In the News: Under the Sea

Fig.1. This blue crab’s ancestors might have been food for Native Americans and early colonists in North America (Credit: Tonya Lane Rucker/ flickr)

Crabs, mollusks, deep-sea life, oh my! For this week’s #FollowFriday, the ocean takes the spotlight in scientific research. Read about new ways to approach archaeological sites, medical databases, and more:

• Old Bay seasoning might not have been used in 1,200 B.C., but blue crabs were certainly eaten in the Chesapeake Bay area around that time. New archaeological surveys overturned a long held belief about the diets of Native Americans and early colonists: “American Indians, Colonists Had Healthy Appetite For Crabs, Study Shows,” Smithsonian News (1 February 2015)

• A new way to survey deep-ocean waters may change our understanding of marine biodiversity: “Genetic Flotsam Offers Clues To Ocean Biodiversity,” Scientific American (3 February 2015)

• These marine sediment records help scientists to track hypoxia through time: “Paleoceanographic Insights On Recent Oxygen Minimum Zone Expansion: Lessons For Modern Oceanography,” PLOS One (28 January 2015) 

• Language is not just a social development, but may be a response to the climate as well: “Climate Affects The Development Of Human Speech,” University of Miami Press (22 January 2015)

• Humans rely on antibodies, fevers, and other immune responses to get rid of infections. Some invertebrates, however, must be more creative: “Diseases Abound -- But How Do Invertebrates Fight Infection?” No Bones (2 February 2015)

• Studies like these lead to all kinds of new hypotheses where being able to go back to a sample archive could be greatly beneficial:“Networks Reveal The Connections of Disease,” Quanta Magazine (29 January 2015)