Andrea Valcarcel

Friday, April 19, 2024

Abracadabra, patas de cabra: El tiburón fantasma de las profundidades desarrolló un sexto sentido

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments biología marina, peligro de extinción, profundidades, tiburones

Las burbujas que surgen de las profundidades del mar son señal de problemas: un enfrentamiento entre un depredador y su presa. Las profundidades marinas, un hábitat relativamente inexplorado y misterioso, albergan criaturas que se han adaptado a la oscuridad y el silencio del fondo del océano durante cientos de millones de años. Pasar tanto tiempo en estas duras condiciones ha obligado al tiburón fantasma a desarrollar un sexto sentido: la capacidad de detectar cambios en el campo electromagnético. Los científicos están empezando a descubrir esta historia fantasmal, pero gran parte de ella sigue siendo un misterio.

Climate

SCUBA Diving and Climate Change: How Dive Computers Can Be Used To Better Understand Changing Ocean Temperatures

November 1, 2022October 31, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments citizen science, Climate Change, climate crisis, dive computers, oceans, SCUBA diving, temperature increase

Dive computers are devices used to measure the elapsed time and depth during underwater diving in order to prevent accidents from rising through the water too quickly. Modern-day dive computers record water temperatures and GPS coordinates, and some even send out text messages—this is why citizen scientists with dive computers are being contacted to contribute to the larger pool of climate information. These devices could be used to more accurately study changes in ocean temperature. In the end, divers are the ones in the water day in and day out, so why not use their experience as a resource of information to fight climate change?

Español

La microfibra, un gran problema

October 21, 2022October 19, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments contaminación, contaminación por plásticos, microfibras, microplásticos, polución

Las microfibras están llegando a nuestros lagos y océanos. Con la ayuda de nuevas tecnologías y un poco de esfuerzo comunitario, tal vez podamos detener su infiltración.

Animal behavior

Soft Manatee, Warm Manatee? Understanding How Manatees Behave

October 1, 2022May 30, 2023 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments animal behavior, endangered species, manatees, marine biology, marine conservation, marine life, marine mammals, marine species, temperament

Antillean manatees are an endangered subspecies of manatee that live in the warm waters of the Caribbean, but little is known about their behavior, both in the wild and under human care. This is why scientists in France set out to better understand and define manatee behavior in captivity, identifying how bold or shy they were and how they acted towards novel and familiar stimuli.

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Más allá de expulsar sus órganos a depredadores: ¿Qué esconden los pepinos de mar?

September 21, 2022September 19, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments biología marina, cancer, pepino de mar

Actualmente, se están investigando los pepinos de mar y las funciones de las proteínas que los componen. Con resultados prometedores, la pregunta se convierte en: ¿Pudiera estar la cura del cancer en el fondo del mar?

Human Exposure and Public Health Remediation

A New Compound Makes Waves for Oil Spill Clean Up

September 1, 2022August 31, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments bioremediation, chemical engineering, clean up, human impacts, human risk, marine biology, marine remediation, Oil, oil spill

Phase-Selective Organo-WHAT? Scientists are studying complex chemicals called Phase-Selective Organogelators (or PSOGs) to better understand their ability to clean up oil spills. These chemicals create a gel when added, in small quantities, to crude oil. The use of these chemicals could be a game changer when it comes to remediating marine oil spills. It would facilitate the way these disasters are handled, shortening the time it’s left affecting the organisms that live and interact in marine ecosystems

Animal behavior Ecosystems

Fire and Animal Behavior: How Forest Fires are Mediating Predator-Prey Interactions

August 1, 2022August 31, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments animal behavior, bushfire, forest ecology, forestry, predation, predator-prey interactions, prescribed fire, Wildfire

Fires, both from intentional and unintentional sources, have been altering our ecosystems for as long as history has been recorded, yet little is known about how these occurrences affect animal behavior, especially concerning predator-prey interactions. Countless factors, including the extent of the fire and the adaptability of both predator and prey to these new conditions affect the behavior and survivability of both predator and prey. In the end, change is inevitable, but if we improve our understanding of how fires influence animal behavior, we can then help rehabilitate affected populations in more effective and efficient ways.

Español

Las Ranas Congeladas Ayudan a Entender Cómo Conservar Órganos Humanos Para Trasplante

July 21, 2022July 15, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments biotecnología, medicina, resistencia a la temperatura, salud humana, salud pública, trasplante de órganos

Los órganos humanos para trasplante son escasos y difíciles de mantener con vida. Se han utilizado métodos para prolongar su vida, pero aun así solo se llega a satisfacer el 10% de la necesidad mundial de trasplantes al año. Existen especies de ranas que son capaces de sobrevivir el invierno utilizando mecanismos no convencionales. ¿Y si en los mecanismos de estas ranas encontramos una manera de preservar la viabilidad de los órganos humanos para trasplante por mas tiempo?

Ecosystems Environmental Science

Microplastics In Our Fish: How Fish Food Is Affecting Our Food Supply and Our Health

July 1, 2022January 4, 2023 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments fisheries, food safety, health impacts, human health, microfibers, Microplastic, microplastics, public health, wildlife health

Microplastics are small plastic particles ranging in size from 1μm (the size of a human hair) to 5mm (the size of a pencil-top eraser) that don’t dissolve in water and are usually fragmented from larger pieces of plastics. That sounds like something that should never end up on our plates, right? Well, researchers have found that these small plastics have, unfortunately, found their way into our food chain.

Español

Los Movimientos De Tiburones Pueden Servir Para Diseñar Mejores Áreas Marinas Protegidas

June 21, 2022June 20, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments biología marina, conservación, ecosistemas, pesca, tiburones

Las áreas marinas protegidas (AMP) pueden ser muy eficaces para proteger la vida marina, y lo son aún más cuando se utilizan los movimientos reales de la fauna para orientar el trazado de sus fronteras. Utilizando la telemetría, los científicos pueden crear zonas protegidas que beneficien la poblaciones de tiburones y pueden observar la eficacia para reducir la pesca ilegal en las AMP.