Loads of iInteresting reading for Marine geeks like me ;-)

[Jan]

http://www.crystalinks.com/marine.html

 

Enjoy!

J

[Minh B.]

Jan, what an awesome link and I love how it's in timeline format! It's ironic that for years, many have been in search of alien lifeforms in space, when we have our own alien lifeforms in the ocean. Also, developmental and evolutionary biologists have been on a constant search for ancestral organism(s) that displayed adaptations that would facilitate transition from life in the ocean to life on land. Like the fish with hands, the frogfish with eyes facing forward, and the fish with the ability to move its head freely in your link. I guess until we find mermaid/mermen, we're always going to be on the search for that evolutionary missing link.

[Jan]

+1 These are the reasons why I'm going back to school in the Spring.

 

Jan, what an awesome link and I love how it's in timeline format! It's ironic that for years, many have been in search of alien lifeforms in space, when we have our own alien lifeforms in the ocean. Also, developmental and evolutionary biologists have been on a constant search for ancestral organism(s) that displayed adaptations that would facilitate transition from life in the ocean to life on land. Like the fish with hands, the frogfish with eyes facing forward, and the fish with the ability to move its head freely in your link. I guess until we find mermaid/mermen, we're always going to be on the search for that evolutionary missing link.

[kjamaya]

Great read. I remember seeing a lot of these discoveries on TV.

[YHSublime]

Woah. Mother Nature is wild.

[matt]

Wow, that's nuts. And there are male bass laying eggs in the Potomac? Who knew

[Minh B.]

Wow, that's nuts. And there are male bass laying eggs in the Potomac? Who knew

 

It's funny you mentioned this as I was contemplating on doing a post on this, but wasn't sure if ppl were interested. This intersexed phenomena was noticed ~10 years ago and was attributed to water pollution. A fellow colleague of mine at work researches hormonal response and she's collaborating with field ecologists to test water across the country. What she found is that our water (even in the Potomac) is polluted with estrogen-like chemicals. Mother nature, in an attempt to break down these hormones have created unnatural estrogen-like chemicals that is more potent that natural estrogen. Also, these estrogen-like chemicals are found in tap water as it cannot be removed by water treatment facilities. It can only be removed by carbon filtration and water treatment facilities stopped using carbon awhile back -too expensive. Increased estrogen in human males have been linked to decreased libido, feminized physiological features (ie breast growth) & increased risks for prostate cancer. So change your carbon filters often and even supposed 'natural spring' water is not that natural.

[YHSublime]

Every time I read things like this, or see things like this, I can't help but think of this, "D*** nature... you scary!"

 

http://youtu.be/Y45xj38z4pI

Edited January 15, 2013 by YHSublime