The End of the Line

The documentary EVERYONE should watch: 

Directed by Rupert Murray (2009)

The End of the Line shows us where our seafood comes from; the impact fisheries have on the ecosystem and how it affects YOU.  It is surprising how much we don’t know or think about when doing our groceries.  Just download it now, while you read this. You won’t see fish the same way after watching this. I promise it’s not one of those boring documentaries you would only watch because it was played during class. But, if you still don’t want to give it a chance here’s the take home message: 

Ask before you buy where your seafood comes from and only eat sustainable seafood .

Biology Bucket List #1

See a Narwhal in the wild

Narwhals have always caught my interest they look as made up creatures I used to draw back in elementary school. The marine version of an unicorn is something I want to watch up close. There aren't many studies about this specie since sightings are few due to their ecology and habitat (deep-water Arctic waters). I would be fascinated to learn more about them up close one day, hopefully sooner than later.


          The Narwhal or Narwhale

Monodon monoceros ("one tooth, one horn").

The narwhal's long horn, is actually an ivory tusk tooth that grows right out of the narwhal's upper lip. Males have the long swordlike spiral tusk that can grow up to 2.7 m, while females usually have no tusk or might sometimes grow a small one. To see these mystical creatures I have to travel to Canada or Greenland since they prefer the Artic Ocean. Luckily they have a fixed migration schedule, every summer pods of narwhals arrive in northwest Greenland coast and scientist go out and camp in the cold patiently waiting for them. While inuits patiently wait for their dinner, a Narwhal can grow up to 6 meters and weight 3,500 lb this can feed a whole family for months. Narwhals are an important source of meat for inuit hunters which are allowed to eat them as long as they can hunt them with their own traditional methods and nothing goes to waste. (Watch BBC Human Planet: The Artic to watch their impressive hunting skills).


But I've always thought why do these strange whales carry this unicorn type of horn around?

Well there are more than one hypotheses.
 A) They use their tusk to dig or to spear their prey.
B) To make holes in the ice or test how thick the ice cap is.
C) For mating rituals: to impress the girls and fight other suitors.  
(The Biology and Ecology of Narwhals Dr. Kristin Laidre, Polar Science Center Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington).


It's hard to determine whether they use their tusks to hunt since no one has ever seen a narwhal feeding. They stay far away from the coast and live in waters covered by sea ice and feed in deep waters in complete darkness. This whales have the record for marine mammals deepest dives they can dive down to 1,500 meters, thats 30 olympic pools stacked downward!!!  How could I not want to meet this impressive creatures???

Tours that offer you the chance to watch one:
http://whales.net
While I hope the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will recruit me to join them on their narwhal expedition studies:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06arctic/background/biology/biology.html

Missing in action

Hellooo been out for a while..  I know several months more than I planned, I;'ve got so much to tell, where to start is the hardest part. But hey I'm here now, virtually.  
Physically.. well here's my update I'm in Panama City been here since the end of September. I applied for a 3-month internship at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and so far it's been the best decision I've made, career wise. Working on a project on the molecular evolution of sea urchins with Dr. Lessios. I was suppose to leave last year on December. Luckily at work they liked me as much as I loved working there.  So when they offered me too stay 2 more months I couldn't say NO... impossible. You see what I do here is exactly everything I want, it's Monday for example and I couldn't be happier, yes I have to wake up early, and work for 8 hours but I couldn't imagine having a better job to do. I've learn so much in the past six months and had so much fun at the same time.

Last but not least on the list ;)

January-February 2013
Ok. So I stayed for two more months this time working with Dr. Hiller which is part of Dr. Lessios lab also and therefore involves molecular work too. But with cute little crabs, porcelain crabs. Testing primers to find the best to amplify and sequence specific DNA fragments in various class of porcelain crab species. Then sequencing this DNA and analyzing the DNA sequence through a special software (Sequencher) which I learned to use. Yes I feel like I'm part of an investigation team and most days it's like CSI only I'm looking at crab, starfish or sea urchin DNA instead of the classic murder suspect.





 
March-April 2013

3+2+2= yes 7 months living in Panama City. I got another extension for 2 more months, so my not-so-short internship turned into this wonderful experience in which I learned so much I'll just have to write another entry about it. I promise to keep you updated, but hey it's Monday gotta get back to work. Wish you all a wonderful week!

Adaptation: Moscow stray dogs

Who?

Our pets never seize too amaze us, and these Russian dogs are no exception. With the difference of being free to wander all over the city, these stray dogs have become much smarter than others around the world. It's not only humans who get around  Moscow by subway, these dogs are daily users of the subway knowing  which train to ride and exactly were to jump off. Their daily routine starts early in the morning where they take the train from the suburbs to the center of Moscow in search of food and back home. 

When?

This way of life as suggested by Russian scientist started back in 1990 after the Soviet union downfall, Moscow's industrial complexes were moved from the city to the outskirts of Moscow. 

Why?

These industrial complexes where home to the Muscovite stray dogs, so they made the smartest decision: move together with their houses. 

How?

Even if it meant learning how to travel by subway, these smarty pants succeeded and  have adapted wonderfully and just like us people take the train downtown and the back home in the evening.

Food is abundant downtown and obtaining it is difficult task for these clever dogs. 

They have developed numerous skills for their survival such as:

Nap Time

 1. Surprise attack: Barking at unaware citizens while they enjoy a shawarma, hotdog whatever their snack of choice, taken by surprise they tend to drop their food and dogs quickly snatch it mid air or from the ground. 

2. Puppy eyes: They also use gentler methods in their urban hunt for food, making use of their natural canine cuteness they choose appropriate subjects to show their puppy eyes or rub their heads against.

3. Timing: Knowing when to jump off the train, biologist say these dogs use their sense of time to know when they've reached their destination.

4. Crossing streets: They do this not by reacting to the color red or green, but on the image they see on the traffic light.

5. Jumping stunts: these stray dogs have learned to enjoy their daily routine by making up a game. Which consists on jumping in the subways just seconds before the doors close risking to get their tails caught.

My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine to five..♪♫

Subway riders and canine etiquette:

 

Wise Words

Job Hunt

I just graduated last week :)!! So.. what next? The Job Hunt. Nothing to worry about there are so many work possibilities out there, doesn't matter if they are unconventional as long as you enjoy it, right?

Like for example this job I discovered while watching one of my favorite documentary series: Human Planet by BBC (not that I would do it, but he seems to enjoy himself :P)

Teamwork taken to a whole new level

Survival Skills

I grew up in Honduras, a country in development. Where the government isn't as efficient as one would desire, health conditions and living conditions are deplorable. Many diseases like cholera, rotavirus, dengue are mortal and take the life of many because they don't have access to medical assistance. But there are simple solutions that can help out those in need, if they only knew about them!

So today I'm hoping to teach you some of you out there a lesson on how to survive the Rotavirus, even though it's a common disease among children this can save lives. First of all let me tell you about the nasty Rotavirus, it's transmitted by touching contaminated objects, surfaces, hands etc.. and introducing them in your mouth. So contaminated with what exactly...? Feces, poo, excrement however you call it.(eww eww eww)  This nasty virus produces severe diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Causing extreme dehydration, and in a few days if no medical attention is received it can be lethal.

But the simple DIY Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) saves lives:

1. Prepare one liter of clean water.

2. Add 6 teaspoons of sugar, into the water.

3. Then half a teaspoon of salt, mix.

Add the exact measurements of salt and sugar, since too much sugar makes diarrhea worse and too much salt is bad. Adding more water is fine.

Learned this from the fabulous: www.colorsmagazine.com and I had to share it!

Hope you remember:  

  6 sugar tsp + 1/2 salt tsp + water= NO MORE DIARRHEA!