Archive for category Science/Geek
The Question and Answer Book of Space: About Astronauts
Posted by Grg in Science Fandom, Science/Geek on Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The suit adds a few inches, but renders your arms useless, I'm afraid.
Many men and women, too, in this country would like to be astronauts. But who are we kidding? Men. Big men of science.
Again, like young Werner, below, note the dress and posture. Right hand up, slacks pressed with the force of a thousand colliding suns. Less casual this time, as noted by the darker sports coat and the dangling left hand. This is a man of serious cheekbones and disposition. The sort of man we need to strap to the top of a rocket and let fly. He could use the release, metaphorical or otherwise.
Why I don’t go in the water: More on Squidworm
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Science Fandom, Science/Geek on Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Who lives in your nightmares under the sea? SQUIDWORM WIGGLYPANTS!
Ugh. All wiggly and covered in its nasty little appendages. That’s not a proper worm, its the embodiment of an entry mid-way through the “S” section of the Lovecraftian bestiary. Of course, its only about 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long, but it has, like, 10 of these little arms.
Squidworm was discovered 2,800 meters (about 9200 feet) beneath the Indian Ocean, thanks to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for Finding Tiny Awful Things (EDIT: I mentioned this earlier), who found it using one of their handy submersibles. Which one? the MSNBC article I linked from doesn’t say. Bad MSNBC.
Moreover, the MSNBC folks categorize this as a missing link, which gets my hackles up some. Not only does “missing link” rank along with “holy grail” as my least favorite science cliche, it isn’t a missing link. Missing link implies transitional fossil. This is real, this is now. To what are we proposing squidworm as link between, Greg asks in a spit-flecked bit of poorly structured sentence? A worm and squid? Annelida and Mollusca? (Same thing, just getting fancy.) Can’t blame MSNBC too much, of course, as they were quoting a researcher who was looking for a way to say that these critters represent a branch of the evolutionary tree (ugh, talk about bad science cliche) where worms could move between the mud and the sea above — in that bit of the deep water known as the benthic (great word) zone.
Fortunately, you can read the scientific article in Biology Letters (if you happen to have access) which states that they used the awesomely-named Max Rover, Global Explorer, which sounds more like a PBS Kids series about a globe-trotting canine than a deep sea submersible. Max Rover isn’t part of Woods Hole, but apparently a system run by a company called Deep Sea Systems, presumably a WHOI-related contractor or something.
The Biology Letters article muses on how squidworm has managed to evade detection:
The relative inaccessibility of the deep sea has left most of its vast spaces unexplored, so discovery of new species is seldom surprising. The unusual morphology, large size, numerous observations (16 within seven dives), behaviour and phylogenetic position of T. samae are however a surprise. How could such an animal evade collection until now? We believe that the immense volume of deep, pelagic habitat, the difficulty of sampling deep demersal communities and T. samae’s ability to swim away from towed observational or sampling gear probably all contributed to its long seclusion.
The lead researcher on the project author on the study, Karen Osborn of UC, San Diego/Scripps Oceanographic Institute, previously published the discovery of a species of ocean worm that used bioluminescent bombs to evade predators. Squidworms, bomber worms…what hath Karen wrought open mankind with her insatiable thirst for the damnable horrors of annelida?
On yet another tangent, Karen’s lab website is found at spineless.ucsd.edu/ — Spineless! How freakin’ precious is that?
Update: I switched lead researcher to lead author, because I honestly don’t know if Karen was the lead on the overall project, but she was certainly the lead author on the paper.
Why I don’t go in the water: Needlefish Attack!
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Science/Geek on Tuesday, October 19, 2010
He probably uses this fish to kill other, bigger fish.
The fish’s long, pointed snout punctured Larson’s back and collapsed a lung, said Bobby Dube, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Larson, 46 of Cudjoe Key, was rescued at sea Sunday evening by two volunteer firefighters and a paramedic who rushed her to Dolphin Marina.
“She was scared. We were all scared,” said volunteer firefighter Kevin Freestone, who used two of his towboat company’s boats to respond. “She was in a very bad way. She was in a lot of pain and her breathing was weak.”
A waiting helicopter airlifted Larson nearly 100 miles to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. She was in serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit on Monday, a hospital spokesman said.
Oh, but this isn’t the first recorded attack by flying fishspears, why check out these assuredly true tales:
In 2000, a 17-year-old girl was snorkeling off Big Pine Key when she was struck by a jumping houndfish. Its bill broke off in her neck, just missing her carotid artery. She lived to tell about the tale after emergency surgery at Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon.
Another incident involving a houndfish and human occurred more than a decade ago in the Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles west of Key West.
A graduate student was diving at night for a project and the light of a glow stick tied to the top of his air tank apparently attracted the fish, which slammed into the side of his head. The graduate student lived.
A fisherman in Malaysia was not so lucky in 1999. He was killed when a houndfish stabbed him through the lung.
I like kayaking, despite my fear of that which nibbles beneath the sea. Next time, I think I’ll wear a flack jacket underneath the life vest. Still, I can’t wait until SyFy makes this into a movie, like Megapirahna, only no amount of bicycle kicking will save your ass:
Why I don’t go in the water: even more nasty things ‘neath the sea
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Rant/Rave, Science Fandom, Science/Geek on Monday, October 4, 2010
Still, I’m creeped out.
This critter, below, for example is a squidworm. The forward tentacles are there, I’m sure, to rape your mind.
Apparently, squidward squidworm was identified during a 2007 expedition to the Celebes Sea, near Borneo.
From the expedition’s chief scientist, Larry Madin:
When we got down nearer the bottom with the ROV, we encountered the most unusual and unfamiliar animal of all. When we first spotted it, people watching the video called out “squid,” “no, shrimp,” “maybe a fish,” “I think it’s a worm.” It did turn out to be a worm, but like nothing we had ever seen before. A worm almost 10 centimeters long, swimming with a row of paddles formed from stiff bristles, and with 10 long, writhing tentacles coming out of its head. No wonder we thought it could be a squid! We did end up calling it the “squidworm.” We think it may be an undescribed species, but none of us are experts on polychaete worms, so we’ll have to wait until a real specialist can tell us more about it.
Why I don’t go in the water: Sea Pigs
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Science/Geek on Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Ick.
The Question and Answer Book of Space: Earth
Posted by Grg in Science Fandom, Science/Geek, Vintage science on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Earth, of course, is much too close to the moon, or vice-versa, I’m not sure which. And both are much nearer to the sun, unless it is in the process of exploding in which case the Mercurians and Venusians have already had it. The Earth is 93 million miles or so from the sun and, as everyone knows, of course, the moon is exactly one helvetica away from the Earth, roughly 238,857 miles.
Still, it does well to set up the whole vast loneliness of space thing, which is a bit much for a kids book written in the midst of the space race. Figure this, between the book’s first printing, 1965, and this edition, 1970, Americans had already witnessed two landings and were beginning to scan the dial to see what else was on TV.
The Question and Answer Book of Space: cover
Posted by Grg in Science/Geek, Vintage science on Thursday, September 16, 2010
Its hard not to love The Question and Answer Book of Space. For one thing, while it was obviously written for the kids of 1965 — this is the 1970 edition — it really doesn’t talk down to them. Instead its written in plain, confident English. No math, no orbital mechanics, but straight answers to your pervasive space questions. Except the poop thing, for that you’d need to wait another 45 years for Mary Roach to publish on the topic.
Just look at the hangdog astronaut on the cover. Its no Chesley Bonestell, but it really ain’t bad.
Little Buzz hated getting picked last for stickball, a fate that weighed heavily upon him on the way back to base.
More to come.
Don’t Go In the Water: Soul-crushing horror edition
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Science/Geek on Friday, September 3, 2010
Either way, it is quite conceivable that you’d go mad looking at it. (Some Japanese Dude via Japanator via I09)
It is, of course, Gadzookie’s cock some kind of anemone, all gnarled up after being pulled out of the water. The locals call it a “dickswim”…’nuff said.
By the way, you can read “The Whisperer in Darkness” here.
Oh, the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (ye who made that excellent Call of Cthulhu silent film) are adapting this one too.
(link in case embed doesn’t work…)
Like Call of Cthulhu, it seems to shows its amateur roots, but I don’t expect to mind much. Whereas CoC went with a classic silent film look, here they’re trying for a little noir. Nifty. Lovecraft has been tough to adapt, at least for Hollywood. These low-budget efforts know their audience. I hope they do “Shadow Over Innsmouth” next.
Things that won’t kill you in Australian waters: plesiosaurs
Posted by Grg in Rant/Rave, Science/Geek, Skeptic on Friday, June 11, 2010
Continue Reading Things that won’t kill you in Australian waters:...
Why I don’t go in the water, especially during the Late Miocene
Posted by Grg in Don't Go In the Water, Grg's Reference, Science/Geek on Monday, May 17, 2010
The baby teeth are still nothing to sneeze at
But this isn’t that story. No, this is a story about how these gigantic predatory, be-toothed demon creatures loved their babies.
Yes, gentle reader, scientists publishing in the Public Library of Science describe the discovery of Megalodon nurseries (awww!) where hatchling sharks were protected by their enormous mothers until they themselves were big enough to swallow an entire Grateful Dead cover band in one go (including their van, most likely). How sweet.
(via Everyone PLoS ONE’s community blog)