A deep sea dragonfish. Photograph by Julian Finn, Museum Victoria

From National Geographic: “Australia’s ‘terrifying’ dragonfish uses its many fangs—which even stud its tongue—to hook hard-to-find prey in the cold, dark depths, scientists say. The banana-size fish is one of tens of thousands of both known and new species included in a new inventory released today by the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long ocean-exploration project.”

Yikes! Sometimes I forget that the ocean covers 70% of this world and that we STILL don’t know all what’s down there in this age of GPS, smart phones, electric cars, and subsurface atom smashers. Over the 10-year course of tthis study, a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations has collaborated to improve our understanding of marine biodiversity – past, present, and future. Almost all the species in the key regional areas are included in the unprecedented list of  185,000 marine species created by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), an affiliate of the Census of Marine Life. In October, the Census will release its latest estimate of all marine species known to science,  including those still to be added to WoRMS and OBIS. This is likely to exceed 230,000. Don’t forget to check out our book, The Discoveries of the Census of Marine Life, also due out this October.  For more info, images of scary fish/mollusks/eels/etc., videos, maps, facts and figures, please check this recent Census of Marine press release and, of course, their extensive and highly informative website.

What wildlife animals were most absent from the audit? Any surprises? Which ones have made major gains/losses over the years?

The declines in Common Seals in the UK are very surprising, given the dramatic increases in their cousins the Grey Seals. Also our recent UK declines in House Sparrows and Starlings have been substantial and the causes hard to identify.

You’re based in the UK and the study highlights the British Isles. How much travel have you done in North America and what sort of trends have you seen in your travel and research?

Yes I have traveled quite a lot in the US, Canada, and Latin America, and spent a year working at the Rockefeller University in Manhattan.  I recall being on vacation a few years ago at Buck`s Lake in northeastern California and finding numerous different species of woodpecker all exploiting slightly different niches in the same woodland.  In the UK we have only three woodpecker species, and one, the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, has recently declined rapidly and is now quite rare.  This could be a result of the recent increase in the numbers of our Great-spotted Woodpecker, which predates the Lesser-spotted.  I recall very much enjoying seeing seven different Woodpecker species at their nest holes in Poland in early May.
I also love finding the many different species of American salamander as the UK has only three. My favorite US wildlife location is the Saquaro desert in Arizona.  It is just astonishing, with every species showing wonderful adaptation to desert life. However, I have never seen a rattlesnake although I have often looked for them. Better luck next time.

Do you believe people are more concerned today with protecting our natural places and wildlife today or, say, in the late 60s/early 70s when it started?  Any differences between the US and British Isles in terms of attitudes or legislation?

Norman Maclean outside the Cambridge bookstore in the UK.

Yes undoubtedly people are much more concerned about wildlife conservation now than in the 60s and 70s.  The striking difference between US and UK in terms of wildlife is just how much wilderness you have left.  We, by comparison, are a tiny island and the human imprint on our land and sea over the last 3000 years is very strong.  There is little true wilderness left.  I love birdwtching in the US, partly because you have so many so many species of birds such as warblers and woodpeckers. But I also find American birders very friendly and keen to help me find the species that I am looking for.  I recall watching the Autumn migration of birds and insects at Cape May in New Jersey.  The dawn movement of birds was incredibly exciting, as was the Southern movement of Monarch butterflies and dragonflies.

I saw in an article you’re going to Ethiopia as well. Have you traveled to lots of continents and countries and noticed changes in attitudes or protection over time?

I have observed wildlife in more than 50 countries worldwide.  Yes, there is much more concern now about wildlife and conservation, but in terms of tropical rainforest it seems like too little too late.  I was in Borneo recently looking at Orangutangs and Proboscis monkeys.  They survive in tiny pockets of remaining rain forest surrounded by endless acres of oil palm plantation.

Insects, birds, mammals… what is your favorite fauna?

Favorite fauna? I don’t really have one.  I like wandering through unspoiled country savoring the whole ecosystem biodiversity.  Some years ago I was living for a short time in a field station in the jungles of Brunei. We had a generator which provided electric light for two hours each evening and the insects that flew in out of the jungle to my lighted verandah were just amazing. So, there are still good places left.

Norman Maclean is Emeritus Professor of Genetics at Southampton University with a strong hobby interest in wildlife, conservation, river management re trout fishing.  He has observed wildlife in more than fifty countries around the world and is the author and co-author of about 150 scientific papers in learned journals.

A Colleague of Laura's in Pompeii

Once upon a time, I was an archaeologist. That’s right, I, Laura Evans, once dug up the pre-eruption layers of ancient Pompeii, sifted through soil and muck in coastal Connecticut, and removed cow patties from a site in the Alps where once a Roman legion camped.  For someone who loves the outdoors, archaeology is a great career. But in actuality, most archaeologists spend the majority of their time measuring, analyzing, researching, and looking for funds.

For archaeologists, understanding ancient measurements in their context world is just as important as understanding the Système international d’unités (aka the metric system) for us Yanks who use the United States customary system.  For example, Napoleon (who actually introduced the metric system) has a reputation for being short, when in actuality he was of average height. Confusion about his height resulted from the difference between the French pouce and British inch—2.71 and 2.54 cm respectively.  Anyway, the point being, archaeologists have a duty to understand the context and setting for systems and concepts of measurements.

(L-R) Dr Iain Morley, Dr John Templeton (Templeton Foundation) and Lord Colin Renfrew with at the launch for The Archaeology of Measurement.

A new Press book that addresses measurements of the ancient world, The Archaeology of Measurement, edited by Dr Iain Morley and Lord Colin Renfrew (he’s like, a rock star in the field), was launched recently at the British Academy, London, at an event hosted jointly by the Press and the Templeton Foundation, a philanthropic research organization. Cambridge-based Marketing Executive Mark Ayling and publicist Gretchen Carroll organized the event.

The book examines how the advent of accurate measurement led to the discovery of time, space, the cosmos, and, ultimately, science and religion.  Khipu knots of the ancient Inca, Greek Bronze Age weight systems, and celestial city planning in Mesoamerica: all these played an important role in ancient cultures and have residual influences on our world today. Of course, many of the old measurements we see evidence for are no longer used.  Imagine doing math in Roman numerals, using multiple weight systems from large stones to tiny beads as points of reference, or working a ten day week in a 260 day years.

But had these ancient societies never attempted to standardize and record many actions and day to day activities with measurements, what would we know of them at all?  It makes me wonder what future societies will think of Americans’ concept of measurement and uniqueness in being only one of three nations (the others being Burma and Liberia) to not adopt the metric system.

– Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner had no formal mathematical training. A newspaper reporter, publicist, freelancer for Esquire, caseworker, magician, skeptic, Navy sailor, and most famously, “Mathematical Games” columnist for Scientific American, Gardner displayed a boundless energy and enthusiasm for intellectual inquiry. A tireless advocate for science, his popular books and articles painstakingly argue against the dangers of pseudoscience in all forms.

On Saturday, Gardner passed away at the age of 95 in Norman, OK. He will be remembered for his prolific writing, wide-ranging interests, unquenchable curiosity, and infectious enthusiasm for the odder side of math. A writer first, Gardner’s triumph was in bringing the delight of discovery to his readers. Inquisitive and sharply analytic, he researched everything from origami and variations on tic-tac-toe to card tricks, probability, and his famous brain teasers – “an orgy of right-brain tomfoolery that could be approached for superficial fun or deep insight, or both at the same time…” – David Brooks, The Telegraph.

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Thank for puzzling us through the years, Martin Gardner (1914-2010).  Revisit some of our favorite moments on TSoTP with Mr. Gardner:

The Martin Gardner Interview – Part 1

The Martin Gardner Interview – Part 2

The Martin Gardner Interview – Part 3

The Martin Gardner Interview – Part 4

The Martin Gardner Interview – Part 5

Happy Birthday, Martin Gardner!

Martin Gardner Documentary

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And some puzzles!

[*N.B. These contests are no longer running, but will no doubt tease your brain and challenge your creativity... go here for our "Hall of Fame" responders.]

Professor on the Escalator Puzzle

Professor on the Escalator Answer / The Flight Around the World Puzzle

The Flight Around the World Answer / The Absent-Minded Teller Puzzle

The Absent-Minded Teller Answer / The Fork in the Road Puzzle

The Fork in the Road Answer / The Amorous Bugs Puzzle

The Amorous Bugs Answer / The Hole in the Sphere Puzzle

The Hole in the Sphere Answer

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And some miscellany!

Most Eminent Man of Letters and Numbers

More Gardner Goodies

Hexaflexa-what?

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“His was a clarifying intelligence: he said his talent was asking good questions and transmitting the answers clearly and crisply.”

– The New York Times: Martin Gardner, Puzzler and Polymath, Dies at 95

“[A] journalist whose omnivorous curiosity gave rise to wide-ranging writings that popularized mathematics, explored theology and philosophy, debunked pseudoscience and provided in-depth analysis of Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat…”

– Washington Post: Martin Gardner, prolific math and science writer, dies at 95

“For Gardner, the game is the life.”

– Scientific American Profile: Martin Gardner, the Mathematical Gamester

If planes were flying to Iceland right now, would you go and see the eruption up close? Is it dangerous? How close can you actually get to an erupting volcano?

The answer depends on the type of volcano and on the phase of the eruption. In general, Icelandic eruptions are not particularly dangerous and can be a tourist boom. Eyjafjallajökull (which can be roughly translated as island mountain glacier but you have to be Icelandic to be able to pronounce it) started erupting on March 20 and attracted lots of tourists. The photos and videos in the internet are proof that yes, one could get quite close and the eruption was a beauty to watch. This initial eruption was not from under the glacier and was relatively mild and well behaved. Small explosions sent bursts of red-hot lava into the sky. It was all wonderful until, on April 14, the activity changed location after a brief pause. This time the eruption came from the top crater, under the ice, and not only melted ice and caused floods (common on this type of Icelandic volcano), but became much more explosive. When hot magma meets ice and water, the results are usually explosive and this was no exception. In fact, the resulting clouds of ash – though magnificent to watch – are playing havoc with aviation in Europe. Volcanic ash in airplane engines is very bad news, particularly jet engines.

If you are stuck at an airport, what you want to know is how long is this going to last. The answer is nobody knows for sure. We can make some guesses based on the volcano’s past behavior, and on the behavior of similar eruptions. I can tell you that Eyjafjallajökull’s last eruption lasted from 1821 until 1823.  But don’t panic! The really violent phase of the eruption, which produces lots of ash, may last only a few days.  However, the volcano could keep going for months or years, with mild phases (which will be a joy to watch) and more violent phases (those which may get you stuck at some airport). There is also a danger that a nearby volcano, Katla, might blow its top. Although it is rare for volcanoes to do a double act, this pair has done it three times in the past 1,100 years! In fact, during this period, every time Eyjafjallajökull erupted, Katla followed. The reverse is not true, and Katla is overall a more active volcano with a bigger magma chamber. According to latest reports, Katla has not woken up, but the question is, will it? If so, Katla can generate much bigger floods, known in Icelandic as jökulhlaups (glacier bursts). In the past, Katla has discharged jökulhlaups where the water reached flow rates of over 100,000 cubic metres per second! I would not advise getting anywhere close to that one!

If you want to know more about visiting active volcanoes safely, check out The Volcano Adventure Guide. It has a chapter on Iceland, one of my favorite countries in the world. I wrote the book for the adventurer traveler and for all those interested in volcanoes.

Rosaly Lopes is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an expert in volcanoes on Earth and the planets.

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Via The Project Syndicate

Stumbling in the dark

Bjorn Lomborg – 2010-04-01 SAO PAULO -

As well-intentioned gestures go, Earth Hour is hard to beat. At the stroke of 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, nearly a billion people in more than 120 countries demonstrated their desire to do something about global warming by switching off their lights for an hour. In a show of official solidarity, the lights also went out at many of the planet’s most iconic landmarks, from the Opera House in Sydney to the Great Pyramid at Giza, not to mention Beijing’s Forbidden City, New York’s Empire State Building, London’s Big Ben, Paris’s Eiffel Tower, and the skylines of both Hong Kong and Las Vegas.

What ever else it may be, Earth Hour is surely one of the most successful publicity stunts ever dreamed up. First organized in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 by the local chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, its popularity and the level of participation (both individual and official) that generates has exploded in recent years – to the point that there is barely a corner of the earth that the campaign hasn’t touched. As Greg Bourne, CEO of World Wildlife Fund in Australia, put it: “We have everyone from Casablanca to the safari camps of Namibia and Tanzania taking part.”

But has Earth Hour actually done anything to halt – or even slow – global warming? Not so much.

The event’s popularity is not hard to fathom. Who but the most die-hard global-warming denier could resist the notion, as Earth Hour’s American website phrased it this year, that merely “by flipping off your lights on March 27 at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation”?

Needless to say, this was not quite the case. The main thing that anyone accomplished by turning off the lights at nighttime for an hour was to make it harder to see.

Keep reading at The Project Syndicate > > >

Over the weekend, Ruse blogged about the Templeton Foundation for The Huffington Post. The Foundation’s stated mission is “to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s biggest questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness, and creativity.”

This year, the Foundation honored Francisco J. Ayala with its prize for “a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works. It is the world’s largest annual monetary award given to an individual, currently valued at 1,000,000 pounds sterling.” (Past winners included Mother Teresa and Chuck Colson, former Watergate burglar -turned- born-again Christian). Yet no worthy award presentation is without controversy!

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Via The Huffington Post (Religion Section)

Michael Ruse: A Scientific Defense of the Templeton Foundation

Last week, the Templeton Foundation announced this year’s winner of its prize honoring “a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” In the early years, the award went to a range of figures in the religious world, including Mother Teresa and Chuck Colson, the Watergate burglar who later became a born-again Christian and a big figure in prison ministry. More recently, the award has been given to academics working on the science-religion interface. It was therefore appropriate that this year the Prize went to Francisco Ayala, a Spanish-born population geneticist at the University of California at Irvine. Ayala (a former Catholic priest) has long been interested in the science-religion relationship, and he has been prominent in the fight against the encroachment of Creationism into state-supported biology classes.

However, the announcement has not been without controversy. The Templeton Foundation was begun by the late Sir John Templeton, who made a great deal of money by starting mutual funds, and is essentially devoted to the promotion of the interaction and harmony between science and religion. It is hardly too strong a term to say that it is an object of derision by many of today’s scientists, including my own colleague here at Florida State University, Sir Harry Kroto who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry (for discovering the structure of complex carbon molecules, “buckyballs”). Richard Dawkins has characterized the president of the Royal Society (of London), Sir Martin Rees, as a “Quisling” (after the war-time Nazi ruler of Norway) for his friendliness to the Foundation. Jerry Coyne, a University of Chicago biologist and a deservedly respected scientist for his work on problems of speciation, runs a blog (Why Evolution is True) where he writes of the foundation’s “history of intellectual dishonesty.” When it was announced that the National Academy of Science’s premises would be used to introduce this year’s prize winner he called it an “outrage.” And then there is Minnesota biologist P. Z. Myers, who runs the blog Pharyngula, and whose splenetic keyboard surely qualifies him for the title of evolution’s answer to Rush Limbaugh. It is not only the Foundation that sends up his blood pressure, but Ayala now also is in his line of fire. He is accused of “intellectual cowardice” and is characterized as “the master of non-committal waffle.” Apparently Ayala received the award purely for “religious apologetics,” even though somewhat inconsistently Ayala is also faulted for not making clear his own position on the God question.

I am a good friend of Francisco Ayala, a bond which goes back even before we together (along with others, including the late Stephen Jay Gould) appeared as expert witnesses in a trial in the State of Arkansas, where on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union we testified (successfully) against a law intended to bring Creationism into the state’s biology classes. However, I know full well that Ayala is fully capable of defending himself, so I will say no more about him. But I would like to say a few words about the Foundation itself.

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Keep reading at The Huffington Post Religion > > >