July 27, 2010 - British scientists have created an extremely detailed model of a hammerhead shark to study the creature's legendary sense of smell. The information gathered from this research may be used to develop counter-terrorism devices and more. View the video at Reuters.

 

 

July 26, 2010 - The following video shows seals on Chatham's North Beach on July 19, 2010:

July 22, 2010 - Blue Hill Maine - PRNewswire -
To break up crude oil unleashed by the Deepwater Horizon rig, BP has injected nearly two million gallons of Corexit chemical dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico. The massive volume of dispersants and the way they have been applied -- both on the surface and 5,000 feet beneath it -- is unprecedented. Once oil is dispersed in deep water, it cannot be recovered.

Although the gusher is currently capped, deep concern about negative impacts the dispersant/crude oil mix will have on both the marine ecosystem and human health has prompted leading ocean scientists to issue a consensus statement that urges a halt to any further dispersant use in the Gulf.

The statement, authored by Dr. Susan Shaw, Director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute, stands on a large body of research indicating that crude oil and dispersants are more toxic when they are combined than either oil or dispersants alone. The statement also calls for:

 

• Full public disclosure of all the chemical ingredients in the Corexit formulations and full toxicity data on these chemicals in combination with oil.
• Full public disclosure of information about adverse health effects and all monitoring and testing data collected by government agencies.
• Immediate funding for independent research to fully assess toxic impacts on the ecosystem and human health. The scientists believe the worst impacts of the disaster are yet to come, and without deliberate, independent scientific tracking and assessment, they could remain hidden.

Marine scientists and conservation organizations are invited to add their signatures to the document. It can be found on the website of the Marine Environmental Research Institute, www.meriresearch.org.

Initial signatories include:

 

• Sylvia A. Earle, PhD, Ocean Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society; Advisory Council Chairman, Harte Research Institute
• Susan D. Shaw, DrPH, Marine Toxicologist, Director, Marine Environmental Research Institute
• Carl Safina, PhD, President, Blue Ocean Institute
• David Gallo, PhD, Oceanographer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• David Guggenheim, PhD, Marine Biologist/Conservationist, President, 1planet1ocean – a project of The Ocean Foundation
• Edith Widder, PhD, President and Senio

July 16, 2010 - Scientists from Australia's Queensland Brain Institute have used high-tech equipment to capture underwater creatures at depths not documented from before (see slide show at BBC). Using deep-sea cameras and instrument platforms new to Australia, prehistoric six-gilled sharks, giant oil fish, swarms of crustaceans and many unidentified fish were caught on camera nearly one mile below sea level at Osprey Reef, 218 miles northeast of Cairns on Australia's north east coast.  The team, led by Professor Justin Marshall, captured the sea creatures using special low-light sensitive, custom-designed remote controlled cameras, which sat on the sea floor. The Australian Research Council funded the equipment that was built at The Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institute in Florida.

"Osprey Reef is one of the many reefs in the Coral Sea Conservation Zone, which has been identified as an area of high conservation importance by the Federal Government. Therefore, it is paramount that we identify the ecosystems and species inhabiting the area," Professor Marshall said.  "As well as understanding life at the surface, we need to plunge off the walls of Osprey to describe the deep-sea life that lives down to 2000m, beyond the reach of sunlight. We simply do not know what life is down there and our cameras can now record the behaviour and life in Australia's largest biosphere, the deep-sea."

Scientists working on the Deep Australia project also collected amazing footage of the Nautilus, a relative of squid or octopus that still lives in a shell as they have done for millions of years.  Researchers measured these "living fossils" to find out more about their biology before returning them to sea. "Learning more about these creatures' primitive eyes and brain could help neuroscientists to better understand human vision," research student Andy Dunstan said.

Professor Marshall explained most of our knowledge on how nerve cells function and communicate was first pioneered through work on squid giant nerve cells. "We are now returning to these original model systems, both for their own intrinsic interest and also to better understand brain disorders which lead to conditions such as epilepsy," he said.

In September the scientists will travel to the Peruvian Trench off South America where they will film and capture deep-sea species 2,000m below sea level. One creature they hope to encounter is the Giant Squid, possessor of the world's largest nerve cell. Deep Australia Project Manager Kylie Greig said the trip would help shed light on how deep-sea creatures had evolved over time.

"This technology will help the discovery of deep-sea creatures' adaptations to the challenges of living at crushing depths and in freezing and dark water. Here they must find food and mates in the dark and avoid being eaten themselves. We are interested in the sensory systems used for this lifestyle," she said.

• See slide show from the project at BBC.
• Read more on this story from AFP.