Marine Biology – Page 43

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Evolution of Foraminifera Questioned

July 6, 2009

A long, long time ago, primitive sea creatures called foraminifera lived on the ocean bottom. One day, some of them invaded a new ecological niche: the ocean surface. There, they became part of the plankton zoo. When the catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs occurred, most of the surface foraminifera died. But they recovered in […]

Birds

How the Animals Learned to Count

July 6, 2009

Any evolutionary article that begins with “How…” should be checked for Kipling-style just-so storytelling. Characteristics to watch for include (1) fanciful speculation without evidence: i.e., “made-up” tales that provide an answer to a childish question without appeal to rigorous proof, and (2) statements made with dogmatic authority, like a parent would explain to a child […]

Amazing Facts

Protein Springs Keep Crabs Happy

June 1, 2009

Crabs and crayfish contain “exquisite” protein springs around their mouth parts that enhance motion, signaling, and sensing of their environment, Science Daily reported, about work done at the University of Cambridge. The protein involved, called resilin, is almost perfectly elastic. “The exquisite rubbery properties of resilin are known to be put to use […]

Amazing Facts

Cuttlefish Inspire Reflective Screens

May 14, 2009

“Cuttlefish are masters of disguise, able to change their skin color in less than a second to hide from predators or draw in prey for the kill,” begins an article on MSNBC News. A team at MIT, fascinated with the physics of this capability, tried to imitate it. They found they could electrically control the […]

Amazing Facts

Better Solar Cells with Diatoms

April 14, 2009

Let’s start with the operative quote before the subject matter: “Nature is the engineer, not high tech tools. This is providing a more efficient, less costly way to produce some of the most advanced materials in the world.” OK, now the subject: how to build better solar cells, by imitating diatoms. See the story on […]

Cell Biology

Evolutionary Explanations: Substance, Seasoning, or Storytelling?

April 7, 2009

A scientific theory should explain why certain phenomena in nature are the way they are. This layman’s view, though simplistic, expects that a theory should also predict new phenomena before they are observed. In many science reports on evolution, however, one finds evolutionary theory tacked on as an explanation after the fact, when the theory […]

Amazing Facts

Envying the Tooth of the Sea Urchin

March 31, 2009

Did you know the lowly sea urchin has a tooth? It’s not just any tooth: it’s “a remarkable grinding tool,” according to a team of international scientists. They even used the word “exquisite” in the title of their paper in PNAS.1 Humans might benefit from knowing more about this tool. “The improved understanding of these […]

Fossils

Fossil Fish Pushes Evolutionary Time

March 26, 2009

Quick! When was the Age of Fishes? If you said “Devonian,” you were correct according to the textbooks and museums, but where’s your evidence? Look at this diorama in the Smithsonian depicting the seas of the Silurian, the period preceding the Devonian: crinoids, trilobites, corals and nautiloids, but no fish. It may be time to […]

Mammals

Is a Hippo a Pig or a Whale?

March 24, 2009

Two teams of evolutionists are having a spat over whale evolution. Thewissen and team (Northeastern Ohio U) say the hippo is close to the pig, but Jessica Theodor (U of Calgary) and Jonathan Geisler (Georgia Southern U) say it’s in the whale family tree. Their arguments and counter-arguments were published in Nature last week.1 Science […]

Birds

Amazing Fossils: Do They Help Darwin?

March 19, 2009

Some remarkable fossils have been found recently. According to the reports, scientists are not sure what to make of them, even though evolutionary language is liberally applied to the interpretation. Octopus: The earliest fossil octopus is 100% octopus. A rare well-preserved octopus fossil, as unlikely as finding a fossilized sneeze according to Live Science, shows […]

Dumb Ideas

Using Engineering to Prove Evolution

March 3, 2009

David Deamer smiling at a tide pool: is there an evolutionary connection? The picture accompanies an article on Science Daily about Deamer’s latest thinking on the origin of life. He’s going to share his ideas at a symposium in Oakland, California, organized by Eugenie Scott of the NCSE. According to Deamer, life began with complex […]

Fossils

A Tale of Two Sites: Moby Dog and The Claw

February 6, 2009

Discoveries portrayed as major evolutionary missing links were announced this week. One is a putative transitional form from land animal to whale, and one is a Cambrian trilobite-like creature said to be evolving the first claw. Moby dog: The current evolutionary scenario for the origin of whales is that they evolved from dog-like hoofed animals […]

Birds

Is Natural Selection Losing its Appeal?

January 28, 2009

Some recent science reports sound like they are ready to cast Darwin’s key phrase natural selection overboard, or at least demote it from its leading role in evolution. These articles each hint that long-held beliefs are being challenged. Make room: Science Daily asked, “Natural Selection Not The Only Process That Drives Evolution?” Scientists at Uppsala […]

Amazing Facts

Biology Now Includes Fluid Dynamic Construction

January 13, 2009

There’s an old legend that Tibetan monks built a wall by levitating heavy stones with sound by beating their drums and gongs. Something not quite so fantastic but still amazing is done by cells in the embryo. Scientists have filmed zebrafish embryos using beating cilia to build little stone structures that they use for balance. […]

Dumb Ideas

Blame Hiccups on Your Inner Fish

December 16, 2008

Why do humans get hernias and hiccups? Neil Shubin says it’s because of your inner fish. In the Scientific American series on Darwin, the discoverer of Tiktaalik was trying to show how evolutionary theory sheds light on human anatomy. He looked back to fish and amphibians and found insight. “A glimpse inside the […]

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