Biology: \bī-ˈä-lə-jē\ : the science of studying living organisms

Echoes and Silence

2010-08-22T21:31:00.005-04:00

SILENCE

of the voiceless
creator”   The earthworm,
pillbug, of the blind
consuming the bodies

now faceless, unrecognizable, as
death brings life to saprophage,

soil, flora, atmosphere;
their silent turning and returning
of the bodily goods

I wrote this poem as a conversational response to the first stanza of Robert Creeley's "Echo", below:

ECHO

of the nameless
breather"   The brother,
sister, of the faceless
now adamant body, all
still unsaid, unfledged,
unrecognized until
death all so sudden
comes for the people
and we are one
in this covenant, all the nameless,
those still breathing,
all brothers, sisters,
mothers, fathers,
just a piece of the real,
the fading action, one afer one
this indifferent, inexorable, bitter
affliction strikes down

          - Robert Creeley
            Life and Death
            NY: New Directions, 1998

Science, Religion, and Politics - the Ultimate Relaxed Conversation

2010-04-30T22:53:00.006-04:00

http://www.vidacollection.org/app/webroot/files/Jul_04_2008_102259_Darwins_finches.jpg

One of my closest friends is a chemist. Perhaps that we are both scientists contributes to our understanding of each other – of our views, our personalities, and our beliefs. We certainly disagree on many things, but I feel that just adds interest and spice to our friendship, and in many ways, we are very much alike. As it turns out, so are our fathers – perhaps even more so than we are. They belong to the same political camp, and are fastidiously tied to their strong political views. They will preach to anyone who will listen…and also to anyone who won’t. They are both religious, and very much dedicated to their faith. They have yet to meet, though I envision the two of them having heated discussions with each other lasting all day and well into the night with no one in particular to convince, as they will echo each other’s thoughts entirely. Yet they are both so forcefully dedicated to their views, the discussion would be as spirited and heated as if they were on opposing sides, instead of together opposing the other side. And while this is going on, I would laugh at how alike they are, and wonder how they will get on without each other after this. My friend – not so much. Just the thought gets her riled up – “Ooh, I can’t stand it when my dad is like that! Do you know that if our fathers were to meet, I would never hear the end of it! That’s all my father needs – to meet someone else who agrees with him so completely – and your father, of course – that would just confirm to him how "right" he is!”

Now, knowing my friends father, and understanding him through my own, I feel that I get his personality. But he is also a chemist – he is a scientist, and so I was shocked when my friend told me recently that he doesn’t believe in evolution. How can a scientist not believe in evolution?! It’s a basic fundamental principle of science! I thought here was the place where our fathers probably differed. I had never asked my father about that before, and based on his religious and political views, one might automatically assume that he would not, but he does believe in the existence of aliens so I thought that perhaps an idea like evolution wasn’t so far off. I wanted to know, so I called and asked him. “No.” he stated emphatically, almost sounding offended. “There is no such thing. Some people do, they think they came from apes, but I certainly didn’t come from an ape.” Welp – couldda seen that one coming!

Perhaps that there is room for religion and science to coexist. Perhaps one can have a strong faith and also believe in evolution. In science, we are constantly finding and figuring out new things, organisms, ideas – formulating new hypotheses; scientific beliefs are constantly evolving as we understand the world around us more and more. In science, it is important to acknowledge when we don’t know the answer to something. Perhaps there is something to that in religion, as well. Perhaps it is okay to say “Yes, I believe in this”, while also saying “I don’t fully understand that.” Faith isn’t about understanding and knowing, it’s about believing. Cannot one have a strong religious faith, believe in scientifically likely scenarios, and acknowledge “I have faith in this, I acknowledge the likelihood of that, and I don’t understand how they connect”?

******

Sciencenrrd will be taking a temporary hiatus for the summer; see you in a few weeks!

Nothing Gold Can Stay (Robert Frost)

2010-04-25T21:43:00.018-04:00

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

- Robert Frost

Radial Beauty

2010-04-05T18:59:00.033-04:00

http://life.nbii.gov/dml/mediadetail.do?id=4639&pt=l2Search

Radiolaria are unicellular marine zooplankton. Most are microscopic, though they can reach a millimeter or more in size. They possess a soft, amoebic inner capsule containing the endoplasm, or inner part of the cell, and ectoplasm, or outer part of the cell. The cell is surrounded by a perforated outer skeleton, or test, composed of silica. Taking their name from their form, they are often radially symmetrical, and their skeletons accumulate on the sea floor as radiolarian ooze, a sediment which eventually becomes sedementary rock.

Radiolaria date back to the start of the Cambrian period, and have seen very little change over time. They are mainly found in the upper regions of open oceans, where they feed on other planktonic organisms and frequently contain symbiotic algae which provide much of their energy. Like other amoeba, radiolaria use pseudopodia to capture food.

These geometric organisms possess astoundingly intricate skeletons, and much diversity in shape. The glass-like tests are concentric spheres, each perforated and connected by radial bars. It is through the perforations that the radiolaria extend their pseudopodia when feeding.

Radiolaria are fascinating and beautiful creatures; their tests are truly works of art. They are an impeccable example of nature’s elegance, perfection, and order. The delicate shapes often remind me of honeycombs, perhaps formed into the shape of a birdcage, a glistening star, or a creature out of a Dr. Seuss story. Radiolaria have inspired the work of many artists, including those at Nervous System.

Above left and center: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/people/klf/MicroGallery.htm

Above right: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgfeb05/img5bd27.jpg

2010-04-01T20:49:00.001-04:00

http://www.nhpr.org/node/16287

Polleneaters

2010-03-25T01:40:00.015-04:00

photo taken by ScienceNrrd

Spring is easing itself right in to life again, and I was lucky to get a jump-start on it by spending a few days in a warmer climate, where flowers are already in bloom. Instead of looking out my window, longing for the sun to burst through the cold, instead of pulling my scarf just a little more tightly around my neck, I found myself sitting on a deck in a sleeveless tank, munching on begonias. With an occassional sneeze and a lazy smile, I spent several days with one of my favorite snacks at my reach. Their tart, juicy, sweet petals are a temptation my taste buds have not been able to resist since I discovered their delicious secret during my teenage rebellions.

"Come here," I had whispered to my youngest sister, "you need to try something."

"What is it?" she had asked, wondering at the sly look on my face.

"Just come. I found something, and it's incredible."

She followed my outside to the deck, and watched as I plucked a petal off a begonia plant and ate it.

"What?" she asked, confused, as I picked another and handed it to her.

"Eat it. It's amazing."

"Eat it?"

"Yes. It's like Starbursts, only as a flower," I said.

She took the petal, cautiously putting it to her mouth, one eyebrow raised. I watched her chew as delight spread across her face. "Mmm, those are good. Give me another one."

We sat outside eating begonias until we had picked every petal out of every pot. Not until we stood to go back inside did it occur to us what the consequences of our herbicidal snack might be. "Mom's gonna kill us." As we predicted, our mother was anything but happy when she found her potted garden decimated.

*

Since those days, I have often enjoyed the tartness of the flowers, albeit with more restraint. I've invited many companions to try the delicacy, with mixed reactions. I've shared the delights of the floral delicacy to a new crop of polleneaters, and to my delight, they enjoy it as much as I do. The budding snackers are eager and willing, and with some direction, manage to not destroy the plants. Instead, they pull off petals and dab pollen on their faces, playing with their food before eating it.
And as I sat on the deck praising the sun, a little polleneater approached me with a yellow nose.

Neurons and On Being a Science Nrrd

2010-02-23T13:35:00.019-05:00

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/667/1077neuron.jpg

I am currently studying the physiology of cells, and to be specific, at this particular moment I am studying neurons. Neurons, and how synapses are formed, are quite facinating, and I just may be posting about them sometime soon. In the meantime, in doing research for my work, I came across a cute-as-a-baby-elephant stuffed neuron, and just couldn't resist it. My niece is being baptised soon, and so I have ordered this brain cell for her, as I think that it is never too early to work on the phenotypic expression of the science nrrd gene. Because as http://www.giantmicrobes.com/ says, "The more brain cells you have, the smarter you are."

>Sigh< if only my own children would understand the coolness of science, and thereby, the cuteness of this plushie. Alas, I am their mom. And so at one of their last cross-country meets, as I sauntered over to their team's spectators area sporting a neon periodic table T-shirt and deftly working a Rubik's Cube while searching the crowd for my children, it was the older 7th grade boys from their team who came over to me exclaiming, "Hey, cool! You know how to do that thing? How fast can you solve it?" and looking duly impressed with my "Eh, a little over two minutes or so". (Not particularly impressive, but when they can't solve it at all, any time is good time). And off in the distance, I caught a glimpse of my children, at once, glaring at me with "How could you?" expressions and shielding their eyes as they turned and hurried off. "Ugh, she's so embarrassing..." I could almost hear it. Well, budding scientists that they are, something to which their every teacher since kindergarten has attested, they will embrace their inner ScienceNrrd gene. It just can't be forced upon them. And so, the Rubik's Cube went back into my bag, replaced by my camera. I got some great action shots that day. And their teammates still think I'm cool. Which means that, in some small, indirect way, they think science is cool. And that is quite a fabulous accomplishment.

Evolution of a Blog

2010-02-05T07:36:00.009-05:00

by ScienceNrrd 2/2010

For all of you who have been following my blog, I want to say thank you! This blog began as a small experimental project I undertook for a creative writing class while working towards my degree in both Biology and in Scientific and Creative Writing. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I feel I've found a great tool for one of my goals: to make biology fun, interesting, and accessible to laypeople. The underlying goal behind the project itself was to become familiarized with the medium of blogging - to get to know what it is all about, and what I can do with it. http://aphroditian.blogspot.com/ (the original url for this blog) was a great introduction for me into this particular sphere of writing.

I now have the opportunity to continue this blog as part of another project. My basic aim with this blog is still the same: to educate people about biology, while making it enjoyable, accessible, and interesting, but creating an independent study revolving around this blog, it is my hope to broaden it into something bigger, more expansive, and ultimately, to take it to a higher level. Now that I've begun to understand the basics about blogging, I can delve more deeply into how to expand my blog's reachability and readership, what makes a blog truly successful, and what form that success might take. Will that be in the number of hits I generate? Will this blog be quoted or used somewhere else? Will it inspire people to want to learn more about science? Whatever it is, I will be here working on my blog, making changes - sometimes openly, sometimes behind the scenes technical changes – and, enjoying the experience, of working on the evolution of my blog. I hope you continue to join me as http://aphroditian.blogspot.com/ becomes http://creativebiology.blogspot.com/, the first of many new, interesting, and exciting changes this blog will see.

Let the Sun Shine: (Helianthus)

2009-11-06T12:12:00.072-05:00

Photos taken by ScienceNrrd on 8.17.09

Click on photo to enlarge

The sunflower's scientific name Helianthus comes from the Greek words Helios, meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower, a nod to their behavior: in the bud stage, their heads follow the sun over the course of the day, turning as the sun moves across its path. Only upon maturing do they then find a stationary position, thereafter facing East. Sunflowers can grow up to twenty feet tall, and their massive heads can grow to be well over two feet in diameter. What appear to be single flowers are actually inflorescences, many tiny flowers, or florets, clustered together on a common receptacle, or base. The head of a sunflower is called a radiate head. It contains two types of flowers: disk florets, which are in the center of the head and bear fruit – the seeds we eat, and ray florets, which circle around the outer edge of the head, reaching out like the chromosphere during a solar eclipse.

I am a sunflower, a sun seeker. Wherever the fiery ball of gasses goes, I will follow. Some people follow eclipses. Some people follow Phish. I follow the sun. I love to feel the heat of the sun cascading down on me, burning my eyes, my veins, my organs within. I thrive on the sun; it brings me more pleasure than almost anything else in life. The heat, the light, the smell of the sun, is like photosynthesis for my soul. Like a sunflower, I raise my head in praise, turning my face as the sun moves across the wide sky. If I were a bird, I would soar across this expanse, higher and higher, to get closer to the bright star.

I began my life far from equatorial paradise. But like a seedling transplanted from its starter pot into a garden rich with nutrients and light, I too was transplanted to develop in the warm glow of a low-latitude Eden. Eventually, like a tuft of dandelion seeds on the wind, I was blown far away to a much colder place, but just as my floral counterpart, my roots remain firmly planted where the sun shines most brightly.

I have a bittersweet relationship with sunflowers. They are beautiful, they share my longing, they appreciate the beauty that is the sun. But each summer, as their plate-sized clusters of buds begin to unfurl, they bring with them the reminder that summer is soon ending. I watch the petals open, the bees pollinate, the stems standing proudly. I watch the petals curl in, the heavy heads bowing down gracefully in deference to the coming seasons. I pick some heads and leave them lying about the yard for the plethora of creatures who will delight in their new-found meal. And as I nibble on toasted seeds, I await the coming summer, when I can once again enjoy the sunflowers in their glory, rising up proudly to meet the sun.

*******

Sources:

http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/328Fall98/flowers2--fall.html

http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/328Fall98/majorfam2.htm

http://www.eclipsechaser.com/eclink/image/total94.htm

*In proper form, scientific names of organisms are typed in italics or underlined when written. As this blog's format does not allow for either in the blog post title, I have put the scientific name in parentheses.

Total solar eclipse, 11.3.1994

http://www.eclipsechaser.com/eclink/image/total94.htm

(Lethocerus americanus)*: Giant water bug

2009-10-30T12:01:00.058-04:00

Photos taken by ScienceNrrd on 10.08.09

Click on Photo to enlarge

I was in line with friends to play mini-golf, when I saw this really cool bug crawling around. It was huge! To the annoyance of my companions, I picked it up for closer inspection. This thing was awesome. It forelegs were enormous, and it had large beady black eyes so big, I could see my reflection in them. Not for long, though - the creature did not want to stay put. I turned my hand a few times, watching it as it crawled around trying to escape to the safety of the ground below. It managed to jump off one hand, only to land on the other; I was quick, too. Shortly after, I let the bug go and watched it scurry away under some plants.

After our game, we stopped at the ice cream counter (first one to get a hole-in-one buys!) and while my companions were busy ordering their cold, sweet, sticky delights, I was busy ogling another one of these giant insects.

"Hey guys, look at this - here's another one, and it's almost as big as my hand!"

"Is it dead? You're gonna keep it aren't you?" someone groaned.

"Shyaah, I can bring it into my parasitology class. I want to know what it is."

I showed my professor my photo, only to hear “You didn't hold a live one, did you? It was dead, right?”

I recounted my inspection of the first insect. “Wow, you are lucky. Those things bite, and they bite hard. It really hurts, and you can't just shake them off.”

It turns out that those enormous forelegs are sizable for a reason. Water bugs diets consist of just about any small animal they can manipulate, from insects to salamanders to small fish and even frogs. Grasping their prey with their powerful forelegs, they pierce it with sharp sucking mouth parts, injecting it with paralyzing fluids and digestive juices that turn the prey's insides into liquid, which they then suck out.

Water bugs are among the largest insects in North America, with some reaching sizes of over 2 1/2” long. They are aquatic insects, found in slow-moving streams, ponds, lakes, and wetlands, near vegetation. They breathe air through a breathing tube on their abdomen, and many species swim with an air bubble while under water. They have large wings and can fly, often flying to lights at night, earning them the nickname “electric light bug”.

Serious reactions to a water bug bites are rare, but they are very painful, and can cause the area to swell dramatically. Handling live water bugs is not recommended for this reason. I was spared the painful experience, thankfully, as that would have indeed put a hamper on my swing that evening. And as a mini-golfer, I already stink!

When my professor heard that I had collected a specimen for further examination, he excitedly asked me to bring it in next class. I did, and our lecture for the day opened up with information on this insect. And now I have another addition to my “eyes only” table. The glass top, the pull out drawer, the lizard skull, the iridescent dragonfly, the hatched turtle eggs, the monarch butterfly, the lunar moth, the papery wasp nest...

*******

Sources:
1- http://www.eduwebs.org/bugs/giant_water_bug.htm
2- http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/giantwater/giantwater.htm

*In proper form, scientific names of organisms are typed in italics or underlined when written. As this blog's format does not allow for either in the blog post title, I have put the scientific name in parentheses.

Photo taken by ScienceNrrd on 10.08.09
Click on Photo to enlarge

Red and Yellow Kills a Fellow

2009-10-15T23:31:00.042-04:00

Photograph taken by ScienceNrrd on 8.11.09

Click on photo to enlarge

I remember the time I was bitten by a copperhead. Thinking the snake was dead, I nudged it with my foot as it lay on our driveway, basking in the hot Texas sun. The snake moved slightly. Intrigued, I knelt down to get a closer look at it. Thirty minutes later, I was in the hospital. I survived the bite, and gained an immediate and immense respect for snakes.

I came across this snake (pictured above) a few months ago, and knew immediately that it was a Texas Coral Snake, one of four venomous species in Texas, and one of two major coral subspecies in the United States, most of which reside in southern and southeastern areas of the country. Coral snakes are venomous snakes which can be identified by their bright red, yellow, and black bands. They are often confused with Kingsnakes or Milk snakes, harmless copycat snakes which have similar banding. Learning the different types of snakes, their habits, and how to deal with a bite can be very important in areas where encountering one is not unlikely. A trick to identifying a coral snake vs. a copycat snake is this mnemonic device: Red and yellow kills a fellow; red and black, you're alright, Jack. With coral snakes, the red and yellow bands always touch; the red and black bands do not. With copycats, the opposite is true (this is generally true with most corals, although not with certain corals of Central America).

The coral snake, Micrurus fulvius, belongs to the family Elapidae, which also includes the mamba, cobra, sea snake, and taipan. Corals are smaller snakes, growing up to two and a half feet in length. They are diurnal (active during the day), and favor leaf piles and rotting wood in dense forests or sandy, marshy areas. Their diet consists of lizards, small bird eggs, frogs, and smaller snakes. Baby corals hatch at 7” long, and are fully venomous. They are generally shy, reclusive snakes, and will not bite unless provoked – as was my copperhead friend, whose bite was certainly justified!

The venom of a coral snake is a neurotoxin, meaning that it attacks the nervous system. Quick treatment is important, as after 8-10 hours, antivenin (“antivenom”) is ineffective. Because it is possible for symptoms to show up as much as 12 hours after a bite, it is necessary to assume that envonomation has occurred with any bite. When bitten by any poisonous snake, it is important to remain calm, as this will slow the spread of venom and onset of shock. Keep the bite area below the heart, and wash the area and remove any tight-fitting clothing or jewelry. Never take aspirin or alcohol, as this will speed the spread of the venom, and never use a tourniquet or slice the skin to suck out the venom; these outdated methods are highly dangerous. Try to ID the snake or look for distinguishing markings, if possible.

Although coral venom can be highly dangerous, fewer than 1% of snake bites in the US are from corals, and there has been only one reported death (2009) due to coral venom in over forty years, since coral antivenin became available. Contributing to the high rate of survival is the snake's size and means of venom delivery. Corals have small heads and mouths, and their fangs are a mere 1/8” long, so in order to inject enough venom into a human to cause death, the snake would have to chew on it's victim repeatedly. Still, the best thing to do if you encounter one is to admire its beauty from a distance. Take a picture.

This is great common sense advice I did not heed when I was seventeen. As I stared over it with interest, the ophidian creature flung its lithe body onto my hand, which hung lifelessly over my bent knees. The solenoglyphous fangs punctured my skin, and I flung my arm wildly in an attempt to rid myself of the intense pain. But the snake clung tightly, injecting more of its venom with each shake of my hand.

Rejecting a neighbors...kind offer to apply a tourniquet and suck out the venom, I ran away to show off my cool snake bite, holding my hand up for everyone to see. I spent the next four days in the hospital with my hand and arm swollen from the tip of my middle finger, the site of the bite, all the way up to my armpit. Drifting in and out of consciousness, I seemed to awaken at poignant times – to the doctor telling my mother that my arm was swelling too rapidly, and that if it didn't slow down, I might lose my finger. Then, that the swelling was slowing down, but not enough, and they might have to cut my finger open to relieve pressure. Each time, I fell asleep as soon as I heard these bits of frightening information, the doctor's voice trailing off in a venom and drug induced haze. I'd awaken periodically, checking frantically to see if my hand was still intact, or if I had been transformed into Mickey Mouse's right-hand girl. At one point, a doctor came into my room and blew up a latex glove. Holding it up next to my hand, we both stared in amazement as my hand, skin stretched more tightly than seemingly possible, dwarfed the balloon. Had the skin on my hand burst open like an overripe tomato, I think neither of us would have been shocked. As scary as it was, once I was out of danger, I realized that I had become irreversibly enamored of snakes.

I was very, very lucky, as I did several major things one should not do after a snake bite. On the other hand, being seventeen, I was still invincible and so had no problem remaining calm. And en route to the hospital with no one to show my bite, I remembered my education and kept my arm down.

Can you tell which is the coral snake and which is the milk snake?

Try to figure it out before you look!

...

The snake on the left is the coral snake: 'red and yellow kills a fellow'

The snake on the right is the milk snake: 'red and black, you're alright, Jack'

........................

Sources:

1- http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/eastern-coral-snake.html

2- http://www.houstonherp.com/Coral.htm

3- http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/junior_naturalists/safesnake.phtml

4- Neutralization of two North American coral snake venoms with United States and Mexican antivenoms. By: Sánchez, Elda E.; Lopez-Johnston, Juan C.; Rodríguez-Acosta, Alexis; Pérez, John C.. Toxicon, Feb2008, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p297-303.

5- Death following coral snake bite in the United States – First documented case (with ELISA confirmation of envenomation) in over 40 years. By: Norris, Robert L.; Pfalzgraf, Robert R.; Laing, Gavin. Toxicon, May2009, Vol. 53 Issue 6, p693-697.

6- Photo 1- http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/3808908417_5c960bfcac.jpg

7- Photo 2- http://www.reptilesweb.com/images/stories/Snake/pueblan-milksnake-2.jpg

Curiosity, the Backbone of My Education

2009-10-02T11:55:00.015-04:00

Photograph taken by ScienceNrrd on 9.20.09

Click on photo to enlarge

I have this condition - it's called Curiosity Won't Let Me Leave Anything Alone. I can't just see or hear about something I think is cool, I have to go look at it, touch it, or take a picture. I don't photograph people very much; I don't find that to be very interesting, but put me outside with a camera, and I can't stop!

As a child, I loved bugs. Anytime my mom found one in the house, it was I whom she'd call to take care of it, shrinking back in disgust. "See, mom? It's just a spider," I'd say, incredulous at her apparent fear of something so small. I remember digging up countless earthworms with my neighbors and sisters. We'd cut them in half, or slit them midway down the body to the end, so they were forked like a snake's tongue. Earthworms regenerate. Everybody knew that. Or at least, we did. How we came to such a conclusion is something I cannot answer, but there we were, splitting the worms open, "It's going to grow two heads, side-by-side now. We can dig it up later, like in a few days, and it will have two heads! And that one over there will have a head where the tail was, and that other one will have a tail where the head was!" Two-headed worms, worms with heads at both ends, tails at both ends. We were confident. We never did find any of our regenerated creations, but we continued to dig regularly.

I've never outgrown this child-like curiosity, and it popped up in its latest form just a couple weeks ago during that trip to Nantucket. I had planned to stay home, as I had too much homework to finish. "Look," my friend begged, "I'm not going to Nantucket alone to fish by myself. You have to come! I'll bring my laptop, the B&B has a computer you can use, and there's a library if you need it. Just come. You can do your work at the beach while I fish, I won't disturb you." Now if my grades are any indication, I am intelligent enough, and I can tell you right now that if you have someone begging you to go to Nantucket and who will provide you with the means to get work done whilst there, should you have much work to do, go, I say, GO! And go, I did. I had two marvelous days of writing in a charming little room at a quaint B&B on a quiet street lined with a rainbow of botanic pleasures. Door and windows open to the breeze and the calls of the gulls, my fingers moved rhythmically to the pulse of the distant waves. Bearnt bearnt beardearnt bearnt beeeardearnt! - my phone pulled me out of my trance.

"Catch anything, yet?"

"Nope, but I found something."

"What?" I asked, my mind still on my work.

"I think it's some kind of backbone." Instantly, I am alert and attentive. Nothing like the phrase I think I found a backbone... to get me hanging on your every word.

"Really?" I ask. "What is it from? Is it clean?" I am very curious, and what I really want to say is bring it back, but I'm too embarrassed. I mean, I don't want people thinking I collect roadkill or anything, right? I know it's not the same, but...

"I don't know, but it's big, about eighteen inches long. And, yeah, it's picked pretty clean." And here it comes: "Want me to bring it to you?" Oh, sweet friendship, someone knows me this well and doesn't knock me for it!

Later that afternoon I am admiring this cool, salty puzzle, though against my better judgment it gets bagged up for the evening. Stinking up the next morning, we take the vertebrae back to the beach. "This is where it belongs," I point out, "but I have to photograph it first, so that I can find out what it is." I spend my last minutes before the ferry comes blaring by for us gently studying, posing, and photographing my model with care. Session over, we head for the ferry where I continue writing; a new thought, a new phrase, with every lilt of the boat. Answers will have to wait.

Now, however, it is investigation time. To what organism did this structure belong? Bony, my companion called it, though I felt it was more stiff and papery, reminding me of the texture of the inside of a lobster shell. Perhaps cartilage, though not quite the 'give' that one would expect (from drying out in the sun?) and very lightweight. At one end were two stiff, hollow curved pieces, about 5" long. I am on a mission to identify the owner of the vertebrae. Skate, fish, small marine mammal? This is what I hope to find out over the coming days and weeks. Ideas anyone?

(Codium fragile)*: dead man's fingers

2009-09-21T09:33:00.015-04:00

Photographs taken by ScienceNrrd on 9.20.09
Click on photo to enlarge

Listening to the Nantucket waves lapping at the shore and noticing the amazing ocean life around me, I spied a beautiful cluster of seaweed called Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides, or ‘dead man’s fingers’. It is a particularly stunning variety, beckoning in its gracefulness as the ocean tumbles over it, back and forth. I did some research, hoping to find interesting facts about this flora undulating about like mermaid hair. It turns out that, beautiful as it is, it is actually a rather destructive species of weed. Native to the pacific waters near Japan, it was introduced to the US in NY from Europe in 1957. It is found in subtidal zones along most of the Eastern US coastline, from NC to Canada, in shallow waters and permanent tidepools. The seaweed attaches to almost any available hard surface, increasing maintenance labor for aquaculturists and reducing productivity of their cultured species.

When established in shellfish beds, wave action can carry the algae along with its host shellfish away from their normal habitat. Because of this, it has earned the nickname ‘oyster thief’. Their dense benthic beds make mobility difficult for fish, lobster, and other marine organisms, and its ability to regrow rapidly from small fragments enables it to outcompete indigenous algaes such as kelp beds and eelgrass, primary habitats of many invertebrates and fish. As a result, it can cause major upheaval to the local subtidal community composition and structure, and thereby, its function. The algae can be washed ashore in large amounts during storms, littering beaches. Take a stroll along the shoreline at an East Coast beach, and you might see some. It is at once captivating and destructive in its beauty.