Recent scientific adventures
As the Federal election is on the
minds of most Canadians, researchers
around the world are still hard
at work in their respective fields,
bringing more information to the
masses every day. I will take this
space to share some scientific news
happening in the world.
Mega-tsunami
Researchers recently found evidence that a 240-meter tall tsunami had once been created off the coast of the west African island chain, the Cape Verde Islands, about 73,000 years ago.
While taking data from housesized boulders and marine fossil deposits that had been strewn some 600 meters inland and over 250 meters above sea level on the neighbouring Santiago Island, it was hypothesised the still-active volcano’s eastern side and shoreline sloughed off into the ocean, creating the tsunami.
After noticing the massive boulders looked similar to ones along the shoreline on the opposite side of the island and determining the large volume of aquatic fossil deposits could have only placed there by the force of a titanic wave, researchers determined this to be evidence of the cataclysmic event.
Ricardo Ramalho, lead author of the research published in Science Advances Journal said the main point discussed in the paper was that while events this size don’t happen often, when they do occur, they tend to be disastrously fast. He also stated that in their research areas of the world are still prone to similar geologic situations like Alaska and Japan, where events like this have already been recorded in the last century.
New underwater species
While finishing a large scale underwater exploration around the Hawaiian islands in late September, oceanographers and marine biologists on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer discovered several new and rare underwater species of sea stars, eels and corals.
The team was mapping the seafloor of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
All of these places are situated between 400 and 5000 meters below sea level. In order to map them scientist had to use robotic submarines.
The expedition marks the first major push in a three-year offensive by NOAA to update their scientific information about Pacific Ocean biodiversity in the marine national monuments, set into play last year by President Obama.
Researchers were also comparing results of deep-sea habitats and living conditions in the Hawaiian region of the Pacific Ocean to data obtained earlier in 2015 from similar sea sponge and coral sanctuaries around the Atlantic Oceans Caribbean islands.
Germs
Bad news for germaphobes, researchers at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico recently published a paper on their findings about human’s microbial environments.
Research took place in a customized Climate Chamber in Portland Oregon, where test subjects were first sterilized, then placed into the also-sterilized room for time intervals between 1.5 and four hours with an also-sterilized laptop for leisure purposes during the test, using filtered pumped in air and bio filters to capture anything on-going through the exhaust vents.
What the scientists found was disgusting: humans emit distinct microbial clouds of up to one-meter around themselves. These clouds can be used to correctly identify individuals after using genetic analysis of the emitted bacteria.
The findings showed that human’s individual clouds are as unique as fingerprints and that these bio signatures could be found and correctly identified even in air filtration systems.
Using a mix of male and female test subjects, it was found that sex could also be determined due to females having a specific vaginal lactobacillus community when they are healthy, which was found to be part of their microbial cloud.
It could be argued these clouds could get easily caught in the wind, spreading into areas you actually were never at. One thing is for certain, the research is sure to give bioethicists a whole new debate for the foreseeable future.
Scientific discoveries are being made every day on the hour, so discover what interests you.
Mega-tsunami
Researchers recently found evidence that a 240-meter tall tsunami had once been created off the coast of the west African island chain, the Cape Verde Islands, about 73,000 years ago.
While taking data from housesized boulders and marine fossil deposits that had been strewn some 600 meters inland and over 250 meters above sea level on the neighbouring Santiago Island, it was hypothesised the still-active volcano’s eastern side and shoreline sloughed off into the ocean, creating the tsunami.
After noticing the massive boulders looked similar to ones along the shoreline on the opposite side of the island and determining the large volume of aquatic fossil deposits could have only placed there by the force of a titanic wave, researchers determined this to be evidence of the cataclysmic event.
Ricardo Ramalho, lead author of the research published in Science Advances Journal said the main point discussed in the paper was that while events this size don’t happen often, when they do occur, they tend to be disastrously fast. He also stated that in their research areas of the world are still prone to similar geologic situations like Alaska and Japan, where events like this have already been recorded in the last century.
New underwater species
While finishing a large scale underwater exploration around the Hawaiian islands in late September, oceanographers and marine biologists on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer discovered several new and rare underwater species of sea stars, eels and corals.
The team was mapping the seafloor of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
All of these places are situated between 400 and 5000 meters below sea level. In order to map them scientist had to use robotic submarines.
The expedition marks the first major push in a three-year offensive by NOAA to update their scientific information about Pacific Ocean biodiversity in the marine national monuments, set into play last year by President Obama.
Researchers were also comparing results of deep-sea habitats and living conditions in the Hawaiian region of the Pacific Ocean to data obtained earlier in 2015 from similar sea sponge and coral sanctuaries around the Atlantic Oceans Caribbean islands.
Germs
Bad news for germaphobes, researchers at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico recently published a paper on their findings about human’s microbial environments.
Research took place in a customized Climate Chamber in Portland Oregon, where test subjects were first sterilized, then placed into the also-sterilized room for time intervals between 1.5 and four hours with an also-sterilized laptop for leisure purposes during the test, using filtered pumped in air and bio filters to capture anything on-going through the exhaust vents.
What the scientists found was disgusting: humans emit distinct microbial clouds of up to one-meter around themselves. These clouds can be used to correctly identify individuals after using genetic analysis of the emitted bacteria.
The findings showed that human’s individual clouds are as unique as fingerprints and that these bio signatures could be found and correctly identified even in air filtration systems.
Using a mix of male and female test subjects, it was found that sex could also be determined due to females having a specific vaginal lactobacillus community when they are healthy, which was found to be part of their microbial cloud.
It could be argued these clouds could get easily caught in the wind, spreading into areas you actually were never at. One thing is for certain, the research is sure to give bioethicists a whole new debate for the foreseeable future.
Scientific discoveries are being made every day on the hour, so discover what interests you.
