You know that routine when the electricity goes out, but you find yourself flipping the lightswitch every time you walk into a room anyway? That’s how I imagine the people of Toledo felt last week when they went to fill up the tea kettle- take a shower- wash an apple- top off the dog dish- … Continue reading
This week has been full of late-day thunderstorms, which add drama to an afternoon in the lab but might also render that lab completely useless. When the electricity goes out, today’s grad student is left staring bleakly at the instrument that was surely about to return the data that would revolutionize her research. There is … Continue reading
When you’re in the middle of, say, Indiana, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the ocean. The coastline is hundreds of miles away, and you probably have plenty of environmental problems to worry about closer to home. But marine conservation is not solely the purview of coastal communities: since all rivers ultimately lead to the … Continue reading
Science can be wonderfully serendipitous. Any number of terse journal articles would seem to dispute this, but a refreshingly readable (and open access!) new article in the American Geophysical Union’s journal Earth’s Future showcases the fact that one can go searching for diatoms and instead find… plastic. Okay, this is no cause for celebration, as … Continue reading
Unlike many other environmental concerns, threats to the Great Barrier Reef are widely acknowledged beyond the scientific community. The average person may not be able to articulate exactly why the reef is at risk, but he has an idea that survival of the colorful, otherworldly seascape he remembers from so many documentaries is far from … Continue reading
Things have been a little slow as we ease into summer schedules here at UNdertheC, but check back next week as we resume our regular posting schedule! Until then, today’s Film Friday ushers in the first official beach weekend of the year with a neat infographics video about oyster restoration. The video, made by a … Continue reading
Tomorrow, May 10th, is International Migratory Bird Day, and you may be worried that your expertise in diatoms or turbulent mixing just won’t cut it at the big ornithology party tonight. Well, UNdertheC is looking up and so is your evening, because we are here with a snapshot of a bird impressive enough to entertain … Continue reading
With finals week upon us, all those affiliated with a university may be feeling a little exhausted at the moment. If the internet has taught us anything though, it’s that there’s nothing like a fun animal video to lift your spirits/help you procrastinate. This clip combines the improbably buoyant sunfish with a little inspiration as … Continue reading
Although this blog provides a range of editorial formats, from fantasy to mystery this week alone, it has been sadly deficient in advice columns. Perhaps this is because we have not received a single request for guidance in the mountain of mail that routinely arrives at UNdertheC headquarters, but Dear Abby hasn’t been around this … Continue reading
The above video might call to mind the “jellyfish forest” in a certain Pixar movie, but divers have nothing to fear from the eponymous inhabitants of Jellyfish Lake. (I’m pretty sure oceanographers can only mention Finding Nemo once every few months or they start to lose credibility, so you bet I waited for an optimal … Continue reading
UNder the C 