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Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Cancer research starts glowing, albeit with a lowly tunicate
The BBC News released a news alert today stating that there is a species of sea squirt, or tunicate, off the coast of Scotland that ” will be able to light-up microscopic cellular activity that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye”. Here’s a little bit of background on a sea squirt species found […]
What makes the swirly tracks at the ocean edge?
What I think you are referring to is the trail of a moon snail, or sometimes called a sand snail. This univalve animal has a cinnamon bun swirled shell. The shell is extremely thick to protect itself from the ocean and other animals that may try to eat it. If you try to pick it […]
Snapple real fact #800: Most lipstick contains fish scales
Yes, that is correct. Not a surprising real fact once you realize the shiny fish scales are used to create that pearl essence look. The scales are taken as a by product from a relatively large scale commercial fish processing industry of herring. Herring are one of the most abundant and most important fish groups […]
What do you call someone that collects sand?
An arenophile is someone that collects sand specimens from different beaches. Not to be confused with a person that loves aviation – an areophile. But we’ve only scratched the surface here. Check back often at http://www.beachchairscientist.com for more insight about your favorite beach discoveries.
How can you tell if that fin bobbing up and down in the distance belongs to a dolphin or a porpoise?
From far away you can probably only see the fin, right? The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin will have a dorsal fin that is hooked while the Atlantic Harbor Porpoise will have a triangular dorsal fin. If you are closer you will see other differences. For instance, the dolphin is about 7-12 feet as an adult while […]
What is oceanography?
If you take biology, physics, meteorology, chemistry, geology, geography and mix them all together (via the same concept as Ekman transport) you come up with oceanography. See this very concise infographic from the Sea Blog for a visual depiction of how it all comes together. Click here to understand the difference between a marine biologist […]
The Majestic Plastic Bag – Part IV
This just in! Another fine addition to The Majestic Plastic Bag conservation series. A reusable plastic bag company, ChicoBag Company, announced recently that they are being sued by three of the nation’s largest disposable plastic bag manufacturers. Those companies are claiming that a link on the ChicoBag Company website educating citizens about the long term […]
Colorful coquina clams sign of healthy beach
Those tiny, colorful clams with two siphons poking our of their shells that emerge quickly once the waves wash gently ashore are known as coquina (ko-KEE-nah) clams. These bivalves rarely exceed an inch long and are indicators of a healthy beach. If eroding beaches are constantly being renourished, coquina clams, as well as other sand […]
A Scientist’s Inspiration
For Dr. Penny Chisholm, a single look into the microscope as an undergraduate student set off a chain of events that led to a lifetime of work, important new research changing our understanding of the oceans and, just recently, an honor from President Obama at the White House. The Lee and Gerldine Martin Professor of […]
What is your fish of the day?
When you are going out to eat and want to eat seafood that is good for you and good for the sustainability of the ocean carry around the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch pocket guide. It lists the best choices, good alternatives and what to avoid. This guide can be downloaded and printed out, is […]
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- Robert Emahiser on Why you should never walk on dunes
- Lesa on 10 brief facts on bioluminescence
- Lisa on Limulus Love
- Beach Chair Scientist on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Bernard Rejterada on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Brian on What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?
- Inbound marketing on 15 facts about the Portuguese man-of-war that’ll have you saying “Didya know…?”
- Donnie Huckabee on Wordless Wednesday | Shell art
- John on Why you should never walk on dunes
- ItzJaylaD on What I know about whale sharks
Top posts & pages from BCS …
- Hurricane vs. Cyclone vs. Typhoon
- A House for Hermit Crab
- How to handle a horseshoe crab
- Snot's your house
- Wednesday Wisdom: Various quotes (Alaska scenes)
- A naturalist's must-see destination: Fossil Hunting at Bayfront State Park in Chesapeake Beach, MD
- Belly biology creates lasting memories
- Five awful puns about courtship in the sea
- Horseshoe crabs confirmed as members of arachnid family
- Beyond the bag: Other plastics being banned
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