Need Some Extra Credit???

The Deep Sea News blog, is insane. It's like up-to-date ocean information for those with ADD. You should follow it.

Knot Wednesday is your challenge. Every Wednesday, a new knot is posted. Learn the knot and bring it into class and you will receive extra credit. NOTE: the knot MUST be tied correctly for credit to be awarded!

Thieving Slugs

In the salty marshes in New England and Canada, there are some pretty awesome slugs. And believe it, for me to refer to a slug as "awesome", it must have done something amazing.

These slugs have actually stolen the genes from algae they have eaten and incorporated those genes into their own. The algae, of course, are photosynthetic and contain the green pigment chlorophyll. And as I am sure you remember from your biology class, chlorophyll is what absorbs sunlight so the plant can make its own food. The chlorophyll itself is not enough, however, for the slugs to perform photosynthesis, so they have also developed a way to steal the chloroplasts from algae as well.

Scientists have isolated a few of these critters and observed them in tanks. Apparently, the genes for chlorophyll can be passed on to the youngins', (Can anyone say "evolution"?) but the chloroplasts cannot. Algae, for now, must be eaten by the young slug in order to get the chloroplasts to perform photosynthesis. But once that has been accomplished, not more searching for food!

How Do You Find an Octopus???

Oh. My Gosh. This is sooo funny. I had no idea an octopus would commandeer a coconut shell to live in, let alone pick it up and run away with it!

Octopus snatches coconut and runs

Goin' Fishin'

How cool is this?

These are the deepest fish we can find.





Do you know where the Santa Fe Trail ruts are out towards Wilsey? They are five miles from town. This is how far down in the ocean these fish live.

I Want to Go Here

Feeling stressed out by finals?

Just need a break?

Really like to watch fish swim by?

This the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Well worth the four and a half minutes you will (repeatedly) watch this.