Deadly Flu

So I'm going to stray from my blogs typical subject, marine biology, to focus on another passion of mine:  biotechnology.

Two scientific journals are deciding whether to publish details of a man-made mutant killer flu virus that has sparked concerns of mass deaths if it were released.  A US government's science advisory committee urged the US journal Science and the British journal Nature to withhold key details so that people seeking to harm the public would not be able to manufacture the virus that could cause millions of deaths.  The virus in question is an H5N1 bird flu strain that was genetically altered in a Dutch lab so it can pass easily between ferrets, meaning that it is likely contagious among humans and could trigger a lethal pandemic if it emerged in nature or were set loose by terrorists.  Scientists could benefit from knowing about the virus because it could help speed new treatments to combat this and other related lethal forms of influenza.  Paul Keim, a microbial geneticist, said that he had huge concerns about the potential havoc the man-made virus could unleash.  "I can't think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one," Keim was quoted as saying. "I don't think anthrax is scary at all compared to this."

There is an interesting moral dilemma here.  On one hand, this virus is deadly and could be used for mass terrorism on an unprecedented scale.  On the other hand, the data from this virus could be of great use to scientists working on flu vaccinations and other methods for treating viruses.  Personally, I think that they should not release a full version of the flu until they have synthesized a cure to this deadly flu-that way the  threat of this deadly virus can be negated.

Crocodiles and Snakes Left Behind in Bangkok

Due to recent floods in Bangkok a number of aquatic animals, like crocodiles and poisonous snakes, have become trapped in the city as retreating water abandoned the animals.  These animals have terrorized some of the local residents, who in turn have become poachers (especially in regard to the crocodiles).  The local animal  control centers have been preoccupied trying to relocate these animals, and they are plagued by false alarms and poaching.
This entire situation brings up an interesting and important point-what do you do when a marine animal, capable of living on land, has been unwillingly transported out of its local habitat?  To me, relocation seems like an obvious choice, though clearly there are downfalls to this-it can be costly and dangerous.  So then the next logical option is to kill it and harvest the remains for profit-which is all good and fine if no alternative exists.  But relocation is a viable option for many of these animals (including the crocodiles) and yet the locals continue to poach.  This poaching then disrupts the swamp environment, which could possibly be devastatingly altered by the lack of crocodiles (an essential predator).  Hopefully the local officials will find and punish the poachers (an optimistic viewpoint considering how many live crocodiles are still out there) and that the remaining animals are relocated (another optimistic viewpoint-especially considering the number of extremely poisonous snakes now present in Bangkok).  Still, one can dream of such ecological awareness.

White Pox

As some of you may know, the amount of coral in the world is decreasing.  Coral is a group of microorganisms who grow on the bodies of their ancestors to form beautiful, rock-like formations which act as shelters for marine life from larger predators.  Unfortunately, in the Carribbean humans seem to be killing this wonderful organism.  Sewage has been dumped into the ocean which causes the coral pathogen known as white pox, which causes white patches on the coral which eventually spread and kill it.  In particular elkhorn coral, and endangered species which once was the most common species, is affected by this disease.  Activists are working to stop this pollution and destruction, but unfortunately their efforts are limited.  What it really comes down to is that we, as a species, strive to realize the effect which we have on the environment and actively try to protect it.  Only through this form of active thought can we ensure that our children may know the beauty of coral from something other than a picture.

Less Sea Ice

A new study says there is less ice today in the Fram Strait between Svalbard Island and Greenland than at any time since the 13th century.  There are of course neither satellite images nor instrument-based records of the climate all the way back to the 13th century, but nature has its own record of climate change for those who know where to look for it, and there are in fact human-made records that contain a lot of relevant information — such as observations in the log books of ships and in harbor records, as well as ice core and tree ring measurements. Piece all of the information together and you get a picture of how much ice there has been at any given time during the last eight centuries.  In the middle of the 17th century there was also a sharp decline in the ice, but it lasted only a very short time. "The greatest cover of sea ice was during the next century, a period known as the 'Little Ice Age'.  There was a sharp change in the ice cover at the start of the 20th century," explains Aslak Grinsted. And that change has continued —"We see that the sea ice is shrinking," he says, "to a level which has not been seen in more than 800 years."  Here is an article with evidence of global warming having an effect on the world.  While such low ice levels have occurred in the past, the fact of the matter is that it is happening now artificially.  And unfortunately, lower ice levels mean higher sea levels, which means less habitat for creatures like polar bears (not strictly a marine animal) and sea lions.  Rising sea levels can wreak havoc on the ecology of a marine region, and as such this is an important marker of the incredible danger to marine life posed by global warming.  However, as this sea level has happened before, I doubt that any serious threat will be posed to marine life.  But it is a warning, and should be listened to.

A Second Living Fossil

I was looking through some new species and found an article on Glypheids and the discovery of a new living fossil

The Glypheids, a group of crustaceans thought to have gone extinct about 50 million years ago, can now boast two living species. Originally collected in 1906 but not identified until 1975, Neoglyphea inopinata proved to be a fantastic discovery of a "living fossil". Since 1975, new specimens of N. inopinata have been collected. However, in October 2005, a second living Gypheid species was discovered.
Bertrand Richer de Forges found a strange shrimp in the results of a deep trawl. While this shrimp superficially resembled N. inopinata, Dr. Richer de Forges suspected that it was a new species. Later, his discovery was confirmed by two colleagues in France and Singapore as a new species of the Genus Neoglyphea. Further study of this specimen has led to the suggestion that this may, indeed, be a whole new genus of Glypheid (tentatively named Laurentaeglyphea) as opposed to just a new species.
While little is known about the specifics of this crustacean's ecology, the discovery of its existence has been compared, in terms of importance, to the discovery of the second coelacanth species in Indonesia in 1998.
However, it is known, from where it was captured, that it inhabits the rocky slopes of seamounts, and that, because of its highly developed eyes and strong pseudochelae, that it is likely a predator. While little is known about this species, scientists suggest that this little shrimp has large implications for marine science. The discovery of this living fossil suggests that the relatively unexplored deep ocean and the isolated seamounts in the deep ocean could act as reservoirs or refuges for species that may not be found elsewhere. Likewise, the fact that this species has had such longevity through million of years with no apparent change can have implications in the fields of genetics and evolutionary ecology.

The implications of a living fossil are profound.  Not only do living fossils offer insight into the past, but they also prove that  old species can be rediscovered through ocean expeditions.  Just imagine how many other living fossils are out there!  While we probably won't find a plesiosaur or a liopleurodon, other smaller species must exist which can then be discovered to offer insights.  I mean, the discoveries of these new species go beyond archaeology-medical advances, biological innovations, and even new foods can stem from these living fossils.  The possibilities are truly endless.

An image of the Yeti Crab

The Yeti Crab

During a deep-sea exploration Michel Segonzac encountered a unique “hairy” crustacean on a hydro-thermal site. Dubbed the “Yeti Crab”, the crustacean is so interesting to the scientists that they collected a specimen for examination.

This “Yeti Crab” has not been previously encountered in the more than 30 years of hydrothermal vent exploration, and it has proved to be new to science and has been classified as belonging to a new family of crustaceans. Being described as a decapod crustacean, the Yeti Crab would be related to crabs, lobster, and shrimp. But, a close examination has revealed that the unique structure, including a lack of eyes and its obvious “hair”, as well as the genetic code of this organism (tentatively named Kiwa hirsuta) does not fall within the boundaries of previously described taxonomic groups. This has led to the description and proposal of the new family Kiwaidae, named after Kiwa the Polynesian goddess of shellfish.

Observed and collected from depths of more than 2000 m, Kiwa hirsuta appears common on and around some hydrothermal vents and has been observed feeding on mussels (although it is assumed to be omnivorous). Additionally, the hairlike setae (bristles) that cover much of its body host mats of bacteria that may also provide a nutritional source for the yeti crab.

The abundance of the yeti crab in the area where the first individual was collected, as well as the lack of previous encounters with them, has prompted researchers to surmise that these creatures have a limited geographic range.  With such a unique animal being found in such a small tract of land in such abundance, imagine how many other unique creatures could be found in the deep and what unique structures they may have.  Furthermore, with its unique setae which house a possible nutritional source, think of what medical advances could be found by just observing how such a creature survives?  This really fascinates me, and undoubtedly deep sea creatures will be a constant post in this blog

The Judas Fish

In Yellowstone National Park scientists have released “Judas fish,” surgically altered lake trout implanted with a radio transmitter, into lakes in order to discover the lake trout’s spawning grounds.  The lake trout are an invasive species which have slowly been killing the native cutthroat trout, whose population in the Yellowstone lakes has been decreasing as they are the trout eaten by the area’s predators while sharing resources with the lake trout, who dwell deep in the lake and are not eaten.  By contrast the lake trout is often found to be endangered in its native lakes.  The goal of finding the breeding grounds is to exterminate it, which may not be the correct approach.  Instead, perhaps the scientists could take and store the trout until they  reach a suitable breeding ground in an area where the lake trout are in danger, such as in the Great Lakes area.  While it may not be successful. they scientists could certainly default back onto their plan of extermination.