Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Forensics
Not what you think; it’s about forensics of the Squid web/proxy cache.
Note the squid stamp, though.
Entries Tagged "squid"
Page 89 of 108
Learning About Giant Squid From Sperm Whale Stomachs
Interesting research:
By looking in the stomachs of three sperm whales stranded in the Bay of Biscay, Cherel recovered hundreds of beaks from 19 separate species—17 squids including the giant squid, the seven-arm octopus (the largest in the world) and the bizarre vampire squid. Together, these species represent a decent spread of the full diversity of deep-sea cephalopods.
He analysed the chemical composition of the beaks. and in particular, their ratio of carbon isotopes (carbon-13 compared to carbon-13) and their ratio of ratio of nitrogen isotopes (nitrogen-15 compared to nitrogen-14). These measurements are a reflection of both what and where the animals ate.
Levels of carbon-13 can tell us how deep an animal lives, whether it swims offshore or inshore, and whether it spends its time in the open ocean, or sticks close to its floor. All of the cephalopods’ carbon-13 levels fell within a narrow range, indicating that all 19 species live in similar and overlapping parts of the ocean.
Friday Squid Blogging: Two Squid Recipes
Braised squid with artichokes, and squid in red wine sauce, both from the New York Times food blog.
Friday Squid Blogging: Build Your Own Virtual Squid
This site lets you build your own squid and let it loose in a virtual environment. You can even come back later and visit your squid.
Friday Squid Blogging: Researching Squid Bacteria
New research:
Intriguingly, that gene is the one that enables the bacteria to form a biofilm, the tightly woven matrix of “slime” which allows bacterial colonies to behave in many ways like a single organism. “The biofilm might be critical for adhering to the light organ, or telling the host that the correct symbiont has arrived,” says Mandel.
Biofilms also seem to be important in another kind of bacterial invasion of animals: disease. Some normally harmless lung bacteria can turn into a nasty infection in humans by forming a biofilm, for example, while many immune defences are aimed at preventing biofilms. And certain bacteria, like Vibrio fischeri, typically invade only certain species and tissues.
Friday Squid Blogging: Jumbo Squid Teeth
They’re strong and lightweight:
The teeth get their strength from architecture. A series of tooth pores runs through the protein, and on the outer edge the pores are spaced widely for a hard, shape edge that digs into the flesh of hapless prey. Toward the base, the pores are closer together, making a softer material that can absorb the prey’s thrashing without breaking.
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.