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!