dominant and sexy or subordinate and, well, kind of plain. The dominant males have all the things female turkeys want like lots of bright, red flesh over their beaks. The subordinate males don’t stand a chance with the females, but that doesn’t mean they stand around and do nothing. They actually help get their more attractive brothers laid, thus helping pass along their genes through kin selection.
There was just one thing that didn’t sit right with scientists: how can closely related male turkeys—brothers that share 50% of their DNA—look so different? How can one be drop dead gorgeous while the other is nothing to gobble at? Continue reading “Beauty is gene deep: attractiveness in turkeys controlled by gene expression”
I have a confession to make. I’ve done something that I’m deeply embarrassed about, and I feel the need to come completely clean with you. So, I’m just gonna say it:
I watched every single episode of the failed reality dating show Ready For Love.
Wow, it feels good to get that off my chest. Continue reading “Ready For Love—can science find you the perfect match?”
I wasn’t the only one chatting about Shark Week: David Shiffman had a great CNN interview, Brian Switek explains that this is just a small part of a larger problem, and Alex Warneke explains why Discovery’s scientific integrity matters so much.
#WhaleSharks are real, live right now and get as big as #megalodon. Plus they’re harmless & have spots. Reality is cooler than #sharkweek
— Dr. Alistair Dove (@para_sight) August 7, 2013
(Though those big sharks have itty bitty brains, by the way. But how do you feed them?)
Also, Megalodon was definitely not the coolest ancient shark.
Why our obsession with size? Most sharks are wee little things.
I know it seems scary, but there’s no need to fear: you’re not going to get attacked by a shark.
Did you know great whites eat more than seals?
The National Resources Defense Council gets in on the Cooler than #SharkWeek action with a conversation with shark scientist Brad Sewell, and in the same vein, more cool shark scientists from Texas A & M.
People have different personalities, but are all sharks the same?
One mom, many dads. Shark reproduction is complicated.
No one likes to be alone—even sharks make friends and have social networks.
Can we design a shark-proof suit? Good question.
Dr Collin Drake doesn’t exist, but there are plenty of real shark biologists in the world. This week, I sat down with my friend Mark Royer, a Ph.D. Student at the University of Hawai’i who has perhaps the coolest job on Earth: he grapples with sharks for a living.
No, really.
Mark is a part of the Shark Research Team from the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, led by two of the most renowned shark biologists in the world: Carl Meyer and Kim Holland. The research group has been studying the sharks of Hawai’i for decades, and as a lab, have produced dozens of publications on shark biology, ecology, and physiology.
I can’t help but feel small in Mark’s presence—at over six feet tall, he towers over me. His loose-fitting t-shirt does nothing to hide the broad-shouldered body that lies beneath. With the musculature of a triathlete, Mark looks like he could take on just about any shark out there, save perhaps a large great white. And I know he has—as a part of his daily work, he has helped handle everything from baby hammerheads to large tiger sharks. But Mark’s intimidating stature, which among friends has earned him the moniker “Captain America”, belies the sweet young man that got to where he is now simply because he really loved the water. Continue reading “Cooler than #SharkWeek: Real Shark Biologist Mark Royer”
Discovery has responded to the hordes of angry fans defending their recent “documentary” Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives. The statement, as given to Fox News, came from executive producer of Shark Week Michael Sorensen:
“With a whole week of Shark Week programming ahead of us, we wanted to explore the possibilities of Megalodon. It’s one of the most debated shark discussions of all time, can Megalodon exist today? It’s Ultimate Shark Week fantasy. The stories have been out there for years and with 95% of the ocean unexplored, who really knows?”
“One of the most debated shark discussions of all time”? Really? While I am a marine biologist, my research is on lionfish, not sharks—maybe I’m out of the loop. So, I went to the experts. I asked Carl Meyer, Assistant Researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and co-head of the Shark Research Team, for his take. Is the extinct status of C. megalodon a “discussion” that he and his colleagues have? Continue reading “Discovery’s Megalodon Defense? ‘We Don’t Know,’ Or ‘We Don’t Care’”
This startling image of a 1,000 pound bull shark circulated the internets, but what really caught my eye was a (mis)quote from the lead researcher. According to news outlets, he said that bull sharks “have the most testosterone of any animal on the planet, so that should tell you a little something.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this whole bull sharks and testosterone bit. Indeed, all over the internet, you see claims that bull sharks are so aggressive because of their insane testosterone levels. But it was the character Bruce Kibbutz in Grand Theft Auto IV that really got people talking about bull shark testosterone. During the game, the roid-raging fitness freak explains how he juices on testosterone taken from Chilean bull sharks. Suddenly, extreme body builders and skeptics wanted to know if you could really bulk up on bull shark blood.
The rumor, as I’d heard it in college, is that the fierce attitudes of these large and aggressive sharks is due to unfathomably high circulating levels of testosterone. Specifically, these menacing monsters supposedly have higher serum testosterone levels than any species on the planet, land or sea, and that even a female bull shark has higher levels than a testosterone-raged male elephant in musth. I know I’m as much to blame as anyone, as I’ve repeated that line myself. But when I was asked about it, I realized that I didn’t know if it’s true. How do the circulating testosterone levels compare between bull sharks and other species? Could you procure enough testosterone by catching and eating bull sharks to beef up your body? Continue reading “Cooler Than #SharkWeek: Bulking Up On Bull Shark Testosterone?”
What’s cooler than mockumentaries? THIS STUFF. I’m not the only one who has picked up on Brian Switek’s Cooler than #SharkWeek idea. The following are some awesome sharky posts linked to from the news, blogs or twitter. I even threw in some non-shark marine biology, just because marine biology rocks. Continue reading “Cooler than #SharkWeek: A Shark-Infested Link Roundup!”
Sharks are incredible animals. They’re some of the world’s most well known creatures, popular enough to get entire weeks of television dedicated to them. They hold a special place in our hearts and minds. Whether you fear them or love them, or a bit of both, they’ve dominated our oceans for hundreds of millions of years, and still manage to evoke powerful emotions from us.
But, as amazing as they are, they are not going to cure cancer. Continue reading “Cooler than #SharkWeek: Shark Cartilage Won’t Cure Cancer”
