The Creatures In Our Lives…
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 9th, 2009
Good Morning!
Speaking of ‘evolution’….this one is for you Anna & Peter…
Creatures living on violent undersea volcano give climate change survival clue
By Clare Bates/ Dailymail.co.uk
An active underwater volcano which spews torrents of lava and noxious gas has become a surprising hotspot for sea critters, scientists revealed today.
Studying them may provide answers to how sea life could adapt to the world’s increasingly acidic oceans, they said.
The unique volcano near the island of Guam erupts so frequently that it has built a new cone 131ft high and 984ft wide in just three years.
‘That’s as tall as a 12-story building and as wide as a full city block,’ said expedition leader Bill Chadwick, a volcanologist at Oregon State University.
But despite the tumultuous conditions a large number of creatures including shrimp, crab, limpets and barnacles, have thrived at the volcano called NW Rota-1.
‘They’re specially adapted to their environment and are thriving in harsh chemical conditions that would be toxic to normal marine life,’ said Chadwick.
‘Life here is actually nourished by the erupting volcano.’
Sea water is slightly alkaline, but the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been mirrored by an increase of CO2 dissolving in the oceans and forming carbonic acid.
Ocean acidification is a serious concern because it can be fatal to some fish eggs and larvae and interferes with the formation of shells.
‘Submarine volcanoes are places where we can study how animals have adapted to very acidic conditions,’ Chadwick said.
‘Volcanic gases make the eruption cloud extremely acidic – worse than stomach acid.’
Verena Tunnicliffe, a biologist from the University of Victoria, said that two species of shrimp had revealed intriguing adaptations to volcano living.
‘The ‘Loihi’ shrimp has adapted to grazing the bacterial filaments with tiny claws like garden shears,’ said Tunnicliffe.
‘The second shrimp is a new species – they also graze as juveniles, but as they grow to adult stage, their front claws enlarge and they become predators.’
The new species attacks the Loihi shrimp and preys on marine life that wanders too close to the volcanic plumes and dies.
‘We saw dying fish, squid, and so on, raining down onto the seamount, where they were jumped on by the volcano shrimp – a lovely adaptation to exploiting the noxious effects of the volcano,’ Tunnicliffe said.
The international science team had previously visited the hydrothermal site in 2004 and 2006, but this was the first time they studies the volcano in detail and close up.
The latest mission took place during April 2009 and the team captured dramatic new images of the volcano’s eruptive behaviour with the remotely operated vehicle Jason.
‘It was amazing how close Jason can get to the eruptive vent because the pressure at a depth of 1,700 feet in the ocean keeps the energy released from the volcano from becoming too explosive,’ Chadwick added.
Some of the most intriguing observations came when the volcano slowly pushed lava up and out of the erupting vent.
‘As this was happening, the ground in front of us shuddered and quaked, and huge blocks were bulldozed out of the way to make room for new lava emerging from the vent,’ Chadwick said.
NW Rota-1 provides a one-of-a-kind natural laboratory for the investigation of undersea volcanic activity and its relation to chemical-based ecosystems at hydrothermal vents, where life on Earth may have originated.
‘It is unusual for a volcano to be continuously active, even on land,’ Chadwick pointed out.
‘This presents us with a fantastic opportunity to learn about processes we’ve never been able to directly observe before,’ he said.
Part of the evidence that the volcano is in a constant state of eruption comes from an underwater microphone – or hydrophone – that was deployed a year ago at NW Rota-1 by OSU geologist Bob Dziak.
The hydrophone ‘listened’ for the sounds of volcanic activity. Another hydrophone and other instruments will monitor the volcano in the coming year.
The international team included scientists from OSU, the University of Washington, University of Victoria, University of Oregon, NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, New Zealand and Japan. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
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Hmm…creatures….they do affect our lives…and we affect theirs. Yesterday we had quite a few comments about some of the little creatures and how they affect our lives, ranging from raccoons to bedbugs – the latter I can live without.
And now these little new species of shrimp. I thought this would be interesting to all of you science readers out there – yes? Does it make you feel differently about global warming? Share your thoughts and comments. You know what to do.
Ruth: Thank you for telling us about Rear Admiral Michelle Howard. I had no idea of her position in regards to the Somalia pirates. She is definitely a girlz :) All we ever heard was news on the success of the sharp shooters. I had to smile reading her recalling moments. Only a woman would think such thoughts.
Daniel: No it doesn’t make sense to me but as Zen Lill pointed out ‘Common sense is not that common.’
Hey Zen Lill: I thought about Lily when I was reading the article. And I thought of my dear friend Cat who lives in Texas and I know she would be totally against this. Yep…I would give Arnie my two too if I were you.
Hi Pearl: Thanks for the warning. I love the little raccoons but I don’t love them in my garden. Dogs have a tendency to eat cat feces; Lucy indulges when she can. And until you had mentioned children eating it raccoon feces, I didn’t even think our backyard having anything but cat feces. I hope she’s not chowing on that too. Thankfully, Doug just went into our backyard and picked it up – he just informed me that he didn’t eat any so no worries there :)
And now bedbugs Donna? The thought of them gives me the creeps. And 5-star hotels are not immune. I will confess, living in LA going to college, I woke up twice with squashed roaches in my bed – Ug! Yuk! I can’t tell you how disturbing that was for me.
Trish: Ok…that is quite a story. I know men have done some horrible things to women but leading this guy on that you love him and want to have his baby when all you want to do is pass on his sperm and implant it in your love, is just a bit wacky to me. The guy seems decent except for the fact that he won’t let you see his dick and he puts on this rubber extension to please you – which it doesn’t since you have no interest in men. So how do you expect to marry him and have this other life? Okay so he has money – so what? Is it really worth marry him when you could be living a happy life with the woman you really love?
Since your story is so wacky, how about a wacky suggestion? Tell the guy you really like him and want to marry him, but that you are gay and you want him to impregnate your girlfriend. Maybe all of you can live together and raise the kid and live happily ever after.
Lelia: You can assure your cousin that I am no closet dike. Men just love to call me that because I call them out. I do love women and yes I will admit, I am attracted to some. In fact right now, I have a small crush on a lesbian acquaintance, but I definitely prefer men and only see myself in long term relationships with men. I hope that makes it clear to anyone who thinks differently of my sexual preferences. If not, I really doesn’t bother me. People will believe what they want to believe.
Samuel: Ah…it is the differences in all of us that makes the world so interesting and beautiful to me. No one will be edited out.
Anonymous: I think that president Obama is doing an excellent job of managing our country too, and yes he does have his challenges. But I believe he will prevail.
DNSR!: I hope that you and BNMV! Have a great weekend! Any travel plans coming up?
Teri: I think Melinda answered your question so I’ll leave it at that. Unless of course any of the men want to chime in :)
I am off to enjoy this beautiful day – I hope it will be for you too where ever you are.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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May 9th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
REGULAR ACID-REDUCING DRUGS MAY CAUSE DEMENTIA
I often write about the pitfalls of taking stomach acid-reducing or blocking drugs, and here’s one more reason not to take them: Popping acid-reducers such as Tagamet or Zantac for an extended period can increase the risk of mental decline in older people. Think twice before reaching for these drugs, especially if you are getting on in years.
MORE DRUGS LEAD TO MORE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Physicians have long observed that older patients tend to become disoriented and confused after regularly taking acid-reducing drugs known as H2-receptor blockers (histamine-2 receptor antagonists). Available both over-the-counter and by prescription, these drugs are taken to reduce the production of stomach acid. Popular OTC brands include Axid AR (nizatidine), Pepcid AC (famotidine), Tagamet HB (cimetidine) and Zantac 75 (ranitidine).
At the Indiana University Center for Aging Research, gerontologist Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH, set out to determine whether long-term use of H2-receptor blockers contributes to a higher risk of cognitive impairment. He and his colleagues conducted a study of 1,558 Americans 65 and over. They found that participants who took these medications on a continuous basis for two or more years substantially increased their risk of cognitive impairment (including Alzheimer’s Disease) — by nearly 2½ times.
The results of the study were published in the August 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Boustani cautions that this is not the final word on H2-receptor blockers, and further research is needed to determine how acid reducers contribute to mental decline. According to Dr. Boustani, one theory is that H2-receptor blockers might be blocking the cholinergic system in the brain (the system of nerve cells that uses acetylcholine as its neurotransmitter and is damaged in the brains of people with dementia). Another theory is that they might interfere with the absorption of vitamins such as B-12, which might in turn interfere with cognitive processes.
STAYING SAFE
Even though doctors don’t know why, the results seem to stand for themselves. While some people need to take acid-reducing drugs for a period of time when they have stomach ulcers (most ulcers heal with medication in six to eight weeks, but recurrence is common), many mistakenly rely on them afterward for heartburn. They may help soothe symptoms in the short term, but they can lead to far worse long-term problems. Better is to limit use of acid-reducing or acid-suppressing medications and find more healthful ways to manage gastric distress. (For more on how acid-reducing drugs interfere with digestion and health. And since there is no treatment that cures or reverses dementia at present, it is particularly important for older people to take every possible step they can to prevent its development.
Source(s): ??Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH, director of research operations, Indianapolis Discovery Network for Dementia, research scientist, Regenstrief Institute, Inc., scientist, Indiana University Center for Aging Research.
May 10th, 2009 at 9:06 am
we have arrived recently to your planet and were directed to this blogsite by the flanglins, a race that identifies itself as “aliens on earth” when commenting on this blogsite. my name is milske, there are 10 of us exploring your earth.we are here examining what minerals would be of use to us after the storm we are known throughout the known universe as the jdepra and would like to communicate with the stationary beings while on exploration duty we generally mine hydrogen and carbon two elements that are scarce in the sabtoo quadrant where our home drehmoss and rjo two moons of a gaseous planet scmelmo depleted of hydrogen which is our main sustenance and energy fuel the jdepra are peaceful beings and would intend to bargain for that which we seek we will have your hydrogen and your carbon name yor cost we would also like to make introduction to tao who are also on your planet