Tag: Cooler than #SharkWeek

Cooler than #SharkWeek: Another Fin-Filled Link Roundup!

Shark Week is officially over. I’ve said all I have to say about the mockumentary and Discovery’s defense of it, but to properly wrap up the annual festivities, I wanted to link to all of the wonderful Cooler than #SharkWeek posts that have been shared since Wednesday. Have a sharky weekend!

 

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.

(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.

Want to know what a real shark biologist does in an average day? I chatted with Mark to find out.

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.

Oh, and the mystery of the subway shark has been solved.

Cooler than #SharkWeek: Real Shark Biologist Mark Royer

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”

Cooler Than #SharkWeek: Bulking Up On Bull Shark Testosterone?

Discovery Channel has pissed off tons of its viewers—including me and Wil Wheaton—by launching shark week with the mockumentary “Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives”. With so much awesome shark science out there, it’s sad that they had to stoop so low for ratings. In response to the outrage, Brian Switek started “Cooler than #SharkWeek” on twitter, highlighting actual research on sharks. I’m continuing the movement by posting or reposting a blog entry about sharks every day this week. So instead of watching Shark Week, tune into Science Sushi all week for real shark science! Today we have an updated version of my 2012 Science Sushi post busting the myth that bull sharks are constantly raging on roids…

 

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?”

Cooler than #SharkWeek: A Shark-Infested Link Roundup!

The truth. It hurts. (via Reddit)

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!”

Cooler than #SharkWeek: Shark Cartilage Won’t Cure Cancer

Discovery Channel has pissed off tons of its viewers—including me and Wil Wheaton—by launching shark week with the mockumentary “Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives”. With so much awesome shark science out there, it’s sad that they had to stoop so low for ratings. In response to the outrage, Brian Switek started “Cooler than #SharkWeek” on twitter, highlighting actual research on sharks. I’m continuing the movement by posting or reposting a blog entry about sharks every day this week. So instead of watching Shark Week, tune into Science Sushi all week for real shark science! For today’s post, we revisit my 2011 post on the pseudoscience of shark cartilage pills…

 

Tiger Shark at Coconut Island
Tiger Shark at Coconut Island

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”

Cooler than #SharkWeek: Mounting Evidence Suggests Sharks Are In Serious Trouble

Discovery Channel has pissed off tons of its viewers—including me and Wil Wheaton—by launching shark week with the mockumentary “Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives”. With so much awesome shark science out there, it’s sad that they had to stoop so low for ratings. In response to the outrage, Brian Switek started “Cooler than #SharkWeek” on twitter, highlighting actual research on sharks. I’m continuing the movement by posting or reposting a blog entry about sharks every day this week. So instead of watching Shark Week, tune into Science Sushi all week for real shark science! We’ll kick it off with some sobering statistics about shark populations from my 2012 Science Sushi post, highlighting recent NOAA research on Sharks. FYI, NOAA happens to be hosting their own Shark Week (#NOAASharkWeek), which you should definitely check out!


Can you imagine oceans without sharks? We may soon have to, as new research suggests may already be 90% of the way there. Continue reading “Cooler than #SharkWeek: Mounting Evidence Suggests Sharks Are In Serious Trouble”