ocean

Biological Stowaways: Deadly Ballast Water

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:26:16 +0000

Thirty years ago, a North American ship dumped ballast water containing comb jellyfish into the black sea and triggered a catastrophic decline in marine life. A decade later, discharged ballast containing a strain of cholera contaminated shellfish of the coast of Peru, killing more than 12,000 Latin Americans. These cases of biological stowaways are being targeted by the United Nations for regulation – but the treaty that would prevent future catastrophes has yet to be ratified. Fred Pearce is the environment consultant for New Scientist discusses the stowaway problem and potential solutions with us.

Just How Big Are The Eyes Of A Giant Squid?

Nell Greenfieldboyce — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:08:00 +0000

Giant and colossal squids can be more than 40 feet long, if you measure all the way out to the tip of their two long feeding tentacles. But it's their eyes that are truly huge — the size of basketballs.

Now, scientists say these squids may have the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom because they need to detect a major predator, the sperm whale, as it moves toward them through the underwater darkness.

"It's always been a vexing question, of why they have such large eyes," says Roger Hanlon, a biologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

"Underwater Wilderness" Areas

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

EarthTalk®
E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk:I heard the term “underwater wilderness” recently. What does it refer to?
-- Melissa Cook, via e-mail

Hey, look what's down there...

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:22:32 +0000

A team from UNH made some pretty cool discoveries about the world's deepest hole, the Mariana Trench.