One of the biggest environmental questions facing our society today is this: Is our reliance on fossil fuels leading to the destruction of natural beauty (and natural resources). If you are a reader of The New York Times, then perhaps you have already seen this amazing piece. It’s a killer piece of long-form written to discuss … Continue reading
Recent headlines have reported that a mass coral bleaching event is currently threatening coral reefs throughout the Hawaiian Islands. But what exactly does that mean? Corals turn white.. so what? Why does that matter? Here are a few things you need to know about coral bleaching and how it is like a bad break-up: What exactly is a coral? … Continue reading
Why, my friends, do we head to the beach? Is it for the sun, the surf, the sand, the salt? Seashells, seagulls, sandpipers, swimming, snorkeling? (oh god somebody stop me). No! Obviously, we pile ourselves in a hot, sandy car for hours and burn ourselves to a crisp for the smells. Yes, you heard me … Continue reading
In a new study made available last week via PNAS, MIT scientists (and list of multi-national, multi-disciplinary) collaborators have uncovered that corals can actually manipulate flow near their bodies and are not left to depend solely on the whims of ambient flow. Corals are sessile and depend on flow to exchange nutrients and dissolved gases … Continue reading
No matter the size, color, or species, what unites almost all of life on Earth is it’s ultimate dependence on sunlight. Plants use energy from the sun to grow, which we and other organisms then utilize through stuffing those plants (and animals that have eaten plants) into our greedy mouths. However, there are exceptions to … Continue reading
If you like Lord of the Rings as much as I do (let’s be real, you don’t), then you’re familiar with the film’s scene in which Bilbo and Gandalf take turns blowing smoke rings (I know, I know, Gandalf blows a ship, not a ring). Maybe you’ve even seen one of your old uncles partaking … Continue reading
What do you think of when you think about the Galapagos? Darwin, finches, tortoises, blue-footed boobys? What else comes to mind? The word pristine, perhaps? How many people do you think live on the Galapagos (a volcanic archipelago owned by Ecuador, but located well off of the coast)? In 1970 there were around 4,000 … Continue reading
Once again, it’s Shark Week on Discovery Channel. As a marine scientist I can’t condone the unholy union of fact and fiction which has seemed to characterize this year’s programming (see “Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine” and “Megalodon: The Shark That Lives”), but I can’t deny that sharks are pretty awesome. Despite evidence that a … Continue reading
Since lionfish invaded the Caribbean and Atlantic, there have been programs promoting the consumption of lionfish in an effort to control them. There have been lionfish cookouts following lionfish derbies, restaurants serving lionfish, and even fishermen selling and exporting lionfish filets. But in 2012, Florida Sea Grant and the FDA found detectable levels of ciguatera … Continue reading
Hola from Mexico! It is an exciting summer for us at UNdertheC! I am currently in Akumal, Mexico with the Bruno lab for a week of field work. Kelsey is also in the field but field work for all of our different research areas at UNdertheC can be very different. Follow Kelsey’s oceanography cruise and … Continue reading
UNder the C 