Your Chilean Sea Bass Dinner Deprives Killer Whales | Wired Science A one-of-a-kind killer whale population appears to be threatened by human appetites for Antarctic toothfish, better known to restaurant-goers as Chilean Sea Bass. As fishing fleets patrol their waters, catching what was their primary source of food, the whales are vanishing. It’s not certain whether they’ve only moved on, or are dying out, or both. But something is happening, with potentially dark implications for Earth’s last pristine ecosystem. “There’s been a dramatic disappearance of the whales,” said biologist David Ainley of ecological consulting firm H.T. Antarctic killer whales form two types of populations, known to researchers as ecotype-B and ecotype-C. Dubbed Ross Sea killer whales, ecotype-C whales are found only in the Ross Sea, an expanse of water off Antarctica’s southern coast, flanking the France-sized Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Sea, however, isn’t what it used to be. Antarctic toothfish are now called Chilean Sea Bass, too. “We don’t know for sure what this means.
A Massive Black Field of Cut Steel Plants Hides a Colorful Secret London-based artist Zadok Ben David created this incredible installation using 12,000 cut steel botanical specimens modeled from old textbook illustrations, each embedded in a thin layer of sand. On first encountering the sprawling array of plants they appear completely black, thus the installation’s title: Blackfield. However when viewed from the opposite side, a field of black turns into a wall of color. To Talk With Aliens, Learn to Speak With Dolphins | Wired Science The Kepler Space Telescope announced a new bonanza of distant planets this month, reconfirming that solar systems, some possibly hosting life, are common in the universe. So if humanity someday arrives at an extraterrestrial cocktail party, will we be ready to mingle? At the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Florida, researchers train for contact by trying to talk with dolphins. Behavioral biologist Denise Herzing started studying free-ranging spotted dolphins in the Bahamas more than two decades ago. “We thought, ‘This is fascinating, let’s see if we can take it further,’” Herzing said. Dolphins have large, sophisticated brains, elaborately developed in the areas linked to higher-order thinking. When trained, they have a remarkable capacity to pick up language. Some tantalizing studies even suggest dolphins share their own language (see sidebar, “Easier Language Through Math”). Divers demonstrated the system by pressing keys on a large submerged keyboard. See Also:
A Journey Through Iceland Voici cette très belle vidéo de 12 minutes dévoilant un voyage à travers les paysages de l’Islande. Des superbes plans et images réalisés par Henry Jun Lee Wah pour ce clip sur le son « Legend » du groupe japonais instrumental Mono. A découvrir en video HD dans la suite. Cross-Species Gadget Tests Reveal Reason for Dolphin Tools | Wired Science The dolphins of Australia’s Shark Bay, famed as Earth’s first marine tool-users, likely turned to gadgetry because echolocation couldn’t find the best fish, especially for hurried moms without time to hunt. It was in 1984 that researchers first observed the dolphins fitting basket sponges over their beaks, then scraping through seafloor mud to disturb hidden fish. Research subsequently showed this behavior to be full-blown tool use, taught by mothers to their daughters and representing a profound difference in lifestyle between them and Shark Bay’s other bottlenoses. A basic question remained unanswered, however: Though sponges clearly protected sensitive dolphin snouts from jagged pieces of rock and coral, why scrape seafloor at all? Why not rely on echolocation to pinpoint target prey? Most fish scared from the muck were bottom-dwellers lacking swim bladders, the air-filled organs that help fish control their buoyancy. Image: Eric Patterson/PLoS ONE See Also:
Science - News for Your Neurons Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice | Racism, Bias & Politics | Right-Wing and Left-Wing Ideology There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy. The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. "Prejudice is extremely complex and multifaceted, making it critical that any factors contributing to bias are uncovered and understood," he said. Controversy ahead The findings combine three hot-button topics. "They've pulled off the trifecta of controversial topics," said Brian Nosek, a social and cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia who was not involved in the study. "The unique contribution here is trying to make some progress on the most challenging aspect of this," Nosek said, referring to the new study. Brains and bias A study of averages Simple viewpoints
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