Good morning, Gnusies, on this brand new Wednesday morning, August 14, 2024.
What a difference a few weeks make.
Allow me to offer yet more good news to the stream that seems endless these days.
Much, if not most, of the sea floor has yet to be explored in detail, for reasons of cost, safety, and available technology. These days, we’re getting some help from locals — local wildlife that is, and letting them not only take us on a tour of the deep, but also finding out what conditions are most important to them, enabling us mere humans to more effectively focus conservation efforts.
With the help of the sea lions, researchers identified six benthic — or underwater — habitats covering 5,000 square kilometers.
The idea to utilize the sea lions came from the fact that these seabeds are under-explored (Only about a quarter of the seabed has been mapped at high resolution worldwide) and using remote underwater vehicles can get extremely costly.
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For this study, the researchers — who hail from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Research and Development Institute — attached tiny, lightweight cameras to eight adult female sea lions.
The equipment was attached to neoprene patches that were glued to the backs of the sea lions and included GPS trackers, cameras, and motion sensors.
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After completing the project, the equipment was removed from their backs without damaging any of the sea lions’ fur, with the patches to easily fall off upon their next molting season. Additionally, this process was approved by the university’s Animal Ethics Committee, as well as government bodies responsible for animal welfare and the environment, according to the study.
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“These are particularly deep and remote offshore habitats that you can’t get to by usual surveys that you would conduct from a boat,” Angelakis told Nature. “With the data we’re collecting, we’re essentially exploring new parts of the ocean that haven’t been mapped.”
From the “The Kids are All Right” files:
[Lucy] Moore has been interested in fishing since age 3 when she earned the nickname the “Blue Gill Queen,” owing to an early childhood knack for catching the species. She loves exploring the outdoors and learning about the fish she’s chasing.
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On the last of 3 days of fishing, in the rain and muck, a tug on her line led Moore to reel in a 24-inch, or “trophy size” musky, one of the 60 different species one can seek to catch to become certified as a Master Angler in the state of Maryland.
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The FishMaryland program from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources manages the Master Angler certification as a way of celebrating the freshwater diversity of Maryland’s rivers, streams, and lakes. To earn the award, one must catch a trophy-size fish of 10 different species.
“Typically, people focus on two or three species and she’s got 10 that are all trophy size so it’s doubly impressive,” said Erik Zlokovitz, the recreational fisheries outreach coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources, who described the Master Angler Award as the “black belt” of fishing. “She’s probably outfishing many adults that are older and more experienced. It’s definitely more species of fish than I’ve caught over the past few years.”
Her award was presented during a ceremony at Bass Pro Shops, the beloved American outdoors outlet that presented Moore with custom fishing gear, a $250 gift card, and an opportunity to feed the fish in the tank—something she especially enjoyed owing to her desire to become a marine biologist.
From the “I got 99 problems and 1 solution” files:
Spanish scientists found that an aromatic compound called alpha-terpineol effectively protects plants from Pseudomonas syringe, a pathogenic bacterium that causes severe damage to crops.
The research team calls it a “significant breakthrough” that could improve crop management by providing environmentally-friendly protection that is highly effective.
Study co-author Julia Pérez-Pérez explained that, like human interactions, plants have their own way of communication and self-defense. They emit volatile compounds to alert their neighbors to danger. The nearby plants use their sense of smell which perceives the message.
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“Imagine a field of tomatoes where the bacteria penetrate the leaves of a plant through the stomata,” said Ms. Pérez-Pérez, a PhD student at Valencia Polytechnic University.
“As it spreads, the plant defends itself from attack by releasing volatiles such as terpene.
“Other parts of the plant itself and neighboring plants ‘smell’ this chemical message and quickly close their stomata, preventing the entry of the pathogen and thus protecting the crop.”
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The natural strategy could serve as a protective barrier against bacteria and other infections—and even protect plants from the effects of drought.
Here’s to breaking yet another glass ceiling I hadn’t realized existed — and that really sucks. Maybe I can convince my brother to go hang out there some time once the hype dies down a bit, since he’s on the left coast.
Just off the Pacific Coast Highway, a line around the block heralded the presence of an exciting new spot in Long Beach—the state’s first sports bar dedicated to the women’s game.
Watch Me is not only the first such location in the state, but just 1 of 5 in the whole world, according to local news.
Resting on the 6500 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, Mean Eddy and her partner Jax Diener opened the bar after months of laboring.
“We look at the sea of people and realize the need is here,” Eddy told NBC 4. “It’s been a labor of love. We’ve put our heart and souls into it for months and months.”
“It’s an exciting moment,” said Rex Richardson, Long Beach Mayor, who attended the opening with his wife and two daughters. “I just wanted to be here because it’s so important and it’s important to me personally as a dad of two athletes—two girl athletes.”
One more from the “99 Problems and 1 Solution” file:
Early this year, GNN reported on the woman behind the wheels of Wahu!, an electric bicycle company and the only native electric vehicle manufacturer in Ghana, Valerie Labi.
From 100 bikes sold to delivery drivers on a pay-per-week basis, Wahu! has shifted another 200 units, driven down the cost of insurance, and is set in the coming months to unleash Africa’s first native 4-wheeled electric vehicle.
The bikes are sold under an affordable payment plan of around $23 per month for 18-24 months. They cost around $13.5 per month in electricity to charge, a huge drop from the $250 in gasoline that comparative petrol-powered delivery bikes cost.
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“The average age of a vehicle in Ghana is 14 years,” Labi, of Ghanaian origin but brought up in England, told the Guardian. “We know there are going to be a lot of Amazon-type businesses needing last-mile mobility – do we really want them to be 14-year-old petrol vehicles?”
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By contrast, Wahu!’s bikes were designed with Africa in mind, and the earliest models are still running well. Additionally, GPS tracking of the bikes has meant that of the 300 units sold and running in Ghana, only one has been stolen—and was quickly located.
That’s it for me this week. Stay positive!
