tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42685279382902420722024-02-06T20:50:48.886-08:00Chat with NeptuneChat with Neptune intends to establish a link between the general public and Marine Science, undressing the formal language of scientific texts.Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-11823234585585306792018-11-29T06:22:00.000-08:002018-11-29T06:22:13.208-08:0010 professional abilities you develop by doing science<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Lilian Pavani</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">English edit: <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/from-uberlandia-where-i-grew-up-ocean.html" target="_blank">Lídia Paes Leme</a> and <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html" target="_blank">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com/2015/09/10-habilidades-profissionais-que-voce.html" target="_blank">Original here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Those who have done scientific research know how hard it is to explain what you do. Since your work is not an internship or a job, research is typically first done in the position of a student, as either an undergrad, masters, or doctoral student. Is there a researcher among us who has not heard the phrase “do you work too, or only study?” Contrary to common belief, yes, you work and work hard!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Mislead are those who think that work within science is a cinch. Research goes beyond reading articles and books, it involves the construction of new knowledge. On this ardent path, scientists are forced to learn many things that are valued in the “real world.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> When I was doing research I didn’t have any idea of the skills I had learned along the way, but when I started to work in the business world, I realized how many abilities I had due to my undergrad and masters studies in marine ecology. Regardless of the subject you research, you’ll likely find the following to be true for yourself:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fsYcCilKq35J_TwDb6pidNxD_lihyphenhyphentZhRdIa0GICGii0pb_nHTgIk2KnhP5l0Z40o2SwzjWnxdpJtzHnTBAWWHPbc0WhQqluxb9p5q_zaW0VUe9XAzn4jYADKdgdyIv5s09bchcibrhy/s1600/sistema_53b2e68bb534c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="560" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fsYcCilKq35J_TwDb6pidNxD_lihyphenhyphentZhRdIa0GICGii0pb_nHTgIk2KnhP5l0Z40o2SwzjWnxdpJtzHnTBAWWHPbc0WhQqluxb9p5q_zaW0VUe9XAzn4jYADKdgdyIv5s09bchcibrhy/s320/sistema_53b2e68bb534c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.imnic.com.br/imagem_sistema/sistema_53b2e68bb534c.jpg" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>1- You know how to use Word and Excel</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You may need a bundle of complicated software to analyze specific aspects of your work, but there will never be a time you’ll forego the simplicity of making a datasheet and quick graph in Excel. One of the first skills we teach ourselves in data analysis is how to transform a pie chart to a bar graph and change the colors of data series’ until we find what best represents our results. And if you’re applying to a scholarship, presenting results, or formatting a thesis, you’ll – pardon me the pun – learn Word “write.” You insert tables, image</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">s and references without losing sight of the format of paragraphs, margins, or footers.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPqlP12F9L8i6ivlVI81moSdbPjFsInLW_eOaQSEYpkTe46lpfcU5bTjh1l5lIaagWRINYvem5jbRLqI8r9tX6D19vmkG8xsaBavapiz8Ek7xzgQ9LuKj2yHMJz7NBTga0ilsG77dexbA/s1600/apresentacao-em-powerpoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="620" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPqlP12F9L8i6ivlVI81moSdbPjFsInLW_eOaQSEYpkTe46lpfcU5bTjh1l5lIaagWRINYvem5jbRLqI8r9tX6D19vmkG8xsaBavapiz8Ek7xzgQ9LuKj2yHMJz7NBTga0ilsG77dexbA/s320/apresentacao-em-powerpoint.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://s.glbimg.com/po/tt/f/original/2012/03/29/apresentacao-em-powerpoint.jpg" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>2- You know how to make nice presentations in PowerPoint</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Who hasn’t made a poster to present in a conference? Or a presentation for a class in your undergrad or to defend your thesis? Research has helped you almost certainly develop a good aesthetic sense: knowing how to pick the best background color and font, and how to symmetrically distribute the elements of your slide. By now, we all know a picture is worth a thousand words, and wordy slides are the downfall of an otherwise good presentation. Powerpoint helps us master the art of presenting the important information in the available time, be it five, 20 or 50 minutes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4UqJiHtGauqGV-pcX3B0a1QV-TaOzP002PWHWJWcI7CcFxa5RMcboEF6SxSa9KgH6pnSNxox79FT2bEdwap8ixHlDewVDR9oHvi3FykE2SwoRElV32k9t_LNWHQ0wtAAupXvbDWUnPlh/s1600/projeto-2-1024x512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4UqJiHtGauqGV-pcX3B0a1QV-TaOzP002PWHWJWcI7CcFxa5RMcboEF6SxSa9KgH6pnSNxox79FT2bEdwap8ixHlDewVDR9oHvi3FykE2SwoRElV32k9t_LNWHQ0wtAAupXvbDWUnPlh/s400/projeto-2-1024x512.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://arbache.com/blog/competencias-e-desafios-do-trabalho-em-equipe-em-gerenciamento-de-projetos/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>3- Project management is something natural</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Your desire to do research likely started with a question you wanted to answer, a need you identify – the initiation step. To answer the question, you needed to write a research proposal, so you to gathered information, defined the necessary activities to your study, and estimated the necessary resources and deadlines – the planning step. With a research project approved, you developed the defined activities – the execution step. And while your project was being developed, from time to time some activities and processes were reviewed, adjusted and made better – the control and monitoring step. By project completion, you presented the final results in a report or article that went through a rigorous evaluation by your adviser and others – the finalization step. There you go, you may have never heard of a PMBOK or MS project, but you know all about project management!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm_0D44MTeLTYrKJS6UToR31CEmwCfxede388M0kDOB6NrIPoqH7KcaovlU9lbbfGFiAQCdAcXSh9KeXrhibsN82NYiTHp2Vw0b_W-Qq1jP1fOS4O_5QVDoL4mg94uWDb-ZlAqSH6sXwF/s1600/conteudo-qualidade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm_0D44MTeLTYrKJS6UToR31CEmwCfxede388M0kDOB6NrIPoqH7KcaovlU9lbbfGFiAQCdAcXSh9KeXrhibsN82NYiTHp2Vw0b_W-Qq1jP1fOS4O_5QVDoL4mg94uWDb-ZlAqSH6sXwF/s320/conteudo-qualidade.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/igd-wp-uploads/2014/05/conteudo-qualidade.jpg" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4- Quality is mandatory</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The level and rigor and requirements in the academic field can be stratospheric. I’ve seen people kicked out of graduate programs because their scores didn’t meet the level desired by the program. Even if your work is a good contribution to the field, an unsatisfactory abstract alone may prevent you from presenting your work at a conference. If your article is not well structured, it likely won’t be published in any journal. Peers evaluate everything and screen your work for any minor slip; therefore, it is imperative to always make sure the work is well done.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpDlI6tRWCY2-yRCxWYiAD0HZnEunwOIuDnN4BVxwiieOlkqFJqi5ANFkm1TOjzI-KzUS7VihA_PwG8hkQsPZvwVmcyNTjYAISJzlin1MqIfhvOkWXzk114VlZprHOVS9BCMIylNXJExF/s1600/003622013135150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="800" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpDlI6tRWCY2-yRCxWYiAD0HZnEunwOIuDnN4BVxwiieOlkqFJqi5ANFkm1TOjzI-KzUS7VihA_PwG8hkQsPZvwVmcyNTjYAISJzlin1MqIfhvOkWXzk114VlZprHOVS9BCMIylNXJExF/s320/003622013135150.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.sindhosp.com.br/waUpload/003622013135150.jpg" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>5 – You become judicious</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Because of the obligation to quality, the more thoughtful you are in the development of your work, the greater the chance that it will be well done. This habit is acquired without notice</span>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_rQZnEhE9C9SDLcrH8VnAM12OjBzpuvt5SiG-O1bay37ZzP7FcV2cDKeeXO_wq17i575NlPVwaDpjftgzFoxaamDEmH2fGDqkdAoOcCxuLbcR8hvnROELFcGSIP-UpeK959atk8IWLZT/s1600/bonecos-baloes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="400" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_rQZnEhE9C9SDLcrH8VnAM12OjBzpuvt5SiG-O1bay37ZzP7FcV2cDKeeXO_wq17i575NlPVwaDpjftgzFoxaamDEmH2fGDqkdAoOcCxuLbcR8hvnROELFcGSIP-UpeK959atk8IWLZT/s320/bonecos-baloes.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://semanadalogistica-tm.blogspot.com/2014/06/semana-da-logistica-segunda-feira.html" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>6 – Knowing how to argue is a necessity</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In order to discuss your results, apply for funding, or convince your advisor, you need to know how to defend, support, and prove your point of view</span>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9kvrpt-v7sUIJF5dpNszT7thZA0D4oZUIt7k6w1kd21ExrIwHTPGvBrJ__FCJvke0iNSLoxFxnexqZ0VR5H10YKUqFDYUJfYAvKMR1OY5L2fYMAs8AG6hHo_GiCMvJmTcJn0R1vEetW2/s1600/depositphotos_8516910-stock-photo-eggs-with-smiley-faces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1023" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9kvrpt-v7sUIJF5dpNszT7thZA0D4oZUIt7k6w1kd21ExrIwHTPGvBrJ__FCJvke0iNSLoxFxnexqZ0VR5H10YKUqFDYUJfYAvKMR1OY5L2fYMAs8AG6hHo_GiCMvJmTcJn0R1vEetW2/s320/depositphotos_8516910-stock-photo-eggs-with-smiley-faces.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://pt.depositphotos.com/8516910/stock-photo-eggs-with-smiley-faces.html" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>7 - You learn how to deal with people</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">During your research, you need to deal with several different people in varying positions of power. At the very least, you have an advisor and maybe a co-advisor. If you are at masters or doctorate level, you will have collaborators alongside you and new students below you to train. There will also likely be the need to connect to other members of the your home department, especially professors. Those who even only minimally understand academia know that the academic field is an ego war, and you are caught in the crossfire. You must learn to do whatever is possible to keep things going without damaging the pace of your research</span>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiSXnZuHvmQmW328u1-Po_x-Bx4M9N-Y1LOthiTouPq5nnxQjd9tmRc1qpngDdgO8o2SjnFf-6c9hzagce-pcyGM82cHvOuh68h7XPrq3KdrYR352tlUJxDNFq_VHnsdl0e6XoxFa-iJG/s1600/estabelecer-prazos-ajuda-superar-problemas-noticias.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="340" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiSXnZuHvmQmW328u1-Po_x-Bx4M9N-Y1LOthiTouPq5nnxQjd9tmRc1qpngDdgO8o2SjnFf-6c9hzagce-pcyGM82cHvOuh68h7XPrq3KdrYR352tlUJxDNFq_VHnsdl0e6XoxFa-iJG/s320/estabelecer-prazos-ajuda-superar-problemas-noticias.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://noticias.universia.com.br/br/images/docentes/e/es/est/estabelecer-prazos-ajuda-superar-problemas-noticias.png" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>8 – You understand deadlines are important and you abide by them</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you’re on a scholarship you’re always aware of the deadlines for filing reports and funding forms. If you don’t have a scholarship, you’ll be following program deadlines and keeping track of when to submit a new proposal. If you want to present your work at a conference, you have deadlines for abstract submission (sometimes organizers can extend the deadline date, but in general, people use that just to review the abstract sent)</span>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZcF0GmFg3Cc_E2C-nAKBg6Or7CQZ30cKpsyBPHuuwgkAanout0TTlms1Ewn1_H0m0kvqf2pCHBL2B63__KN9SKEFI61QLHFW054KLpiM9St0MaO0NmZgQdMgdFfHXaRaMJ-f2iydA1mj/s1600/revolutia_tease_financas_3_w450.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZcF0GmFg3Cc_E2C-nAKBg6Or7CQZ30cKpsyBPHuuwgkAanout0TTlms1Ewn1_H0m0kvqf2pCHBL2B63__KN9SKEFI61QLHFW054KLpiM9St0MaO0NmZgQdMgdFfHXaRaMJ-f2iydA1mj/s200/revolutia_tease_financas_3_w450.png" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.revolutia.com.br/v5/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/revolutia_tease_financas_3_w450.png" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>9 – Financial management is part of it</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In general, most scientific grants and scholarships have a technical reserve -- money that does not go to the researcher but towards the acquisition of equipment, books, field research, and other items needed to the development of the research project. This pool of money is often small, so you learn to manage the financial resources by looking for the best value. In some cases, you may learn to manage many different project funds, to buy common materials that will benefit multiple projects and other in the lab</span>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHz6b0H51JPd2IawTN6mkbmjdhOQZB4D_PZ831ap_HQZCmOlXNEz_4go3vf0dxqd3Y-x0N4lAiOhwum7zhDjS0RCdj75DYZ7Zs-KSwCDmLNh_J0_g_RFr_hIJVAeKZGD-bfJ98ReEPPrw/s1600/O+que+eh+sucesso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHz6b0H51JPd2IawTN6mkbmjdhOQZB4D_PZ831ap_HQZCmOlXNEz_4go3vf0dxqd3Y-x0N4lAiOhwum7zhDjS0RCdj75DYZ7Zs-KSwCDmLNh_J0_g_RFr_hIJVAeKZGD-bfJ98ReEPPrw/s320/O+que+eh+sucesso.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fvbOJsCqD5M/VSfvHJyMMWI/AAAAAAAABlE/hQilwx0oT4E/s1600/O%2Bque%2Beh%2Bsucesso.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>10 – You realize that your success is totally up to you</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The academic field can be a hostile environment, demanding a lot of dedication. Because of that, people tend to qualify themselves as much as possible and are always in search of improvement. So, if you intend to leave the academic career and follow an alternate path, remember your own self value! You have a lot to offer! ;</span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>About Lilian Pavani:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqkdxBfawRWedrsM-5qoKGo65WYePg-nfxotjZWRj6De3UCDnmIIFa4BbucI_yk9RAYrVJXsosHZP7zjomOZE_LFkEwM5Qty7AKpikr01PDBmRlyg6mppPZZzRiBdQe-7JWWjrej4wnT0/s1600/LILIAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="148" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqkdxBfawRWedrsM-5qoKGo65WYePg-nfxotjZWRj6De3UCDnmIIFa4BbucI_yk9RAYrVJXsosHZP7zjomOZE_LFkEwM5Qty7AKpikr01PDBmRlyg6mppPZZzRiBdQe-7JWWjrej4wnT0/s200/LILIAN.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lilian is a biologist, with a masters in ecology and specialization in environmental engineering from the State University of Campinas. She is a lover of sponges and other marine invertebrates, especially the colorful ones. After sailing through sponges, amphipods and petroleum, the current and winds took her literally down other roads, where she worked studying run-over fauna, doing environmental management and supervision of railroad construction. She has many diverse interests, including education, writing, innovation, cooking, playing the flute in an amateur group of antique musicians, and bird watching. Anyway, she lives with her feet in the sand and kind of in the tides.</span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-79917718094905922992018-09-27T05:13:00.000-07:002018-09-27T05:13:50.106-07:00Challenges faced by women in science<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/catarina-r-marcolin.html" target="_blank">Catarina Marcolin</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">English edit by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html" target="_blank">Katy Shoemaker</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A debate at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IEA-USP) recently got my attention, entitled</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “Women in the University and Sciences: Challenges and Opportunities.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If you can understand a bit of Portuguese, it is worth watching the entire </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.iea.usp.br/noticias/preconceitos-e-estereotipos-impactam-progressao-da-mulher-na-ciencia" style="text-decoration: none;">video</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (it is only available in portuguese). The debate lasts around an hour and consists of three female scientists telling incredible statistics and surprising facts about women’s participation in the academic world, and some of these facts are really hard to believe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So this week, I want to discuss some of the facts included in this debate. To do that, I searched for more data so we can go deeper into the subject. First of all, I was happy to find out that women represent about 50% of the undergraduate students in Brazil. We are even the majority in some areas. However, when we look only at the sciences and engineering, women make up less than 40%. At the University of São Paulo, USP, a paltry 15% of the students enrolled in engineering courses are female. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Extending beyond undergraduate education, there are also as many women as men in graduate and postdoc positions in Brazil. In fact, in 2010, more women earned Masters and Ph.D. titles than men. But again, that is not the reality in science and engineering. There is still something hampering our inclusion in these areas, including oceanography. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="280" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/laH7xEsBX73mhzLv69OpqD0DVxZNUBtdTiCaTrZyvomN6vj55AFriI19snx1Vfb1ZKzCl_xdDpBdd1-4QsEIcGSPpXtwg7aZsBOMlfuLqVRCvk2cDUgfEKNSr5Kkwc1F2-q_hgNXyEgj5w-8Sw" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="472" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Number of scholarships per area in 2014. Source CNPq. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Women: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feminino; Men: Masculino.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most shocking numbers are those related to the distribution of specific research grants called PQ grants. These grants are awarded to researchers for research excellence, and they determine the distribution of funding to research projects in the country. Therefore, PQ grants directly affect our performance as researchers. PQ fellowships are tiered, and women's participation decreases as we go up each level. Note that women receive no more than 38% of these grants, even at the lowest level.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="279" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/H_LK5E6pm0ESSxbD0Gr-hMugB3z5voLgJsRTCMDd-OEXMHpvT3fNiAOr3BrJ8jGc29Ci27jDyF8rItHdx4-jxWOtUPjjwn7Kk6m3aGLJOarSZs2zFgVeF69jJvmJxosGeNtsI216QepAHPtVtw" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="415" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">PQ research grants per level in 2014. Level 2 is the lowest category that a researcher can apply for, whereas SR is the highest level. Source: CNPq. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Women: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feminino; Men: Masculino.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is clear from these two plots that there is both horizontal and vertical segregation of men from women. Women appear to be concentrated in certain careers (horizontal), but within a career, there is a vertical separation of power, with women having low representation in the highest positions. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We find more examples of vertical segregation when we analyze leadership positions in large research groups. In Brazil there are currently 126 National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs). Well, 109 of those INCTs are run by men and only 17 by women. There are 6 INCTs focused on oceanography/marine science, and only one of those is lead by a woman (</span><a href="http://inct.cnpq.br/web/inct-apa" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Antarctic Environmental Research - INCT-APA</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An all too common scenario can be seen in the </span><a href="http://www.abc.org.br/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC)</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The following data was presented by the physicist Carolina Brito (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul) in the debate I mentioned at the beginning of this post. For a researcher to join ABC, he/she is nominated by an ABC member and a committee decides whether or not that researcher will enter. This committee is massively comprised by men, and as you can imagine, the result is not at all encouraging for female scientists. There is a list of the current ABC members on their website. There are 795 men and 122 women in ABC. From these, 15% of the men are below the 1A level in the CNPq, and only 1% of the women are below level 1A researchers. A fast interpretation we can make is this: if you want to be a member of ABC, and if you are a woman, it is almost mandatory to be a level 1A researcher or higher. For men, this standing does not have the same impact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, this reality does not seem to be getting any better. In 2008, 20% of the deans in universities were women, and 8 years later, this number dropped to 10%. Although 48% of the Ph.D. holders are women, only 23% of them occupy teaching positions in our public universities. In a previous post we have addressed some of the reasons for why women quit the academic career at a higher rate than men (</span><a href="https://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/2016/06/when-to-add-children-to-academic.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When to add children to the academic timeline</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So, what can we do to change that picture?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1 - The data presented here is limited. We need numbers, we need more indicators.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2 - We need training on gender issues. In France, curriculum was recently modified to discuss gender in all undergraduate courses. That sounds like a good start.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 - We need to fund women's projects, provide scholarships, and reward them. We have very few initiatives, but these have incredible effects. Check out the post </span><a href="https://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/2016/11/finding-self-confidence-as-woman-in.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finding self-confidence as a woman in science</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to see Deborah's testimony on the importance of being recognized in her area. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">4 - We need role models. Young female scientists do not see people like themselves in power positions regularly enough. Socially, girls are still discouraged to pursue scientific careers that are considered "hard." From a very young age, we are overwhelmed with ancient cliches telling us how to take care of the house, how to be good wives, mothers, true ladies of our homes. We have to give girls the opportunity to fall in love with science and make them confident that this relationship can work. The L'Oreal Foundation recently conducted an opinion poll that demonstrated how Europeans feel about the role of women in science. Five thousand people were heard (men and women), and 67% said that women are not qualified to hold positions of high responsibility. The main reason being that "women would suffer from lack of perseverance, lack of practical spirit, scientific rigor, rational, and analytical spirit."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">All I have to say about this is: It’s time to get to work! At the VII Brazilian Congress of Oceanography there was a round table discussion on the subject, with a crowded room of people eager to speak. Although it was an excellent experience, there is still so much to discuss. So I want to invite you all to continue this discussion. Let's talk about gender in the spaces we occupy, spread this idea! Organize an event and call everyone you know. Share your experiences with us!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoria.cnpq.br/estatisticas/bolsas/sexo.htm">http://memoria.cnpq.br/estatisticas/bolsas/sexo.htm</a></span></span></div>
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Bate-papo com Netunohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529542532683705069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-41937305006794125832018-08-23T08:57:00.000-07:002018-08-29T11:52:56.997-07:00Misadventures in Research<span id="docs-internal-guid-1c361545-7fff-86b8-1293-7f7e0701b395"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/i-earned-my-degree-in-biological.html" target="_blank">Yonara Garcia</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d9ce0781-7fff-2f18-8ae2-ba8774932841"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">English edit: <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/from-uberlandia-where-i-grew-up-ocean.html" target="_blank">Lídia Paes Leme</a></span> and <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html" target="_blank">Katyanne Shoemaker</a></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Illustration by: <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/caia-colla.html" target="_blank">Caia Colla </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> As I was finishing writing my thesis, I started to consider all of the challenges that I went through in the two years of my Masters education in order to deliver such a perfectly rounded piece of work. My feelings were mixed because I was obviously happy to finish this step in my life, but I realized that this document didn’t contain even a third of all the misadventures that got me to this point. In my opinion, the thesis was missing a chapter; there should have been a chapter on “the making of” the research, just to explain how much went wrong and what it really takes to deliver good work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> When starting a Masters course, you must submit a proposal, which includes your research objectives, the hypothesis, and how you plan to answer that hypothesis. Wow! It was so easy so far! You just follow a previously described method and you understand what your results will look like and how they should be treated. This is all based on previously done work on a similar subject, which of course you know all about after reviewing the relevant literature. Two years to finish this project? No problem! …or at least that is what I thought. For me, it was not this easy, so I am going to tell you a little bit about my many misadventures during my masters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> My work was a behavioral study of marine planktonic organisms in a 3D system. To build the system, I got together with a crew of post-graduate students who would also be using the experimental tank. This is where the soap opera began. We believed that we could build our system based on previous studies, but we quickly noticed that several components were not correct. There were issues with the magnification, color of LED lights, and the shape and positioning on the table. Everything had to be disassembled and reassembled to incorporate the necessary changes. The entire system had to be rebuilt 4 times because with each assembly we noticed new flaws. After months of arranging and rearranging pieces, and with the help of specialists in the area of optics, we finally reached a working system. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Ok, that took a few more months than expected, but now I could finally perform my tests, generate results, and graduate, right? Wrong. My work required filming the trajectories my target organism takes in the water column. However, the software for the two cameras we had would only film for 20 seconds at a time, which was not a long enough time span to get a valid representation of swimming behavior. We increased the computer’s memory, but that was not the issue. Thankfully, a student in our lab was proficient with computer science, and he became a key contributor to this project’s success. The filming software was completely replaced with software he developed. This new program didn’t have a time limit, however it could not utilize two cameras at once, so two computers had to be used. Having the two computers meant we could be introducing human error in timing; no matter how hard I tried, I cannot click the mouse at the exact same time on two computers. The solution for this problem was to use two microcontrollers that were activated by a potentiometer. Finally, we had a working system with a program that could be modified according to our needs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Onto the experiments! One of the primary challenges of working with living organisms is that you depend on them to be present in a certain collection spot at a given time of year. Unfortunately for me, by the time the experimental system was set up, we could not find enough individuals to run the experiments. It took several months of daily sampling to have enough individuals to perform all of my experiments, but I finally finished. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> After video collection, the next step of the project was to use a computer program to find coordinates and relevant numerical data on the trajectories of the organisms. Given the topic of this post, it may not be a surprise to say something went wrong in this part too. As it turned out, the program that was originally going to be used could not compare the long videos that we fought so hard to attain. Once more, we turned to our computer science hero, and he developed software that could give us the organisms’ trajectories independent of video size. Let me take a moment to point out that software development is not an easy task; it took several iterations to get it to the point we needed it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> With data in hand, I could finally analyze them and get my results. Data analysis is never easy, but given what I had already gone through, the challenges seemed minor in comparison. I had no idea how far off that initial Master’s plan would end up being, or that I would face so many challenges. I also didn’t expect how much this project would shape me. I had to be more than a biologist for this work; I learned how to solder, make electrical connections, understand physics, be a computer technician, and learn a little about programming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Beyond all of the research obstacles, you still have to live your own life. This may be the most complicated part of the whole project. I often felt defeated and like I couldn’t carry on as I was faced with problem after problem. I know many others have lived through much bigger issues with their graduate research, but no matter the size of the problem, it shakes you to the core, and it can often be debilitating. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> But, if you can push through these setbacks and fears of failure, you will eventually reach the end with a huge sense of accomplishment, as I did. It is important for me to share these misadventures in research with you to show what it actually takes to do research—it involves many tries and more wrongs than rights, but in the end, you publish a beautiful piece of well-crafted work. Even with all of the pressures and obstacles I faced, I still love what I do. Through all of the challenges, I grow more certain that I made the right choice.</span></div>
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What challenges have you faced in your research? Comment below to share a little of your story with us!</div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-59432777906085463302018-07-12T10:00:00.000-07:002018-07-17T07:20:52.882-07:00POP(s) – and we are not talking about a music genre<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/juliana-leonel.html" target="_blank">Juliana Leonel</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">English edit: </span><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html" style="text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Persistent organic pollutants, commonly known as POPs, are a group of compounds that are very resistant to degradation. These compounds bioaccumulate, can be transported far from their source through atmospheric and oceanic currents, and can have adverse impacts on living organisms, including humans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 2001, representatives from various countries signed an agreement called the Stockholm Convention with the aim of reducing and controlling the production and use of POPs. This treaty went into effect in 2004 with 151 signatory countries. Initially, 12 compounds were classified as POPs, and the participating countries agreed to ban the use of nine of them. Additionally, the use of DDT (we have a post on DDT <a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2017/05/pesticidas%20and-seabirds.html" target="_blank">here</a>) was limited to only malaria control, and the unintentional production of dioxins and furans was to be reduced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The first 12 POPs were all organochlorine compounds (organic compounds formed by C, H, and Cl), which were divided into three groups according to their use and production. The first group consists of pesticides and herbicides: compounds used to fight agricultural pests such as insects and weeds, which are harmful to the production or storage of grains, fruits, vegetables, wood, etc. The second group includes compounds used in industrial processes, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were mainly used to cool engines, generators, and transformers. Finally, the third group consists of the dioxins and furans, which are compounds unintentionally produced by some industrial processes. This third group contains by-products of processes (e.g. metallurgy and steel manufacture) and are not produced for a specific purpose. Over the years, during the Conference of the Parties, another 17 compounds or groups of compounds have been added to the list of POPs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">From left to right: o,p'- DDT, cis-chlordane, PCB 153, perfluorooctane sulfonate, PBDE99</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To deal with each of these compounds, they were classified into three annexes. Annex A: compounds that must have their use and production eliminated; Annex B: compounds whose use and production should be restricted and only allowed in specific cases; and Annex C: compounds in which (unintentional) production must be controlled and, where feasible, must be phased out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Each signatory country is responsible for carrying out inventory of stocks, production, and use of POPs in its territory. In addition, these countries must implement measures to reduce or eliminate the release of both intentionally and unintentionally produced POPs. In some cases, it is possible to request an exemption, to use one of the POPs in exceptional cases for a pre-determined amount of time (Ex: DDT use in case of malaria infestations). Signatory parties are also responsible for conducting systematic monitoring studies to assess whether measures are being effective in reducing the environmental levels of POPs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Brazil approved the Convention’s text through Legislative Decree No. 204 on May 7th, 2004, and promulgated it via Decree No. 5472, on June 20th, 2005. Implementation of the Convention in Brazil is coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) through the Secretary of Water Resources and Environmental Quality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although POPs are mainly used on land, their transport to the ocean is quite effective, whether through atmospheric transport, urban drainage, or effluent released directly into coastal regions. In this way POPs have been detected in a wide variety of environments and animals (water, air, soil, sediment, birds, fish, marine mammals, etc.). They have been found at the peak of great mountains and in the depths of the oceans, from the equatorial region to polar regions (see an example here: http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2017/05/pesticidas-e-aves-marinhas.html). POPs are a not-so-subtle reminder that environmental contamination has no borders, and it is a problem and responsibility of all the world’s citizens. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Stockholm Convention Text:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/smcq_seguranca/_publicacao/143_publicacao16092009113044.pdf">http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/smcq_seguranca/_publicacao/143_publicacao16092009113044.pdf</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Stockholm Convention - Brazil - MMA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mma.gov.br/seguranca-quimica/convencao-de-estocolmo">http://www.mma.gov.br/seguranca-quimica/convencao-de-estocolmo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Stockholm Convention Home Page:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://chm.pops.int/">http://chm.pops.int/</a></span><br />
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-51712468780512953452018-06-22T10:39:00.000-07:002018-06-22T10:40:34.160-07:00Big Bang to the Dawn of Life: A Brief History - Part II and III<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">By </span><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/p/amanda-bendia.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amanda </span>Bendia</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">English edit: </span><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Part II: Ideal conditions for the origin of life (as we know it)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wfkGmd_ys-mTOe3EplQOFzVxrtVVTvKEy8Xrvvk1frWXY7-KkdQA_H3gxXOXSBgcDn2-lH74HN_OqDjgEtVWbZvt2zG2YJ9Pvmzlum6_cbE-2HwKvZlFfHIfMdinqMpaQS0bAB0gWzSx/s1600/EarlyEarth.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wfkGmd_ys-mTOe3EplQOFzVxrtVVTvKEy8Xrvvk1frWXY7-KkdQA_H3gxXOXSBgcDn2-lH74HN_OqDjgEtVWbZvt2zG2YJ9Pvmzlum6_cbE-2HwKvZlFfHIfMdinqMpaQS0bAB0gWzSx/s320/EarlyEarth.001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Artist's conception of early Earth. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/AUcsWU" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earth's first 400 million years were hostile and desolate: temperatures of over 200 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">o</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C liquefied the crust, and volcanic gases, especially CO</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, were released in large quantities into the forming atmosphere. As the Earth cooled, the crust solidified and the lower temperature allowed liquid water to remain on the surface. This cooling was a key factor in the emergence of life.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In addition, organic molecules, generated in the nebula that gave rise to our solar system, underwent chemical reactions. This resulted in more complex organic molecules, composed especially of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur. These were the building blocks for the first biological molecules.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another important event that allowed the development of life was our planet’s impact with a celestial body the size of Mars, which resulted in the formation of our Moon. It is curious to think that a collision with 100 million times more energy than the impact that killed the dinosaurs was pivotal in the establishment of life on our planet. The gravitational force of the newly formed Moon stabilized the incline of the Earth's axis. Without this stability, major climatic changes would occur, and complex life forms would likely not have developed.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0IZRuY_idtgvb-vbaKq3B-Pm-_pzzEkWPk3ZqPGXUO80kijA83rOYM2KjwVpFe8tDA59xtmMiTjRGnf5kfGmh23lSm70v23i-qGoNxKpE44v4LJAEHz5HKLP02RGqRN27olZJasNtfk2/s1600/originmoon.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0IZRuY_idtgvb-vbaKq3B-Pm-_pzzEkWPk3ZqPGXUO80kijA83rOYM2KjwVpFe8tDA59xtmMiTjRGnf5kfGmh23lSm70v23i-qGoNxKpE44v4LJAEHz5HKLP02RGqRN27olZJasNtfk2/s320/originmoon.001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Origin of the Moon: Artist's conception. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/ceFPWA" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other features of our planet were also fundamental to the emergence and maintenance of life, including the presence of a metallic nucleus, which generates a magnetic field and acts as a protective shield against cosmic radiation. Additionally, the presence of a mantle and its movement below the crust promotes tectonic activities such as volcanism and continental shift. Volcanism was very important in the emergence of life, since its gaseous emissions provided the compounds (CO</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, H</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S, etc.) that may have been used for energy by the first unicellular organisms. Volcanoes also help maintain the planet's climate and help recycle carbon back to living organisms.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Part III: Our chemical origins: the formation of biomolecules </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">An incredibly rare set of conditions (see Part II) allowed life to arise on our planet from organic molecules and chemical reactions. Today, all of Earth’s living organisms are composed of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides and lipids.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These biomolecules consist of small units interconnected with one another, called monomers. The biomonomers that form proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and polysaccharides are respectively the amino acids, nucleotides and monosaccharides. We now know that most biomonomers can be produced spontaneously when given the necessary conditions.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1g8W74sIkmHtFMQ6f_L52QaXoDArmc3LzL3Pus9AZmrIhZg_NAbXlp8H7_GgKagxVGC-J5-cQimBSg_KMcasmWMPsKHn3vCUQNn1aBxhR27GNozs0vSWdAWHaOtsQ-ASuFuqX6QETWps/s1600/450px-Miller-Urey_experiment-en.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="450" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1g8W74sIkmHtFMQ6f_L52QaXoDArmc3LzL3Pus9AZmrIhZg_NAbXlp8H7_GgKagxVGC-J5-cQimBSg_KMcasmWMPsKHn3vCUQNn1aBxhR27GNozs0vSWdAWHaOtsQ-ASuFuqX6QETWps/s200/450px-Miller-Urey_experiment-en.svg.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Miller-Urey experiment, 1953. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/Wym2H2" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One of the first attempts to produce biomolecules in the laboratory was done by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey in 1953. They were based on studies conducted by Alexander Oparin and J.B.S. Haldane who suggested that biomolecules and life would have emerged in a “primordial soup,” an atmosphere rich in methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and water vapor.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Miller-Urey experiment attempted to simulate these primitive Earth conditions described by Oparin-Haldane. In a sealed system, gases were introduced to create the primitive atmosphere described above, a heat source and liquid water were added, as well as electric discharges. Under these conditions, a number of biomonomers, such as the amino acids glycine and alanine, and other organic compounds such as urea and formic acid were produced.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although recent studies indicate that the composition of the primitive atmosphere was not exactly as Oparin and Haldane proposed, the importance of Miller-Urey's experimental results revolutionized our concept of the origin of life by solidifying the idea of a chemical origin for all living organisms.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq699f_DGIaVEAXO8oM3Irba0oV_c5qMTTXgmDAzgDx9_p6JaTQVhS8EVeMaKx-aEMcqh47z4J9ynaONp7C_TN7k1qnEjXNae2PdnoYcEJUdMTNHVZNM0DthxgpBSUCRbjqzlmeuFE5xy/s1600/monomers_of_biomolecules_gif_by_sarinasunbeam-d96axiw.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1117" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTq699f_DGIaVEAXO8oM3Irba0oV_c5qMTTXgmDAzgDx9_p6JaTQVhS8EVeMaKx-aEMcqh47z4J9ynaONp7C_TN7k1qnEjXNae2PdnoYcEJUdMTNHVZNM0DthxgpBSUCRbjqzlmeuFE5xy/s320/monomers_of_biomolecules_gif_by_sarinasunbeam-d96axiw.png.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Types of biomolecules. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/ExQXdE" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The next step in the emergence of the first living cells was the polymerization of these small structural biomonomers. How did amino acids, monosaccharides and nucleotides form protein chains, polysaccharides, or the complex structure of DNA and RNA? Unfortunately we still do not have all of the answers to these questions, and the hypotheses that have been developed are difficult to test.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">An important question when discussing the origin of life is how these biomolecules clustered together to form the first living cells capable of carrying genetic information and reproducing themselves. This is also a question that still challenges science, but many researchers are exploring new ideas that may explain the great leap from an essentially chemical world to a biological one.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-8lV8puphf1OK2YCcmVQBOAMXPVjtromhIzughUeaD7VaR-sNzeNnCR5VyKaG9OAKZD4f9Ptd-prgp_eBFMIjgQxu-qnDJX1PYHK5GrReAtk4Q03X5LpSlCtXUjiwHhcl9OTf1TYujpF/s1600/central-dogma_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="698" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-8lV8puphf1OK2YCcmVQBOAMXPVjtromhIzughUeaD7VaR-sNzeNnCR5VyKaG9OAKZD4f9Ptd-prgp_eBFMIjgQxu-qnDJX1PYHK5GrReAtk4Q03X5LpSlCtXUjiwHhcl9OTf1TYujpF/s320/central-dogma_med.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Genetic information flux. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/awaTBu" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One of the first steps of this great leap is to understand how a nucleic acid molecule has the essential role of storing information that can be transmitted to subsequent generations. One of the most accepted hypotheses for the origin of genetic information is that of the RNA world, which suggests that RNA arose before the DNA molecule. However, in living organisms today, the flow of genetic information begins with DNA. Why then, would the first cells or proto-cells have RNA as the main source of genetic information?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">DNA in today's cells require a complex machinery of proteins to be replicated. These proteins, in turn, require a DNA molecule that carries the information for later translation. Thus, the dichotomy of which originated first, DNA or protein, makes this question virtually unsolvable.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtnjYWSA79WRpkHdyfNL4zIpeeuJnRoXvAVJVudmrA-KcXHRwhB2BfWl3TEhN0omqOvKvyj-0yB9ufKaVTWTLCSPhTqulwybna3W3bpp0xlutkSBcq6nfyJTOW9rR7H-hcOYI1jkTvwnz/s1600/rna-world-hypothesis_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="690" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtnjYWSA79WRpkHdyfNL4zIpeeuJnRoXvAVJVudmrA-KcXHRwhB2BfWl3TEhN0omqOvKvyj-0yB9ufKaVTWTLCSPhTqulwybna3W3bpp0xlutkSBcq6nfyJTOW9rR7H-hcOYI1jkTvwnz/s320/rna-world-hypothesis_med.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">RNA world hypothesis. <a href="https://goo.gl/images/ntbT1b" target="_blank">Font</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">For this reason, many scientists suggest that RNA was the first informational molecule to emerge, as it contains two essential properties for the maintenance of a primitive cell: a ribozyme activity, which makes it capable of catalyzing its own replication, and a catalytic activity capable of synthesizing some proteins. We still do not understand how mutations in the RNA molecule gave rise to DNA or how DNA was subsequently selected as the main source of genetic information of the cells.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another important step for the formation of the first living cells is the emergence of compartmentalization. All cells have a plasma membrane composed essentially of phospholipids that guarantees the protection of the cytoplasmic content. Compartmentalization stores the molecules inside the membrane, facilitating chemical interactions. In addition, the selective permeability of the plasmatic membrane makes the chemical concentration inside of the cell different from the concentration of the surrounding environment, a characteristic fundamental for many cellular processes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lipid compartments are spontaneously formed due to their amphipathic nature - just mix a little oil into a glass with water and soap and watch. On primitive Earth, the compartments likely formed around biomolecules and some constituents that eventually gave rise to the first forms of metabolism and cellular functioning.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/2018/04/big-bang-to-dawn-of-life-brief-history.html" style="text-indent: 36pt;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">You can access Part I here!</span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-15011594271070094252018-05-09T09:54:00.000-07:002018-05-10T07:01:42.934-07:00Ocean research is the key to a sustainable future<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/vivian.html" target="_blank">Vivian Kuppermann Marco Antonio</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICWIMt8pQh7n_J1kIskAE35JkmTt7YXMXQxOEdVlE3kMefy8RHmcNzhK-hqAXx7lVFm9jY1FrqkcziCu1DGhFwMKTqNCrb_6dorp-z7lF1aoLlhLixrBlj37ZAzqobi6i-T3wgQCKI5Ds/s1600/chave+sustentabilidade.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICWIMt8pQh7n_J1kIskAE35JkmTt7YXMXQxOEdVlE3kMefy8RHmcNzhK-hqAXx7lVFm9jY1FrqkcziCu1DGhFwMKTqNCrb_6dorp-z7lF1aoLlhLixrBlj37ZAzqobi6i-T3wgQCKI5Ds/s400/chave+sustentabilidade.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Illustration by: Joana Ho</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Did you know that the UN declared next decade (2021-2030) as the decade of ocean science?</span></span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3a684262-45c6-9652-8bdf-48a671fbd49c" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The ocean covers 71% of the Earth's surface. It helps to regulate the climate and provides a number of essential and, in some cases, untouchable resources for man. The ocean is a source of food, raw materials, energy, and transportation, in addition to being used for recreation and leisure.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Currently, more than 40% of the global population lives in regions within 200 km of the sea. In addition, 12 out of 15 megalopolises are coastal.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">However, rapid industrial development and population growth have deeply impacted the oceans. Climate change, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, pollution, and habitat degradation threaten the productivity and health of our waters.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Storms, proliferation of toxic algae, and coastal erosion are just a few of the consequences of this, which are devastating to communities living in coastal regions. Throughout human evolution, we have devised strategies to increase our resilience to such sea damage. But for how long will that be enough? </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 2015, the southwest coast of Brazil recorded winds of 106 km/h – a light hurricane typically has speeds of about 115km/h – so it was almost there. From these winds, the area suffered much damage including fallen trees and billboards as well as the destruction of some buildings.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 2017, a windstorm left 38,000 homes without electricity and knocked down more trees and commercial signs. In the Port of Santos (SP), the largest in Latin America, a man was trapped in a crane.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This all happened because the sea water was warmer than normal, generating areas of low pressure and creating instabilities that allowed for the development of these strong winds.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And that's not all. Let's think about food:</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Research shows that more than 50% of the fish species consumed for food in the world are being exploited above the sustainable limit. According to a 2006 study, led by Boris Worm of the University of Halifax in Canada, fish and seafood stocks are expected to collapse by 2048 if nothing is done to contain the loss of marine biodiversity.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Brazilian sardines (<i>Sardinella brasiliensis</i>), for example, are widespread throughout Brazilian cuisine. It is an extremely important species for the Southern and Southeastern regions of Brazil. Rich in various nutrients, it has always been considered a low-cost and nutritious food.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">However, due to overfishing, its price has been rising over the years. Sardine stocks have already collapsed twice, once in 1990 and again in 2000. In addition, sardines are a species that suffers directly from the influence of environmental variation. By 2016, the amount of fished sardines was once again reduced to frightening levels. Some experts even characterized the episode as yet another collapse of the species.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This shortage was caused by abnormal water warming, a process that is associated with both the El Niño phenomenon, which occurred that year, and global climate change. It is worth mentioning that the region is also under political instability, with constant government turnovers and a reduction in ocean investments, which does not help the scenario at all.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now imagine if phenomena like El Niño became more frequent and more intense with climate change? How long will the species last?</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We need to find new ways to use natural resources and use them conscientiously. However, according to estimates by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the average national expenditure on oceanographic surveys varies from 0.04 to 4% of the total invested in research and development. This tiny budget is too little to achieve high-quality studies that involve long-term processes. Oceanographic research is quite expensive, because it requires ships, on-board laboratories, equipment, qualified personnel, et cetera. </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But there is still time to reverse this situation.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Scientists and activists have gradually organized a social movement that led the United Nations, at its General Assembly in December 2017, to declare the next decade as the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade" target="_blank">Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.</a></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The initiative aims to encourage further action for a more integrated and sustainable ocean observing system, in order to facilitate making new discoveries by monitoring the coast and deeper waters, thus broadening research to promote ocean conservation and natural resource management. Activities for this period will be the responsibility of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The process was long and hard fought. The 2012 Rio + 20 final document named "<a href="http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/66/288&Lang=E" target="_blank">The Future We Want</a>" made extensive references to the ocean. In 2013, the <a href="http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/research/global-ocean-commission/" target="_blank">Global Ocean Commission</a> was created, and in 2016, released its report about ocean degradation and the need for more effective policies to help restore the health and productivity of these waters. <a href="https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade" target="_blank">The 2030 agenda for sustainable development</a>, launched by the UN in 2016, also highlighted the oceans as protagonists for conservation actions.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This UN statement is a glimmer of hope for a more sustainable future, but it calls for greater engagement of researchers, politicians, government, and the general public. More research, incentives, and respect are essential if we seek to advance our knowledge about the waters around us; we must make better use of available resources to ensure their existence for future generations.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is vital to find solutions that allow us to understand the changes that are taking place and to reverse the damage before it is too late.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The UN initiative aims to transform the way global society views and uses the ocean. As suggested by goal 14 of the <a href="http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/" target="_blank">Sustainable Development Goals</a> (SDG), it will coordinate its actions to foster the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, seas, and marine resources.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Before progress can be made, it is essential to understand the lack of knowledge that we still have when it comes to the blue immensity:</span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is no internationally accepted methodology for estimating the economic value of services provided by the ocean to the human race</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Science is not yet able to assess the cumulative impacts of climate change, marine pollution, or anthropogenic activities on ocean health</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Only 5% of the ocean floor has thus far been mapped</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Over 250 million km<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the ocean floor is in complete darkness, yet it shelters possibly millions of still unknown species</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Only 3 people have ever explored the deepest point of the ocean</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The next decade will be our time to support, demand, and celebrate new achievements for the health of our ocean, so that we can make the services and resources of the ocean available to future generations.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">References</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Global Ocean Commission. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Future of Our Ocean: Next steps and priorities</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Report. Available at </span><a href="http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/research/global-ocean-commission" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/research/global-ocean-commission</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Global Ocean Commission, 2016).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ministry of the Environment. Management Plan for the sustainable use of Sardines-Verdadeira in Brazil. Source:Ibama:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ibama.gov.br/sophia/cnia/livros/planogestaosardinhaverdadeiradigital.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.ibama.gov.br/sophia/cnia/livros/planogestaosardinhaverdadeiradigital.pdf</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (2011).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UNESCO. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> UNESCO press release. Available at: </span><a href="https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (2017).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">United Nations General Assembly. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The future we want</span><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Rio+20 conference outcome document A/RES/66/288. Available at:</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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</span>Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-14256393655795936092018-04-13T07:43:00.000-07:002018-04-13T07:44:44.948-07:00Big Bang to the Dawn of Life: A Brief History<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By Amanda Bendia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-79a3efd5-15a9-6216-a975-93829f842f4f"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">English edit: <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Part I - Big Bang: the origin of atoms and explosion of stars</span></span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIWI9gI3E0n4NbHkZ8MYLYz5OT5YH4YaNaCjs1RjCqs2BLv6Xsnfe9e3UEUvVf8eKFHJLH2IFoja8BHU_uozDGsLww4zDsiQ1f9NpvNsdUr2BrGpzD08RixXU66kheOp3h088f6IV5ygq/s1600/Figura1_english.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIWI9gI3E0n4NbHkZ8MYLYz5OT5YH4YaNaCjs1RjCqs2BLv6Xsnfe9e3UEUvVf8eKFHJLH2IFoja8BHU_uozDGsLww4zDsiQ1f9NpvNsdUr2BrGpzD08RixXU66kheOp3h088f6IV5ygq/s320/Figura1_english.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Fourteen billion years ago: from the singularity</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> to the greatest explosion of all time, the Big Bang. <br /><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/%20what-astronomers-are-still-discovering-about-big-bang-theory-180949794/" target="_blank">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/<br />smithsonian-institution/ what-astronomers-are-still-<br />discovering-about-big-bang-theory-180949794/</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">It is estimated that the number of species that inhabit the Earth currently exceeds 8.7 million. Not included in this calculation are the bacteria and archaea, which are microscopic prokaryotes. These microscopic organisms are single celled and devoid of a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. The number of species of these prokaryotic microorganisms, surprisingly, surpasses the estimated 8.7 million eukaryotic inhabitants of the planet (eukaryotes have a more complex cellular structure with nuclei and membrane-bound organelles and encompass all animals, plants, fungi, protozoa, etc.). Such immense values make us reflect on how such incredible diversity may have arisen throughout the history of our planet and the Universe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">To begin to discuss </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">this question, we need to go back 15 billion years ago, to a point where </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">everything we now know was concentrated in one single point. Can you imagine this? All of the humans and all other organisms that have inhabited the Earth, all of the objects we have produce </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">with our technology, all of the molecules that make up our planet, all of </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">the </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">atoms of the billions of stars that we have already detected in the Universe, </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">all of the Cosmos, gathered in this singularity. And then, there was the </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">biggest “explosion” of all time: the Big Bang.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDwWbGu8d2BfT9Ms6Iyr_1EwXPA_9Pro9yNolbnT8mh_YCKTuRS-mHkwz0I0SwImvQIop9d7gH-D0R6c8qEWLlVRJgjBgS8Rfo4fFz8NNLPduh0pme9muJPmImTdEN6o4iSszIok-QHX6/s1600/Figura2_English.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDwWbGu8d2BfT9Ms6Iyr_1EwXPA_9Pro9yNolbnT8mh_YCKTuRS-mHkwz0I0SwImvQIop9d7gH-D0R6c8qEWLlVRJgjBgS8Rfo4fFz8NNLPduh0pme9muJPmImTdEN6o4iSszIok-QHX6/s320/Figura2_English.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The origin of our solar system: <br />the ingredients for the origin of life in a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> cloud of stellar dust. <br /><a href="http://www.abc.es/ciencia/20150115/abci-otro-origen-sistema-solar-201501151033.html" target="_blank">http://www.abc.es/ciencia/20150115/abci</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.abc.es/ciencia/20150115/abci-otro-origen-sistema-solar-201501151033.html" target="_blank">-otro-origen-sistema-solar-201501151033.html</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">The Universe expanded, </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">cooled and darkened. The first atoms formed and their accumulation generated </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">large clouds of cosmic dust that would give rise to the galaxies. Within the </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">galaxies, the first generation of stars formed; within them, atoms fused, first </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">of hydrogen, but then giving rise to heavier chemical elements. When the fuel </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">was depleted, the stars exploded and released these elements, enriching the </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">stellar gases.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">A new generation of </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">stars began recycling these elements, and even heavier atoms were formed. The </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">accumulation of clouds filled with cosmic dust - the nebulae - gave rise to </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">planetary systems, including our solar system. During the formation of </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">planet </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">Earth, approximately 4.5 billion years ago, organic molecules composed of </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">carbon formed and created all of the ingredients essential for the development </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 35.4pt;">of life.</span></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-40289466143402330692018-03-14T14:00:00.000-07:002018-04-13T05:54:46.521-07:00Water on Mars and the deep ocean<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/in-love-with-ocean-and-animals-since.html">Jana M. del Favero</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-79a3efd5-15a9-6216-a975-93829f842f4f"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">English edit: <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> At the end of September of 2015, NASA scientists publically confirmed the existence of liquid water on Mars, the Red Planet (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-mars">https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-mars</a>). I remember when this news was released and how it caused certain uproar over the possibility of finding life there.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-285124e8-bf10-67b8-c1c0-ab050c18b06b"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_YTuLWAELDa9xE8L7qc-YKguGnJyWCCgo6NyMjEPgxiT-5yulUtAq1Y3VPuXM41xvnlGiT03wPXiYbr4lwl5E0l3wG5v3SxfqhsQ6eIsshNlgxuGqTrcH-8p-ugkdI3ElieCCUfXjJYu44qM" height="198" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jUqXe-3cwPVJzP8sjgKYJaGEnAOLowivExWItB1aMaySoMpVOH9pmijzzBQUpuHhS-1SCLD129-jBKTlAKhGzyoytea5juDKR-bm9IZglIERzV2tvc6s3HSeUzn3o2Y4JxOwut3d" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="492" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Landscape of the mysterious Red Planet; from the movie The Martian (<a href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/martian-trailer-breakdown/">https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/martian-trailer-breakdown/</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> We know that life depends on water: it is the largest constituent of every living being (e.g. the human body is composed, on average, of 60% water), it is necessary for photosynthesis, and it is indispensable for several other vital functions. However, the phrase just quoted neglects an important detail: life, AS WE KNOW IT, depends on water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> This made me remember the following cartoon, about two giant tubeworms talking to each other:</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-285124e8-bf11-76ec-88b2-98d22dc43daa"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/pBelO8MAJyRLCdEM0WkB4gU-dYzuLTlBH61D6a1TIH7Sol4-Pzte24gDfO9HHCD2La6QC_JoTXN9NKAPMsKkb-jyc_eyPsYKiWFgedc6DuzeTqNIStKfcO8lZUXmDNO2k6aa_d2MMNdJ-Na8" height="416" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TOAQK2NsDHChRz-o9Jl9Hnii2v09_Q9bX7aGf9WVvEJDvtmxmk-WS1x69ZwcolUoSXH3eihaHAguopcSra_T6iWBiVjQZG0BZlHhS2BblzcLy_LnX-IP-rIQ_vUv411Avl6Ovdbz" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="245" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I had posted this cartoon on my personal Facebook page previously, but then I reflected: how many of my friends know what giant tubeworms are? Or what hydrothermal vents are?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Tubeworms are marine invertebrates in the phylum Annelida (yes, the same as the earthworms) and the class Polychaeta (aquatic worms), but they are sessile, i.e. they live fixed on an underwater surface. Their body is rounded by a tube, which extends the length of the whole body. The one illustrated in the cartoon are of the species Riftia pachyptila, popularly known as the giant tubeworms. These worms can live several kilometers down in the ocean, and they can reach a length of 2.4 m with a diameter of 4 cm. (more information on: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tube_worm">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tube_worm</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Giant tubeworms (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tube_worm#/media/File:Riftia_tube_worm_colony_Galapagos_2011.jpg">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tube_worm#/media/File:Riftia_tube_worm_colony_Galapagos_2011.jpg</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated fluid emerges. The water that penetrates the crust at deep depths reacts with the minerals present, undergoing physical and chemical changes along the way. Usually there is an “oasis” of life along the hydrothermal vents. This is due to chemosynthesis, a process in which microorganisms use chemical energy to produce organic matter from carbon dioxide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Hydrothermal vent (<a href="http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05lostcity/background/chem/media/sully2.html">http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05lostcity/background/chem/media/sully2.html</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Prior to the discovery of hydrothermal vents in the 1970s, the scientific community assumed that all life in the ocean depended on photosynthetic production, mainly produced by phytoplankton. Since photosynthesis depends on sunlight, it was like saying that all of the life in the oceans depended solely on the sun! The hydrothermal vents and the abundance of organisms that live around them proved the opposite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> And that's the point I wanted to get to in this post: WE KNOW AS LITTLE ABOUT THE OCEAN AS WE KNOW ABOUT SPACE!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> We have explored around 1% of the oceans, and they cover 80% of our planet.(<a href="http://noticias.terra.com.br/ciencia/pesquisa/cientista-brasileira-conhecemos-pouco-mais-de-1-dos-oceanos,58d9a38790aea310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html">http://noticias.terra.com.br/ciencia/pesquisa/cientista-brasileira-conhecemos-pouco-mais-de-1-dos-oceanos,58d9a38790aea310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Most of the ocean is only about 3 km deep, but Mars is about 60 million miles away from Earth! I am not saying that scientific exploration of space is not important, but I wish that the amount of money invested in space studies and the media attention space discoveries receive would also be given to the oceans. We know so little still, and yet they are so much more present in our lives.</span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-22638694756238657392017-12-21T07:39:00.000-08:002017-12-21T07:47:52.520-08:00Two reasons to watch the documentary “Mission Blue”<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/in-love-with-ocean-and-animals-since.html">Jana M. del Favero</a> and <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/catarina-r-marcolin.html">Catarina Marcolin</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Translated by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/from-uberlandia-where-i-grew-up-ocean.html">Lídia Paes Leme</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edited by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">In our first post in the Women's session “Old challenges for current women” we received a suggestion by Prof. Otto Muller P. Oliveira to post about the documentary “Mission Blue.” Indeed this documentary deserves a special mention in our blog because, aside from the excellent production, its content is simply inspiring.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The documentary “Mission Blue” was released in 2014 and tells the story of the incredible biologist Sylvia Alice Earle, explorer, author, mother, grandmother (amongst a thousand other possible titles) and her campaign to create a global coalition of marine protected areas, called “Hope Spots.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When watching the movie, it is impossible not to fall in love with and be inspired by two “characters.” The first is the organization itself, also called Mission Blue (</span><a href="http://www.mission-blue.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.mission-blue.org</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), which was created in response to the prize Sylvia Earle earned in 2009 at “TED PRIZE WISH” (watch the talk </span><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/sylvia_earle_s_ted_prize_wish_to_protect_our_oceans" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). In that talk, Dr. Earle encourages the use of all possible media (movies, expeditions, internet, new submarines) in a campaign to inspire public awareness and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas. If these “Hope Spots” are wide enough, it could be possible to save and restore the planet's blue heart! Today, Mission Blue is a coalition of over 100 groups, from multinational corporations to groups of scientists, concerned with matters of ocean conservation. Mission Blue's website brings an interesting but scary statistic: only 2% of the World’s ocean is protected, hence the importance of this kind of effort.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="149" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lmK6Fe99xQwBTrDDNVEZTUGXfsXCSl2KUqPUKlhGozEQVFKZ_NViKVW9RU7NpGfxgHSoDO_YAnrEhbd2naL4BkSGwKtWJnIlWpb_MW-J2XXxJ7KujcFL3N_tTUH1JE2t-bW2Po" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Font:<a href="https://www.ted.com/participate/ted-prize/prize-winning-wishes/mission-blue" style="text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.ted.com/participate/ted-prize/prize-winning-wishes/mission-blue</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The second reason to fall in love with this film is the main character, Sylvia Earle, a woman that turned 80 in August 2015, who actively keeps studying, exploring, diving, and defending the ocean (learn more</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Earle" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Earle</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Sylvia completed high school at the age of 16, undergrad at 19 and her masters at 20. During her Doctorate, this rhythm slowed down, due to marriage and kids, but soon Sylvia returned to her frantic pace. In 1964, when her kids where only 2 and 4 she traveled for 6 weeks on an expedition in the Indian Ocean. According to Sylvia, she didn't know she'd be the only woman on board, for she was invited as the only botanist, not only woman. A reporter approached her in Mombassa, Kenya, from where the ship would depart, and Sylvia remembered being interested in talking about her work, but the reporter only wanted to know about what being on the ocean with so many men would be like. After all, the article was called “Sylvia sails away with 70 men, but she expects no problems.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite everything appearing well, Sylvia implies in some interviews that her scientific expeditions may have lead to the end of her first marriage. This is a recurring difficulty faced in the scientific world; it is common to have campaigns where the scientists are away for weeks, sometimes months, without any communication with family. In 1966 Sylvia finished her Doctorate, and in 1968 she traveled 30m deep in the waters of the Bahamas in a submersible, 4 months pregnant with her 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">rd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> child and in her second marriage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1969 she signed up to participate in the project Tektite, where scientists lived weeks in a laboratory placed under the sea, at 15m depth. Despite her 1000+ hours of diving experience and her excellent written proposal, she was not allowed to live together with men underwater in Tektike I. The following year however, she was invited to lead the Tektite II project, with a women-only team. The success of this team was an important milestone for women in research, and it set a precedent for future aquatic and space expeditions to include women in their teams.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Picture: Bates Littlehales. <br />Font:<a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/450/cache/sylvia-earle-habitat-window_45011_600x450.jpg" style="text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/450/cache/sylvia-earle-habitat-window_45011_600x450.jpg</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After her experience as a mermaid, Sylvia became a popular face in the media and her career took off (we'd say, all other qualities aside, she also has a lovely face). In 1979 Sylvia walked on the ocean floor at depths never before touched by any other human. This was done using what is called a JIM SUIT, and was used at a depth of almost 400m. This adventure resulted in the book “Exploring the Deep Frontier.”</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image: Dr. Sylvia Earle in Deep Rover Submarine. Font:<a href="http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2012/05/Sylvia-Earle-in-a-Deep-Rover_horiz.jpg" style="text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2012/05/Sylvia-Earle-in-a-Deep-Rover_horiz.jpg</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the 80's, together with the engineer Graham Hawkes, she started a company to create submersible vehicles, like Deep Rover. This partnership ultimately led to her third marriage, one where the offspring were the submarines created by them. One of her daughters currently works with her in her company.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When asked if she had problems reconciling family and career, Sylvia says yes, many, and that she tried to rearrange her life, having a laboratory and a library at home. For women that dream about following a scientific career, Sylvia advises “Try, you'll never know how it would be if you don't try.”</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Font: <span id="docs-internal-guid-cb3b623a-7992-63c3-eade-21b27f9cb70d"></span></span><a href="http://mission-blue.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_1065.jpg" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://mission-blue.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_1065.jpg</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Other than the documentary itself, we recommend this short video:</span><a href="http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2013/06/14/in-her-words-sylvia-earle-on-women-in-science/?source=newsbundlearticles" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2013/06/14/in-her-words-sylvia-earle-on-women-in-science/?source=newsbundlearticles</span></a></span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-61355973606610494612017-11-08T20:26:00.000-08:002017-11-16T04:23:13.406-08:00The extraordinary life of whale carcasses in the deep ocean<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Joan Manel Alfaro Lucas</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Translated by: <span style="color: red;">Lídia Paes Leme</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Edited by: <span style="color: red;">Katy Shoemaker</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">This story starts in 1987, when, during an oceanographic expedition lead by Dr. Craig Smith (University of Hawaii), the research robot Alvin found a whale carcass on the ocean floor in Santa Catalina Bay, California, 1240 meters deep (Smith et al., 1989). This discovery reinforced an idea that had been suggested before, that even though whale deaths are common in coastal zones, many die in spots far away from beaches and sink down to the depths of the ocean.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deep ocean covers 63% of the planet's surface and is considered the biggest biome on Earth. It is unique and extreme due to its low temperatures, high pressure, and darkness (light doesn't penetrate more than 200 meters below surface, where the deep ocean starts). The absence of light makes organic matter production via photosynthesis impossible. Because of this, the deep ocean ecosystem is limited in food sources and depends almost exclusively on the sinking of organic matter produced in the surface waters. In the vast, cold, dark deserts of the deep ocean known as the abyssal plains, the few organisms that survive there filter water and sediments to take in the little organic matter that sinks down from the surface.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now what about that Californian whale that Dr. Smith found? The carcass was completely missing meat, and other indicators suggested the whale carcass had been there for several years. However, the skeleton and the sediment around it were bursting with life! There were worms, snails, gastropods, dense mats of bacteria, and bivalves such as clams and mussels. The carcass was a real oasis of life in the deep desert of the bay. The scientists began to understand that, for an environment so poor in nutrients, the arrival of a whale carcass is an extraordinary event.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whales are the largest animals that inhabit Earth. The blue whale can be 30 meters (~100 feet) long and weigh 120 kilotons and is the largest animal that has ever existed on our planet. To the desert depths of the ocean floor, their carcasses are the biggest source of organic matter that arrives from the surface. One carcass from a 40-kiloton whale is the equivalent of 2000 years worth of organic matter falling down at once!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image 1 – Whale carcass on the deep ocean floor of Santa Catalina Bay, California, densely colonized by chemosynthetic bacterial mats. Photo by Craig R. Smith, University of Hawaii, USA.</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e17a79-9eaf-4849-571e-eea1b4c29eda"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Some of the organisms found for the first time on the carcass by Dr. Smith became much more interesting when identified. For example, some bivalve species found there are known to have symbiotic relationships with chemosynthetic bacteria. Those mussels feed on the matter produced by the bacteria, a process similar to what shallow water corals have with photosynthetic organisms. As it turns out, the dense bacterial mats found on the carcass were of that kind of bacteria.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Similar to vegetables in the terrestrial environment, these chemosythetic bacteria form the base of the food chain in the deep ocean. Chemosynthetic communities feed on organic compounds, some of which can be abundant on the sea floor. This is the case in hydrothermal vents, which form in parts of the floor where volcanic activity is elevated and hydrocarbons flow from underground reservoirs (post about hydrothermal vents </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/11/a-agua-em-marte-e-o-fundo-do-oceano.html">here</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). The bivalve species associated with the whale carcass were discovered for the first time at cold hydrothermal vents! These similarities suggested that the whale carcass acts as a trampoline for the common habitants of different chemosynthetic communities to disperse, as they are usually separated by distances larger than can be reached by larval dispersion (Smith et al., 1989).</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This discovery, other than being revolutionary for the ecology of chemosynthetic communities, led several groups of scientists to research more about these ecosystems. Rather than looking for a carcass on the vast ocean floor (a real needle in a haystack situation), scientists started to sink dead whale carcasses with weights. They were able to sink them in a determined spot where they could sample whenever needed. After these experiments, scientists began to understand that not only chemosynthetic communities developed in the carcasses, but also there were extremely diverse and abundant communities that explored the carcasses in amazing ways… for almost a century!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e17a79-9eb1-3a88-7e08-272c92bf9756"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image 2 – Hagfish feeding on a whale carcass during the ecological state of the mobile necrophagous organisms in Santa Catalina Bay, California, USA. Photo by Craig R Smith, University of Hawaii, USA</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />The whale carcasses develop mostly three ecological successive states, meaning three communities can be distinguished throughout time (Smith et al., 2015). The first stage starts with the arrival of the carcass in the bottom and includes the mobile necrophagous organisms. Hundreds of animals, like hagfish, drill the meat while sharks bite big chunks off. These communities, similar to vultures in a savanna, remove several dozen kilograms by day and can consume all the meat in up to two years, depending on the size of the carcass.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e17a79-9eb1-ec37-1ab7-d26a96fe6d71"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image 3 – Crabs, snails, and anemones colonizing the skeleton during the enrichment and opportunist stage in a whale carcass in Monterey Canyon, California, USA. Photo by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. USA.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The second stage involves the enrichment of opportunists and can also last up to two years. During this period, high densities of worms, crustaceans, and other invertebrates colonize the sediment around the skeleton that was exposed after the flesh was consumed. These invertebrates feed directly on the left over fat and meat left behind by the necrophagous organisms, as well as the bones, which are rich in protein and fat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The last stage, the one Dr. Smith's whale was in when he found it, is the sulphophilic stage. Some microorganisms are able to penetrate the dense bone structure and access the big quantities of fat remaining in the interior of the bones. These organisms use the sulfur dissolved in water to digest the fat, creating inorganic compounds as secondary products. Similar process can also occur in the surrounding sediment, which was impacted by the organic matter of the carcass. This creates enough of a flux to develop a community based on chemosynthesis. This is the longest stage, lasting up to 80 years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The discoveries around whale carcasses don't stop there. Since 1987, when Dr. Smith studied the first deep ocean carcass, 129 new species have been discovered, many of them only found in those communities. The most surprising one was discovered in 2002, when Osedax, a new kind of worm, was discovered in Monterey Canyon, California, at 2891 meters deep (Rousse et al., 2004). The species in this genre are sessile and don't have a mouth nor anus, nor any kind of digestive system, yet they feed on whale bones!</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Osedax have a structure called a root, which helps to answer the multiple mysteries surrounding these organisms. This structure, with globular ramifications, fixes the organism to the bones and has pumps that acidify the bone matter. The “soup” produced in this process is sent up through the root into internal structures, where endosymbiotic bacteria are responsible for digestion. These worms are capable of completely decaying a whole juvenile skeleton (containing less calcified bone or fat then adults) in one decade. Impressive, no? Just wait…</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">All of these structures and endosymbionts only apply to female Osedax. The males are microscopic dwarves that live inside of the females, as simple sperm reservoirs. The Osedax larvae that are found on a skeleton develop as female, but if they find other females, they can get absorbed and develop as pedomorphic males, meaning they only develop sexually and not fully morphologically, retaining larval characteristics. Each female can absorb hundreds of males, which is believed to be a successful reproductive strategy.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Image 4 – Whale bone densely colonized by Osedax in Monterey Canyon, California, USA (left) and Osedax japonicus specimen with a yellow-colored root. Photos by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA, and Norio Miyamoto, from Japan Agency form Marine-Earth Science and Technology, respectively.</span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Organisms like Osedax show that whale carcasses are not only an oasis of life in the deep ocean, but also showcase uniquely evolved and specialized life forms. However, are the carcasses sustaining similar communities in all of the ocean basins? Or, like in hydrothermal vents, does each basin sustain communities with different evolutionary histories? This kind of question is still very hard to answer because practically all of the natural and placed carcasses have been studied in the Northern Pacific.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Only in 2010 was a natural carcass discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, and, more recently in 2013, in the Southwest Atlantic off of the Brazilian coast. The latter is currently being studied by Brazilian and Japanese researchers, and is the topic of my Master's project at the University of São Paulo. This represents the first whale sink community to be studied in all of the deep Atlantic. The results of the research are beginning to emerge, reinforcing some previous hypotheses and explaining even more about the functioning of various ecological processes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Many questions are still to be answered, and many more will be generated in the future. These extraordinary communities, not known 30 years ago, are a bottomless source of surprises!</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">References, links and videos:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Smith, C.R., Kukert, H., Wheatcroft, R.A, Jumars, P.A., Deming, J.W. (1989) Vent fauna on whale remais. Nature, 341. Pp 27-28.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rouse, G.W., Goffredi, S.K., Vrijenhoek, R.C. (2004) Osedax: Bone-Eating Marine Worms with Dwarf Males. Science, 305.Pp 668-671.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Smith, C.R., Glover, A.G., Treude, T., Higgs, N.D., Amon, D.J. (2015) Whale-Fall Ecosystems: Recent Insights into Ecology, Paleoecology, and Evolution. Annual Review of Marine Science, 7. Pp 571-596.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Joan Manel Alfaro Lucas:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8PPTzIHm2Wmc3pPf8HbyaUYg5cN6x-PyOv_cRS3eur3qIkPRwWIdLU_kPgByrlHUfTynBPsgaaAM5Li69FWExywuictTs_dajCMZdEfqJkldlsgIz-Xuh61LxGr2Zv9deTSKNnfGiGzM/s1600/Joan_foto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8PPTzIHm2Wmc3pPf8HbyaUYg5cN6x-PyOv_cRS3eur3qIkPRwWIdLU_kPgByrlHUfTynBPsgaaAM5Li69FWExywuictTs_dajCMZdEfqJkldlsgIz-Xuh61LxGr2Zv9deTSKNnfGiGzM/s200/Joan_foto.jpg" width="166" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7e17a79-9eb3-bd0a-ac18-852231bf4c50"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A biologist from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, I did a one year internship at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, which allowed me, among other things, to get to know Brazil and learn Portuguese. I'm passionate about the ecology of deep ocean communities, especially chemosynthetic ones. I did a Masters at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo, where I had the opportunity to study the first whale carcass discovered in the deep Atlantic ocean. Other than that, I have experience in oceanographic cruises, sailed 2800 nautical miles across the southwest Atlantic, sampling, sorting and identifying benthic invertebrates, stable isotope analysis, and using the R language in ecological research.</span></span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-45530674762279753292017-10-11T08:21:00.000-07:002017-10-11T08:21:58.749-07:00Ugly animals need love too!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Written by: <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/in-love-with-ocean-and-animals-since.html">Jana M. del Favero</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Edited by: <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/katyanne-m-shoemaker.html">Katyanne M. Shoemaker</a></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQLs7YdEnCiK1Rq_X3FTNPbtOrONHeRpO8Gru1nqlYPy-bkugwTQx7871XuHVsLo9Cm9K44Kwt0qVzTaFfYEUWkPZyBLsJvPh-qGPRWzlnHQT1-EXm3yIN2-nD4lMq7dJtJozO9t76ef1/s1600/BLOBFISH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQLs7YdEnCiK1Rq_X3FTNPbtOrONHeRpO8Gru1nqlYPy-bkugwTQx7871XuHVsLo9Cm9K44Kwt0qVzTaFfYEUWkPZyBLsJvPh-qGPRWzlnHQT1-EXm3yIN2-nD4lMq7dJtJozO9t76ef1/s400/BLOBFISH.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Illustration by: <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/joana-ho.html">Joana Ho</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> What do a dolphin, a sea turtle, and panda bear have in common? They are considered <b>flag species</b>, meaning they are charismatic species that can draw public attention to a conservationist cause. This concept emerged in the 1980s as a way to ensure conservation of biodiversity. Since it is not possible to finance protection projects for all species of an area, we raise the status of a charismatic species as a means of supporting its overall ecosystem. When I was an intern for the Tamar Project, I was used to receive tourists at the Ubatuba base to talk about sea turtles. While teaching them about sea turtles, I ended up also teaching them about the fish that they consumed and the damages garbage and automobile use in spawning areas caused, etc. The main message always went through several other messages. Whenever we talk about the importance of preserving the flag species, we also talk about the importance of preserving the entire ecosystem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Although it is an efficient concept (who does not think about the Panda Bear when thinking about WWF?), its application requires caution. By prioritizing flag species, you run the risk of not preserving those who really need to be preserved. It is important to remember that several species are threatened with extinction. Some scientists even argue that we are going through the sixth major extinction of the Earth (episodes in which large numbers of species go extinct in a short period of time).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> According to scientists all prior mass extinctions were caused by natural catastrophes, such as the fall of a meteorite. However, WE (human beings) are causing the sixth extinction! Paradoxically, although WE are causing the sixth extinction, WE are also the ones that can prevent it from being more tragic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> So, it was in thinking about the protection of a group of endangered and "disadvantaged" animals that the biologist Simon Watt created the “Ugly Animal Preservation Society.” No, that is not a type, this idea was quite contrary to the use of traditional flag species. According to the creator, it is not fair that the panda gets all of the attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The innovative idea of Simon Watt did not stop with the creation of the society. To raise funds and save aesthetically unprivileged species, he and a group of artists ventured into the United Kingdom, performing shows and stand up comedy, in which each artist featured an ugly animal. At the end of each evening, people could vote on what should be the mascot of society.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Among some strong competition of the weirdest frogs, salamanders, snails and insects, the winning mascot was a fish, the Blobfish. Besides being ugly, this fish, scientifically called <i>Psychrolutes marcidus</i>, inhabits the deep waters (between 600 and 1200 meters deep) of South Australia, including Tasmania. They have no swim bladder, only the minimum number of bones needed for survival, and their body has a gelatinous consistency. But these characteristics all contribute to being able to live in their high-pressure environment, with the water around them as their main structural support.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> But I confess that I found the vote somewhat unfair. Knowing that every 10 meters that we dive to find the Blobfish, the pressure increases by 1 atm. We would meet the ugly creature in an environment with more than 60 atm of pressure pushing down on us, and our organs would crush and we would probably look like paste (actually we would have died long before!). Meanwhile the Blobfish would look like an "ordinary" fish and not the gelatinous creature we thought so ugly while we analyzed it on the Earth’s surface, at only 1 atm.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs1BH3rYN1OBA4IW5mvFn6XRo6wUjNgD4dSAqRk9KCq0-qYyA72fPTKOcZ4BQ1Z6S6qI0FVoNgidhHXbzAx4sfA7zVP4JLZrUSlskIIu4oTtrxn-XziWFmekYnDptgfqfNxYDrWBb7Fjq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-03+at+11.16.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs1BH3rYN1OBA4IW5mvFn6XRo6wUjNgD4dSAqRk9KCq0-qYyA72fPTKOcZ4BQ1Z6S6qI0FVoNgidhHXbzAx4sfA7zVP4JLZrUSlskIIu4oTtrxn-XziWFmekYnDptgfqfNxYDrWBb7Fjq/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-03+at+11.16.34+PM.png" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Cover of the book written by Simon Watt with an image of the mascot of the "Society of Preservation of Ugly Animals," the Blobfish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Another marine fish that competed as the ugliest animal was the European eel (scientific name: <i>Anguilla anguilla</i>). Although it is critically endangered and it looks more like a snake than a fish, I believe that this species should not even be in this competition because they are wonderful! The European eel is a euryhaline fish, which withstands great variation of salinity, and is catdromic, meaning it grows in rivers and spawns at sea. In addition, it has leptocephalus larvae, which look beautiful, last about 3 years, and reach up to 8 cm in length!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">European eel: adult (left) and larva (right)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> So, have I been able to convince you that the European eel and the Blobfish are not ugly, but that they do need our attention and protection?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> In your opinion, which endangered animal is ugly and should be preserved?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">About the “Ugly Animal Preservation Society” (Come in and laugh a lot watching the videos): </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://uglyanimalsoc.com/">http://uglyanimalsoc.com</a></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-2193450102943746872017-09-07T07:32:00.000-07:002017-09-07T07:39:04.564-07:00Why algae are not plants <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Gabrielle Souza </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> When we walk along the beach and see seaweed, we associate it with terrestrial plants. Afterall, scientific evidence strongly suggests that plants evolved from green algae in the Paleozoic Era. However, they are quite quite different in many ways. Algae, like terrestrial plants, are eukaryotic organisms (the cell has several organelles including a nucleus surrounded by a membrane) and photosynthetic autotrophs (produce their own food through photosynthesis). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The word algae comes from Latin and means "marine plant," but you must be aware that not all algae live in the water. Some live in terrestrial environments associated with fungi, in a mutually beneficial relationship, or symbiosis, forming so-called lichens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> One thing is important to keep in mind: while the plants belong to a single Kingdom, the Plantae, the term "algae" encompasses many distinct taxonomic groups in the Kingdom Protista, including the Stramenopila (brown algae and diatoms), Rodophyta (red algae) and Chlorophyta (green algae) (Nybakken & Bertness, 2005). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Thus, due to the complexity and constant taxonomic changes of these organisms, we will not go into details of classification of this polyphyletic group (they do not share a common ancestor) called "algae," but we will focus on its general characteristics.</span></div>
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<img height="298" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/w0TxfT1haK4XnGuISGbO58U9Ff7BuGSvPmG63FzU0eh3aXnU7dyMmA3RHLsgyhvHvpHjDRrj82fdzAwlSAjyDauSVWl8gO05ftW5XPpZLw0kw5UwCaCFSdHWxImuGoAT_tWL1Hpw4EDNzGnp2g" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lichen on a granite rock of the Serra do Mar, Joinville City, Santa Catarina State, Brazil</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ra-bugio.org.br/ver_especie.php?id=1110"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.ra-bugio.org.br/ver_especie.php?id=1110</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Algae have several forms of stuctural organization. They can be found in unicellular forms such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, or as multicellular filamentous forms. They can form colonies that are physically united, and their organization can be defined between amorphous colonies that do not have defined numbers of cells, or those that present complex organization in number of cells and defined forms. They can also take planktonic or benthic forms (learn more about these forms here: <a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2016/11/divisoes-oceanograficas.html">http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2016/11/divisoes-oceanograficas.html</a>). The stalk may be divided into cells, or it may not and instead take a tubular shape (cenocytic). Among these various forms, it is common to hear the term “microalgae” when they are microscopic, and “macroalgae” when they are visible to the naked eye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Usually, the macroalgae are confused with plants. One of the main characteristics that differentiates macroalgae from plants is their structure. They may appear similar, but the macroalgae do not have specialized organs and tissues, and they are not vascularized. They also do not have the capacity to form a structure with flowers, leaves, roots or a stem. The multicellular algae just have a stalk to support its filaments.</span></div>
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<img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0IlTgS5-jpmGAUSFSQuVpQZr8A7CkBlhA1oB6xRaDt589V6LVEOPlt9WWcknTDbdEU_0ppDEFNmaks0yFnsBwlrROzm8Axxcptz0vDjEigCYC2GRrIAcAEQlPU2rFVSSKqtDDY4IrPclf4Nt7Q" width="280" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Multicellular algae; B) Unicellular algae (dinoflagellate); C) Multicellular algae; D) Unicellular algae</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Now, what about underwater plants? Are all of those green things in the aquarium algae? No! An example of an aquatic plant is Elodea, a common waterweed which is widely used to decorate aquariums and artificial aquatic environments. This plant belongs to the group of Angiosperms, of the Kingdom Plantae. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> This kingdom is comprised of vascular and avascular photosynthetic organisms, that is, with or without the presence of vessels that are responsible for the conduction of mineral salts and water. Vascularization is also responsible for the presence or absence of the reproductive parts; in the case of Angiosperms these reproductive parts generate flowers, leaves and fruit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The leaves of the submerged aquatic plants are generally very thin and stubby, allowing them to support turbulence and oscillations of the water, without tearing. The leaves of the aquatic plants also have a permeable surface, which aids in internal circulation of the air.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0Tqgv0JITJg5aOOSkPxk0jdylGOf8Lqhtw3J3izutP3JbeluSEORIWExRg1kSaNZn4YttwWjxkMpm6r25GvOZv_CbFMVqI96WsbNqb0MxhLTAk9caX9HOvC2CnzUSTeH9OMHakWeSYpA/s1600/BeFunky+Collagel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0Tqgv0JITJg5aOOSkPxk0jdylGOf8Lqhtw3J3izutP3JbeluSEORIWExRg1kSaNZn4YttwWjxkMpm6r25GvOZv_CbFMVqI96WsbNqb0MxhLTAk9caX9HOvC2CnzUSTeH9OMHakWeSYpA/s400/BeFunky+Collagel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-225f4b3d-5a2f-4676-f819-453c5746293c"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elodea (scientific names: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egeria densa</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egeria brasiliensis</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2016/09/aquele-mato-chamado-marisma.html"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2016/09/aquele-mato-chamado-marisma.html</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/04/algas-flutuantes-o-meio-de-transporte.html"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/04/algas-flutuantes-o-meio-de-transporte.html</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">References</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">NYBAKKEN, J.W. & BERTNESS, M. D. 2005. Marine Biology: an ecological approach (6º ed.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">MIGOTTO, Alvaro E.. Dinoflagelado: fitoplâncton, dic, unicelular, planctônico, cebimar-usp. Cifonauta- Banco de Imagens de Biologia Marinha. Disponível em: <<a href="http://cifonauta.cebimar.usp.br/photo/11554/">http://cifonauta.cebimar.usp.br/photo/11554/</a>>. Acesso em: 06 dez. 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">LAS ALGAS EUCARIOTAS. Disponível em: <<a href="http://recursos.cnice.mec.es/biosfera/alumno/1bachillerato/organis/contenidos10.htm">http://recursos.cnice.mec.es/biosfera/alumno/1bachillerato/organis/contenidos10.htm</a>>. Acesso em: 06 dez. 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">PATTERSON, David J.. Algae: Protists with Chloroplasts. Disponível em: <<a href="http://tolweb.org/accessory/Algae:_Protists_with_Chloroplasts?acc_id=52">http://tolweb.org/accessory/Algae:_Protists_with_Chloroplasts?acc_id=52</a>>. Acesso em: 06 dez. 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">AGUIAR, Celio. As Algas marinhas bentônicas. Projeto Ilhas do Rio. Disponível em: <<a href="http://maradentro.org.br/ilhasrj/livro/as-algas-marinhas-bentonicas">http://maradentro.org.br/ilhasrj/livro/as-algas-marinhas-bentonicas</a>>. Acesso em: 06 dez. 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">SIENA, Ádamo. Elódea: Alga? Não! Planta aquática. Disponível em: <h<a href="ttp://ead.hemocentro.fmrp.usp.br/joomla/index.php/publicacoes/ciencia-em-foco/210-elodea-alga-nao-planta-aquatica">ttp://ead.hemocentro.fmrp.usp.br/joomla/index.php/publicacoes/ciencia-em-foco/210-elodea-alga-nao-planta-aquatica</a>>. Acesso em: 06 dez. 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">AOYAMA, Elisa Mitsuko; MAZZONI-VIVEIROS, Solange Cristina. ADAPTAÇÕES ESTRUTURAIS DAS PLANTAS AO AMBIENTE. 2006. 17 f. Tese (Doutorado) - Curso de Programa de Pós Graduação em Biodiversidade Vegetal e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de BotÂnica – Ibt, São Paulo, 2006. Disponível em: <<a href="http://www.biodiversidade.pgibt.ibot.sp.gov.br/Web/pdf/Adaptacoes_estruturais_das_Plantas_ao_Ambiente_Elisa_Aoyama.pdf%3E">http://www.biodiversidade.pgibt.ibot.sp.gov.br/Web/pdf/Adaptacoes_estruturais_das_Plantas_ao_Ambiente_Elisa_Aoyama.pdf></a>. Acesso em: 16 dez. 2016.</span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-51065928452446983972017-08-10T07:25:00.000-07:002017-08-10T07:25:37.252-07:00Seagrass: canaries of the sea<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Juliana Imenis, Juliana Nascimento, Larissa de Araujo, Natalia Pirani, Otto Muller and Paula Keshia</span></span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c0da2912-c4e7-fba5-2d67-cc2ce0a687e6" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the early 20th century, coal miners frequently carried caged canaries to work. The little birds saved many miners' lives because their sudden death or sickness indicated a possible gas leak. An alarm would sound and the mine would be evacuated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We could say the canaries were bioindicators, or organisms that indicate a possible environmental problem through their behavior or health status. Today, we no longer have a need to sacrifice the canaries because we have electronic indicators that can tell us about possible mine disasters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Like the canary, some organisms are extremely sensitive to pollution and habitat alterations; their populations tend to diminish or even vanish quickly after environmental modifications take place. Other organisms may be very tolerant to poor environmental conditions and can sometimes have a population boom in areas where the conditions would be inadequate to the majority of other species. One of these bioindicators is the marine phanerogam, also known as marine seagrass.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQTDEn7WLdSZw8JuTdFqquqqzSIFCB7dIGOM8xi5rD562LDE-s7cZoVlkEsyGtLo3e6i9IctPPjR0ilc55LjWboTGZNZhE3NC3rsD2y_bzfWqH7B9wKi0SsOEsCaGBM4lmAsxWHK_3P0j/s400/fanerogamas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="277" /></td></tr>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/joana-ho.html">Joana Ho</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This particular group of plants grow on the sea floor, have elongated straight leaves, and subterraneous stalks, called rhizomes. Seagrass may live completely immersed in water, and they are found in coastal waters of nearly every continent. Despite being known as “seagrass”, this group is closer to the lily and ginger families than grass (Figure 1). They are an important part of the diet of manatees and sea turtles, and they are used as habitat by many other sea animals (Figure 2), including commercially important fish and crustaceans. Although difficult to quantify, seagrasses have a large aggregated commercial value, estimated to be up to 2 million dollars a year. They also play an important role in sequestering carbon into their biomass and sediment, thus decreasing the carbon dioxide (CO</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) concentrations in the atmosphere. This helps promote nutrient recycling, coastal protection, and improve overall water quality.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjjzRIXCYmXsTlshi_fqG0t_kaC5t2zot-GkgTdXYqTjBwQv9-4d0DNlQTDSWHz4DmgQrLZdOBjeHSIEtk8NOMzmUPIYQakGEiaINBJ3YzGkVRtSutAZTgrjMI1oKiDEpyXfe1Xh2E1cG/s1600/Sem+t%25C3%25ADtulo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="560" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjjzRIXCYmXsTlshi_fqG0t_kaC5t2zot-GkgTdXYqTjBwQv9-4d0DNlQTDSWHz4DmgQrLZdOBjeHSIEtk8NOMzmUPIYQakGEiaINBJ3YzGkVRtSutAZTgrjMI1oKiDEpyXfe1Xh2E1cG/s400/Sem+t%25C3%25ADtulo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 1 – Morphology and occurrence in the natural environment of genera <span style="font-style: italic; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halophila</span><span style="text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Despite being known as “seagrass,” this group is closer to the lily and ginger families than grass. Adapted from Sarah Lardizabal schematics.</span><a href="http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/" style="text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="238" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/oiJMGbzgqtVY-N3RrhuKQWMij5sZpvAODKcGDh5vIhR3wYy7oplhlg-pYq_LfLdNX3xnohZxrGMQvV00zi5dUJfDWhSoxCXMXO6teHqtpe4FiDsdrG9LvYsfg54rNMQANXwYwfY14WXBg_U68g" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 2 – Many animals visit the seagrass fields searching for food.<a href="http://portuguese.alertdiver.com/Manguezais-e-Angiospermas-Marinhas" style="text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://portuguese.alertdiver.com/Manguezais-e-Angiospermas-Marinhas</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Brazil, despite controversial information and the necessity of more genetic studies to differentiate the species correctly, there are so far, five known species of seagrass (Figure 3): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halodule wrightii </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ascherson; </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Halodule emarginata </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hartog</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; Halophila baillonii</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ascherson</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; Halophila decipiens</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ostenfeld and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Rupia maritima </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Linnaeus. Seagrass are considered to be great environmental quality indicators, because they are very sensitive to light and nutrient availability variations.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Global climate change has many impacts on the marine environment, including the rise of global average sea surface temperatures, variations in pH (ocean acidification), and alterations of ocean currents. These are some of the rapid changes in marine environment that have been seen by researchers, and their consequences are still little known. There are many factors involved in the interactions between environmental variables and biological communities, making overall consequences hard to forecast (Figure 4).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Figura 2.jpg" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/o24dGU4OmBQgF2J580dEx5qqyb9eeCOLHpaSH69OoNT47_tJjxaP6xNHIQHxtymsbhHBM5UjrlrySgbuflcYEOZXet5k7jkrK9Xncovx0olugaiEn8VxlJq86C6Yr1xsZUXyMIx-h7cjiacvgw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="290" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 3 – Identification of seagrass species can be controversial, but nowadays it is defined that there are five species along the Brazilian coast. Marques & Creed 2008.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="265" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MFZ7bhgygqBdeQcG7MV1_7XyCIpDYAOd6pp2fn6uuvpl_bPzxrO4IgbruLtgZudpfmFOrJb5psGcvpUK2NlIJwRlm9fAdbsu1QQ313jiGKtEWObCBiqmYPy39FXrMrzrjZqd5cU_s7E1gIYdVg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 4 – Many studies have been developed in this rich environment, but more research is needed if their importance and probable environmental changes are to be considered.<a href="http://portuguese.alertdiver.com/Manguezais-e-Angiospermas-Marinhas" style="text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://portuguese.alertdiver.com/Manguezais-e-Angiospermas-Marinhas</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Seagrass need specific environmental conditions, like low turbidity and high incidence of light. They are suffering local reduction and in some places completely vanishing, indicating that the anthropegenic environmental changes are happening fast, not giving the organisms enough time to respond to the new conditions. The capacity of ecosystems to respond to impact and return/maintain their original conditions is called resilience.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although the degree and type of impact on seagrass may vary with geography, some hypothesis were generated by the Benthic Habitat Monitoring Network (ReBentos) about how climate change may affect them: (1) the increased concentration of nutrients, given the increased quantity of rain, may cause changes in the community composition, favoring the occurrence of opportunistic species, which can be damaging for the local species; (2) changes in sea surface temperature can affect tropical species, favoring the extension and displacement of their occurrence limits towards higher latitudes; (3) extreme events, like floods and storms, may cause reduction or disappearance of seagrass in a quick and abrupt way; (4) the increased quantity of continental matter in estuaries may affect the abundance and composition of the communities, due to the increased turbidity and salinity changes. On the other hand, the reduction of rain and/or increased penetration of seawater into continental waters could increase or alter the estuarine seagrass' area of occupation; and finally (5) days or week-long heat waves, derived from external events, may reduce or extinguish fields in shallow areas.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an example of evidences that support these hypothesis, we can mention a study published by the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Ricardo Coutinho and Ulrich Seeliger, that, in 1984, observed that the species </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R. maritima</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, although tolerant with eutrophicated conditions, was shadowed by epiphytes and macroalgae that grew due to an excess of nutrients in the water. Those organisms tangle in this seagrass species, causing reduction on its photosynthetic rates and increasing their drag, facilitating their detachment when subjected to waves and currents. Another example is the study published in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marine Ecology</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Frederick T. Short and collaborators, that in 2006 observed the reduction of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">H. hrightii </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">through the movement of sediment, caused by stronger and more frequent storms, which buried the fields of seagrass.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, as mentioned by other authors, we can consider seagrass as the canaries of the sea, important in diagnosing the environment's health in response to global climate change. Certainly, the loss of these ecosystems will bring not only economic loss, but also the loss of biodiversity, a factor that is much more valuable and difficult to measure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To know more:</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: -1.5pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 14.25pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -14.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COPERTINO, M.S.; CREED, J.C.; MAGALHÃES, K.M.; BARROS, K.V.S.; LANARI, M.O.; ARÉVALO, P.R.; HORTA, P.A. (2015). Monitoramento dos fundos vegetados submersos (pradarias submersas). IN: TURRA, A.; DENADAI, M. R.. Protocolos de campo para o monitoramento de habitats bentônicos costeiros - ReBentos, cap. 2, p. 17-47. São Paulo: Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo. Disponível em: <</span><a href="http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/48874" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/48874</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">>. Acesso em: 04 nov. 2015. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: -1.5pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 14.25pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -14.25pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">MARQUES, L. V.; CREED, J. C.(2008). Biologia e ecologia das fanerógamas marinhas do Brasil. Oecologia Brasiliensis, v. 12, n. 2, p. 315 - 331.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: -2.25pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 0pt 15pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -15pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MCKENZIE, L.(2008). Seagrass Educators Handbook. Cairns: Seagrass Watch-HQ. Disponível em: <</span><a href="http://www.seagrasswatch.org/Info_centre/education/Seagrass_Educators_Handbook.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.seagrasswatch.org/Info_centre/education/Seagrass_Educators_Handbook.pdf</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">>. Acesso em: 30 out. 2015.</span></span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 24pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MCKENZIE, L (2009). Coastal Canaries. Seagrass Watch, v.39, p. 2-4. Disponível em: <</span><a href="http://www.seagrasswatch.org/seagrass.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.seagrasswatch.org/seagrass.html></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Acesso em: 03 nov. 2015.</span></a></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Juliana Imenis Barradas, CCNH-UFABC, PhD student in the postgraduate program in Evolution and Diversity, biologist, Master in Zoology (UFPB). juliana.imenis@ufabc.edu.br, <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/4843331968538355">http://lattes.cnpq.br/4843331968538355</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Larissa de Araujo Kawabe, CCNH-UFABC, master graduate student of in the postgraduate program in Evolution and Diversity, biologist. <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/7133427266626274">http://lattes.cnpq.br/7133427266626274</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Juliana Nascimento Silva, CECS-UFABC, undergrad in Environmental and Urban Engineering (UFABC) <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/5975285955317582">http://lattes.cnpq.br/5975285955317582</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paula Keshia Rosa Silva, CCNH-UFABC, </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mestranda em Evolução e Diversidade (UFABC), <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/9557245804556650">http://lattes.cnpq.br/9557245804556650</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MQUvmdkO1EIMuoYJeomCTAFAOyV873PnKPvzKOL7a14H6oHhQ4ydShBRchXpHG3fTQ2SxB2W7hp-7fzadM7L5Lqr-v-L3ZXiMaAfer3BG0JNxxfGeRMTkNFnoD7XjqM7ifY8M6BhOhU/s1600/Nat%25C3%25A1lia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Natalia Pirani Ghilardi-Lopes, CCNH-UFABC, professora adjunta, bióloga, doutora em Botânica (USP), <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/8457066927181345">http://lattes.cnpq.br/8457066927181345</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Otto Müller Patrão de Oliveira, CCNH-UFABC, professor adjunto, biólogo, doutor em Zoologia (USP), <a href="http://lattes.cnpq.br/7304237172635774">http://lattes.cnpq.br/7304237172635774</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-62529680014134255632017-07-06T08:15:00.000-07:002017-07-06T08:15:51.530-07:00From Oceanographer to Programmer<span id="docs-internal-guid-35de74a2-1533-0880-280f-65a2d2751417"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Letícia Portella</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-35de74a2-1534-102f-f2f0-262fe14636aa"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art by </span><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com/p/as-would-be-researcher-my-admiration.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Silvia Gonsales</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> This week I was asked to tell a little about how I became programmer (or at least, I’m in the process). I wrote this text to tell a little bit more about my story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Let’s start from the beginning: I am oceanographer graduated from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil) in December 2013. Well, only that is usually enough to scare people. Oceanowhat?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oceanography is beautiful and exciting. I learned many interesting things and I fell in love with some disciplines that were frightening. To begin with, we studied calculus, physics, etc. When I started working in the area, I hesitated between geological and physical oceanography until 2011 when I entered an internship at a Navy Research Institute and, finely, I decided by Physical Oceanography, which is the area closest to the exact sciences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> It is usual for oceanographers to work with matrices and arrays, thus it is very common to use a software called MATLAB. Therefore, during the college course I ended up learning a bit of MATLAB which is similar to a programming language with logic loops, conditionals, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> However, when I joined the Navy, I met two oceanographers working with Python. Python? What is it? We had several discussions about how MATLAB was a paid software and at the university we were using a pirate version, which was not cool nor legal, right? Surfing this this wave, they started telling me about how Python would be the future of oceanography, thanks to its flexibility, ease application and, furthermore, it was free! Cool. Let’s learn, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> And so I had my first contact with a real programming language, so to say. My colleagues were very smart, you know why? Every day they challenged me to do something new. “I doubt you can read this txt”, “Now do this activity with the least possible amount of lines,” and so on. I thought it was fantastic! How they were creative! Later on I found out it was all online. OK!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> In the meantime I also had contact with Linux, remote access, Ubuntu, terminals, etc. A new world was opened to me, and it was very interesting!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Coming back from internship, I fell into the real world: nobody was working with Python, nobody used Ubuntu / Linux and things can’t be changed. Okay, then, back to MATLAB. Things quite demotivating were that I had to learn by myself, become stuck with my doubts and, moreover, to learn something that people saw as useless (for our area).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> At the end of college I started working with a multinational which deals with port and coastal engineering. MATLAB and Windows full-time. But I’m stubborn; I started using Python wherever I could. Although away from further studies, I liked the language and wanted to continue learning (provided that I could do something useful). So I used Python to automate the production of maps in a software called ArcGIS. Afterwards I developed a software to calculate the size of a ship based on international tables and I even entered a brief adventure in the Web with Django.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> All of a sudden, I decided to enroll myself in a master degree course and I decided that all pre and post processing data would be made with Python. Also I chose a numerical model that could only be used in Linux environment. This time I actually challenged myself. Thus, I decided to get out of laziness and start learning! Even if I would have to do it by myself (But it was not so!). A very close friend helped me a lot and so I’ve been learning more and enjoying it more and more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Floripa Python group was formed by this time. I asked a friend to go with me in the first meeting because I was afraid and ashamed of not knowing enough. But he canceled at the last minute! I didn’t give up and attended the meeting anyway. I was the only girl in that first meeting, and as things can get worse, the discussions were exclusively about web. I did not understand anything, but I thought that was a fantastic world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I decided not to go to the next meetings since I was scared by the contents and because I did not understand anything. But then, the “magic” of the Python community happened. The boys noticed my problem and called a person to give a speech that was more “like me” (less web and more data analysis). When the lecture was going to happen, many of them sent me warning messages saying that I should go. Fabulous, right? After that, I engaged myself and actually started to get involved with the organization of SciPy Latin America 2016, Python Brazil 12 and mainly with Pyladies. In addition, Anitas (a group to empower women in technology and entrepreneurship) was being structured and I met some wonderful and inspiring women. Finally, in 6 months everything changed and I had completely changed my life</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-35de74a2-1537-de5d-dd84-5ae8ee85f204"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> And so I realized that I liked that. Very much. I loved programming Github, Python, Ubuntu, etc. I could spend hours studying it. As I got involved, I realized it could be a second option. However I did what most of us do: I thought I would never get into it. “I’m not good enough”, “I could never get fully involved in this,” etc. I really thought that. We know we usually think little of ourselves. But even thinking that way, I did not stop trying to learn and getting involved. That was not my goal! Then, suddenly I decided to show to that web folks what an oceanographer was doing attending to those meetings. After all, I programmed? Why? So I presented some of my master degree’s results, what kind of data I was working with, and a little video with a tidal wave being propagated which I achieved with my numerical model.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On the same day, the project manager of a company told me that there was a vacancy for a backend position in Python at the company. At the end of the evening I found myself next to her and decided to learn more about the job she had mentioned and we started talking. In the end I said: “very nice, but unfortunately I cannot apply for this job.” She asked me why and I said — I know Python, but this work is in a completely different area. And then I got an answer I did not expect to hear: “No problem, what you do is as complex as we do, come talk to us in another moment!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> And I did so. Thus, in three weeks my life was changed, I quitted my job to become a backend developer, where I am now entering my third week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> When I told people that I was changing area, I was expecting to hear “you’re crazy!” But that was not what happened … I got a lot of support and encouragement, especially from the nearest people who endured my insecurities throughout the process from the first conversation until my first day at the new job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I will not lie. The night before my first day I panic. I cried a lot. What was I doing? I wouldn’t make it! It was crazy! What I had was not rational, it was purely emotional and out of control. I called who I knew would calm me down and I just threw myself into the next day, with a huge fear and a strong desire to make it work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> So I would like to say a few things I learned in the process …</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The first thing I learned is that I did not make this change without fear and uncertainty. Those feelings can’t stop us of doing things ever! I received several comments saying that my courage was inspiring and I was an example. I do not consider myself as an example of anything! You can’t imagine how scared I was! But then I realized that people that are examples to us also are afraid and that’s no problem. Do it with fear, but do it anyway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The second thing is: do things with passion. Find out what you like and do it! Apart of having further prospects, even if you think you do not know and you won’t get there. The most important is to love something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> And last but not least: surround yourself with and make sure you appreciate people who support you. I would never have achieved so much or would have courage to change my life if I wouldn’t count on the support of numberless angels, as from the first ones who challenged me to the present ones who support and continue supporting me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> This is a place where I decided to share my story and try to help girls who want to learn programming. Come in, make yourself comfortable and I hope you fall in love as much as I do.</span></div>
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Letícia Portella. Oceanographer, passionate developer and addicted reader</div>
</span>Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-72216459336302400282017-06-07T06:09:00.000-07:002017-06-07T06:09:28.432-07:00Science marches and popular culture: “What we have here, is a failure to communicate”<span id="docs-internal-guid-12e79653-7fd9-4431-89f7-ff51e8d74fdf"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Illustration: <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/caia-colla.html">Caia Colla</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I had originally intended this post to be about the recent March for Science and the general idea of politicizing science, but after recently binge-watching “Bill Nye Saves the World” (a science education show targeting Millennials, hosted by a beloved host of a children’s science show in the 1990s—see trailer below) on Netflix, I have decided to focus on our failure as scientists to communicate to the public. Depressing, I know, but I truly believe there is a disconnect between our attempts to make science easily accessible and appealing to the general public so they actually listen. Public outreach is a major component of our grant proposals, but how much of that outreach is actually working, and how can we more effectively educate the masses? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> As I was watching Bill Nye’s new popular show, I felt saddened that this great figure from my childhood, who helped inspire my interest in science, could not effectively explain some major gaps in the public perceptions of science. The show feels gimmicky at points, and I think would probably deter some viewers based on the mocking of certain issues. For instance, the episode on debunking homeopathic medicine is entitled “Tune your quack-o-meter,” implying that anyone that believes in homeopathic medicine is a “quack.” If I were a believer in this alternative (read ‘imaginary’) medicine, I don’t think I would want to sit through an episode of people, namely a mechanical engineer, mocking me. Although, this is somewhat irrelevant because I think the majority of people watching this show are scientists who just really love seeing common-sense things explained in new ways (or just want to feel the nostalgia of watching their childhood science pal, Bill Nye). This is an example of scientists teaching/entertaining other scientists, and it is appropriate that it came out right on the heels of another similar, yet more global effort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The March for Science was organized as any peaceful rally for change should be: a community sensed a growing problem, and members of the community wanted to make that problem known. In the United States, this growing problem is the use of “alternative facts” (again, read ‘imaginary’) in place of real science, which have been marketed as truth within the current government. This has lead to budget cuts for science funding agencies and less enforcement for environmental protections. For those readers who may not be American, President Trump has named a man who denies that climate change is human-caused as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-12e79653-7fde-fdc4-e40c-2ca17a13a197"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">An estimated 50,000 people gathered in the Boston Common, armed with witty signs and knowledge, in order to march for science.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> But this march wasn’t just in the United States. On Earth Day 2017, marches popped up all around the world to focus on issues specific to one location or important for all of us to pay attention to. Some reasons people around the world are marching have been published on the Science website (link below), including this quote from an Austrian biochemist:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> “Antienlightenment sentiments are rising worldwide. Many Austrians are against genetic engineering but don’t know what a gene is, for instance. I have a problem with that. Or antivaccine sentiment. It’s almost fashionable to be against science nowadays.” - Renée Schroeder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Martin Stratmann, the president of the Max Planck Society, even marched, saying: “This is a march pro-science and pro-facts, not a march against Trump… Today, science is more important than ever before, but evidence and knowledge are being questioned in many places, including politics.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Don’t get me wrong. The march was a great event. I attended in Boston, MA, and we had an estimated 50,000 scientists and friends-to-science show up on a miserably cold and rainy day to show that this is something we care about. I heard inspirational stories from medical doctors, stories of overcoming adversity from a black, female engineer, and was urged to run for office by George Church (THE human genome guy – I had a major geek moment). It was a fun time to gather around with like-minded individuals and talk about the problems we are facing. But there lies the problem: we were talking to like-minded individuals. Someone who may be interested in learning facts, but does not run in our sciencey circle of awesomeness may not have known the march was going on, or what the march was for. My mother, an educated nurse, lies somewhere on the edge of being a part of the scientific community and not. Even with her daughter posting about the upcoming march, my mother did not know why I was in Boston wearing a weird knitted hat (see image below). Somehow we sciencey people got caught up in the fun of having a rally and forgot to tell the rest of the world what it was for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Left: Some nerds spent hours knitting brain hats and making signs (that’s me on the far left). Fellow oceanography graduate student Robert Wildermuth marched with me. </span></div>
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Middle: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth graduate student, Laura Moritzen is invested in the future of the ocean and the crabs she researches. </div>
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Right: Continuing with the momentum of the Women’s March, we love the “nasty women” of science! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So if these forums are not useful at conveying our science to the general public, what is? How do we effectively communicate sometimes very difficult ideas to the masses? I believe the key is in starting young. We need to reach out to schools to mold minds to think about the basic scientific method and teach kids how to come to their own conclusions based on facts, rather than media. Let kids fall in love with knowledge and the quest for knowledge, just as Bill Nye the Science Guy taught me, and Carl Sagan taught the generation before me. I don’t think the non-academic minded adults are a lost cause, but I do think it will take more effort to recondition their minds to not always trust what they read. Lets face it, seeing and sharing a facebook post about secret government plans to infect us with disease through the flu vaccine is a little easier and a lot more exciting than looking up the sources for that post to see it is false. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps, this blog may be a good start for introducing the public to science. We write posts with the intention of making our tales of oceanography and being women in science broadly accessible, yet we tend to share it among other scientists. Why? I challenge you to invite a person that may not be otherwise interested in ocean science to read a blog post you find interesting. Share your science with that friend who studies literature! Or law! Or liturgy! You never know what they will find interesting, and it is bound to lead to good discussion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Trailer for “Bill Nye Saves the World”: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_HKOcYBK8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_HKOcYBK8</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">References </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Science article: Why the rest of the world is marching<br /><br />Science News Staff (April 13, 2017)<br /><br />Science 356 (6334), 119. [doi: 10.1126/science.356.6334.119]<br /><br /><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6334/119.full">http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6334/119.full</a></span>Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-42965433409307051242017-05-04T06:21:00.000-07:002017-06-06T12:20:50.950-07:00Attention before boarding!<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2a-b637-1707-ddaf9fa4b728"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">by <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/catarina-r-marcolin.html">Catarina Marcolin</a></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Image by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/caia-colla.html">Caia Colla</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hello to all again. It has been some time since I last wrote for this blog, even longer since I've boarded a ship, but many memories came to me after the World Ocean Day. Most memories are good, but some, not so much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In posts published on this blog, you might have read about the adventures of working at sea, diving to the bottom of the ocean, or traveling the world in foreign ships. But working on an oceanographic vessel is not always a fantastic experience, especially if you are a woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is important to be mindful that, when on a ship, one is also confined, surrounded by the ocean. Often, there is no access to a telephone, no internet, no way of visiting friends or family, and no way of going home whenever you want. In at least the last five oceanographic cruises I have participated in, I met only one female crewmember - she was a nurse on a supply ship which assisted oil platforms. On oceanographic ships, don't expect to see crew-women. In the scientific crew, yes, it is easier to find women, even when there's clear preference for men, because many tasks involve body strength. There's a need to carry boxes, nets, flasks, and other heavy equipment. But that’s not all! To be successful, the science crewmembers need strong skills in leadership, taking initiative, communication, management, and dealing with equipment. The work is very challenging, but against the common sense, I met women that are far better than a lot of guys in crew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was once stopped from boarding a boat that was poised for my doctoral research, under the “argument” that there were no suitable facilities on the boat for a woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you think that this isn’t a big deal, and that this male to female imbalance in passengers on ships is normal, maybe you can imagine some level of vulnerability that women may be subjected to in such an environment. I have always been aboard research cruises with large groups of researchers and wonderful ship crews. I have always been treated with respect. Unfortunately, this level of respect is not always found in day-to-day research cruises.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To illustrate this vulnerability, I interviewed two biologists that told me about very inadequate situations they've been through while aboard a boat off of the Brazilian coast. In this post I'll tell the story of one of them; she decided to stay anonymous, so I'll refer to her as M.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">CWN: Have you ever been excluded from an expedition so a man could go in your place?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>M: That has never happened to me, although there is a preference in our laboratory for men to go, under the argument that there is a need to carry heavy objects on board.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">CWN: How many times have you worked on a boat, and in how many of those trips did you feel uncomfortable or find yourself in inconvenient situations that made you feel insecure?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>M: I have been on four cruises. Two of them put me in very uncomfortable situations, and I felt insecure in one of them.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">CWN: Could you share a story about an uncomfortable situation you've been through?</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">M: I was on a ship twice, consulting in an environmental monitoring study. One of the crewmembers that worked on the deck made constant jokes about my accent. But he had issues with other members of the staff too.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>The second situation, the one that made me feel insecure, happened on a ship that I rather not say the name of or the institution it's related to. I never thought I would go through that experience on a vessel connected with such a respectable institution. I had heard rumors about expeditions from the past, and I confess, I was a little worried about this experience, but I never thought that what happened, could have.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Some of the crewman had very inappropriate behavior. Everyday we would share the dining room with them. Before we had the chance to finish our meals, some of them (that had a high position in the boat's hierarchy) would play music videos of half-naked women (funk, axé, pagode) that always had images of men and women in insinuating situations, alluding to sexual acts, and very loud. Aside from that, every day there was drinking, and the crew would exhaustively offer us alcoholic beverages, especially to women, with the clear intention of trying to get us intoxicated. They would try to exalt their merits all the time, as an attempt of conquest. I would leave the room when those activities started, and some men would come after me asking why I wouldn't join them, insisting, and harassing me.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>This didn't bother only the women, several of our male colleagues were also bothered, but they never spoke up. This situation kept growing, leading up to my next story. It is important to say that this was not everyone's behavior. While we were harassed by some, other crewmen treated us respectfully.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>On one particular day, there was a get-together with a barbecue, and drinking started early in the morning. One of the crewmen drank so much he threatened to jump off of the boat, which caused a lot of confusion and trouble. During dinner, one of our male colleagues was eating while one of the falling-over drunk crewmen, spilled beer on the table. After a useless effort to clean it, he threw a dirty napkin on our colleague's plate, which really upset our colleague, as the action was interpreted as a racist move.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Facing all of that mess, I could not even have dinner that day because of all the embarrassment. I went to the pantry to get a piece of fruit and stopped for a while to talk to one of the crewmen about the situation. Then, another drunk crewman came over and started asking questions about one of my female colleagues. I tried to leave, but he kept stopping me and asking me to bring my friend. The other crewman that I was talking to defended me, so I could get out. I realized there were a lot of crewmembers feeling a sense of indignation, because their professional class could not tolerate this kind of behavior. What left me feeling more insecure was the fact that we could never talk to the captain of the ship; we could never see him and he never answered our calls or our contact attempts.</i></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">CWN: Why do you think the crewmember responsible for the operations tried to sabotage your work? Do you think it was ignorance or a deliberate attempt to “get revenge”?</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">M: I have no idea. We didn't get an explanation. We don't know if it was revenge, if it was disrespect for us being women (the chief of the expedition was a woman), if it was laziness, impatience to get back home, disrespect for the work environment… Anyway, whatever the motive was, it is very lamentable for all it represents, and it is a waste of public money!</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is also very important to consider the loss of valuable scientific information, caused by irresponsible and unreliable work from the ship crew. This is especially true for the current state of our country, where obtaining resources for field collections in ocean research has been increasingly difficult.</span></i></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1d2331d-cf2f-c1d0-79ee-ee9cf061d44e"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the end, all stories I hear and share show clearly that while on a ship, being it for scientific research or parallel consulting, there is prejudice coming from the male crew towards women. Women are still thought of as the “fragile sex.” This inappropriateness makes life on board even more challenging when the day-to-day work already demands physical strength and adaptations to the labor done in an environment ruled by the movement of the marine currents. </span></i></span></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-78368479752838817802017-04-06T05:59:00.000-07:002017-04-06T05:59:47.650-07:00Research in the remote islands of Brazil<span id="docs-internal-guid-c49ed963-407c-53ff-b948-0be918989acd"><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: red;">Fernanda Imperatrice Colabuono</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The oceanic islands of Brazil are not well known by the majority of people, despite the fact that they hold significant strategic, economic, and scientific importance. They harbor a rich diversity of life, including endemic species – species that can only exist there. Two of those islands, Fernando de Noronha and Abrolhos, are inhabited and/or used for tourism purposes, with some restrictions. Three other island regions, The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Rocas Atoll, and Trindade Island are still little known remote places with restricted access. During my doctorate at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo, I had the opportunity to join scientific expeditions to these three places, through a research project with the objective of studying the persistent organic pollutants occurring in remote places.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Fig.1.Location of the Brazilian islands and oceanic archipelagos and distance from the nearest capitals. Source: <a href="https://www.ige.unicamp.br/terraedidatica/v2/pdf-v2/t_didatica_2006_v02n01_p003-018_almeida.pdf">Almeida, F.F.M. (2006)</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoGUpHGySwGMr95B5qs7Oqqzir-I2wuAPNgJOLGo_mzBbtCHM-DUN5_5sXUumeBj2Bx-7srOaVEymMTsXQDwPwi_4XUEyq43pBNuNYc8EPq66AFWb0sXk6yYWteA7yNwgrVc7VXH1upyq/s1600/ASPSP+%2528945%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoGUpHGySwGMr95B5qs7Oqqzir-I2wuAPNgJOLGo_mzBbtCHM-DUN5_5sXUumeBj2Bx-7srOaVEymMTsXQDwPwi_4XUEyq43pBNuNYc8EPq66AFWb0sXk6yYWteA7yNwgrVc7VXH1upyq/s400/ASPSP+%2528945%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c49ed963-407e-9092-4251-80eb56c72bee"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago is located about 1100 km (680 miles) from the coast of the Rio Grande do Norte state, almost midway between Brazil and Africa. These are the only Brazilian oceanic islands located in the Northern hemisphere. The trip from the state capital, Natal, to the Archipelago was a three day journey made in a fishing boat. I went there in March 2009, and I distinctly remember arriving to Natal's Harbor to meet the vessel that was to carry three other researchers, the crew, and myself; upon seeing the boat, it was hard to believe that we would cross nearly half of the Atlantic ocean in that way! Of course everything was fine, and we were neither the first nor the last group of researchers to make this journey. The fishermen were experienced, </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">and the seas were in our favor. When we were close to the Archipelago, we could see a group of tiny rocky islands. Those are, in fact, peaks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which extends all the way through the Atlantic Ocean, from Antarctica to the Arctic. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When we landed on Belmonte Island, the main island of the Archipelago and where the research station is, we could see that birds occupied all areas on the island with nests or resting spots. These hosts of the Archipelago, which welcome all visitors with strong pecking, are known as Boobies. Space is a limiting factor for these birds, so they always try to protect their territories, even amongst their own species. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkTWSh-JKZ5rNPQm0DuisY3ZJXdxaaz3UYFs3AYHAQw1NBJirZXceXuZTjMSWraClvDbOCNkPSKBvl0bc0pYV47MODjH9Cn8L-0YifRA2nhf94hfKwQd3aCzURHxFWKusnGsp3WUDmg6s/s1600/Atol+2010+%2528180%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkTWSh-JKZ5rNPQm0DuisY3ZJXdxaaz3UYFs3AYHAQw1NBJirZXceXuZTjMSWraClvDbOCNkPSKBvl0bc0pYV47MODjH9Cn8L-0YifRA2nhf94hfKwQd3aCzURHxFWKusnGsp3WUDmg6s/s400/Atol+2010+%2528180%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Rocas Atoll, also located near the Equatorial Line, is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and preserved places on Earth, thanks to the courage and perseverance of the people that work and care for that spot. By the way, those are the two main qualities that one must have to work in environmental conservancy. In the beginning of 2010, I spent around 20 days acquiring samples on the atoll, collecting plastic pieces around the island. Plastic waste arrives daily from different places, probably from other islands, the continent, and passing ships, and they accumulate on the atoll beaches. It's impressive that human actions can impact such remote places, sometimes places that we don't even know exist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIS6EyiwwQ3KiRfqTIjMRxbGiHtVBQe-_iAfm-_YHbiXq3WNRu3JFsSAIap783kPJM0xrHsdCW4mckZXmT5VnFGsFVaipNBpxVve81_caFp2p0OmbsxasPb9b7zXnbCgeO0koEqLpTUi7/s1600/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528362%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIS6EyiwwQ3KiRfqTIjMRxbGiHtVBQe-_iAfm-_YHbiXq3WNRu3JFsSAIap783kPJM0xrHsdCW4mckZXmT5VnFGsFVaipNBpxVve81_caFp2p0OmbsxasPb9b7zXnbCgeO0koEqLpTUi7/s400/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528362%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c49ed963-4085-3ad0-8f63-0a9b999fee70"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">My last expedition was to Trindade Island, in January 2012. Located around 1200 km (750 miles) from the continental coast, it is the biggest of the three islands and is part of the Vitoria-Trindade seamount chain. The island hosts several species of birds, invertebrates, fish, and diverse flora, and it is an important destination for sea turtle reproduction. Since the island's discovery hundreds of years ago, the Trindade Island has been visited by illustrious personalities, such as the astronomer Edmond Halley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_Halley), and the naturalist James Cook (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">). Consequently, the island also suffers from the impact of human actions, such as the introduction of exotic animals, which has changed the environment and caused negative effects that can still be seen today. Nowadays, the island is the location for the Oceanographic Station of Trindade Island, a scientific station run by the Brazilian Navy, which is used by researchers from all over.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQt4ifEeSuQHEVDnkyXN-_ne4wcfrK63wSd7__9-5mLnOaxN9MCgbbeQp0JD5DLLur9KsHcBrEVbgrKoi-k3-ESYqeGMd7l9He8rTDYPiSWwmXgYvViNto9wXuHdm-C8yBEmPoFgfxA9_/s1600/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528153%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQt4ifEeSuQHEVDnkyXN-_ne4wcfrK63wSd7__9-5mLnOaxN9MCgbbeQp0JD5DLLur9KsHcBrEVbgrKoi-k3-ESYqeGMd7l9He8rTDYPiSWwmXgYvViNto9wXuHdm-C8yBEmPoFgfxA9_/s400/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528153%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By being a part of these expeditions, I was given an incredible opportunity to get to know these different ecosystems, experience the local's lives, observe the behavior of the animals, and gain knowledge through experience, just as naturalists did decades and decades ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> To spend time, even if brief, in places where you need to adapt to such unique environments, so different from the ones we are used to, was a deeply personal experience of developing self-knowledge, detachment, and learning to overcome.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_zTs4hOTyYvpL2gJW5n_5ObN7g3vZxULOookSUXA96kEMNBevjM9RGbDYy2JzoR03QyeJF1bIM3Zj8No-ddCjfQEw5zDxZLzuojjXUYoHECp9xVc9czj4K88x90-sZHVFfxLPt5gdWUS/s1600/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528311%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_zTs4hOTyYvpL2gJW5n_5ObN7g3vZxULOookSUXA96kEMNBevjM9RGbDYy2JzoR03QyeJF1bIM3Zj8No-ddCjfQEw5zDxZLzuojjXUYoHECp9xVc9czj4K88x90-sZHVFfxLPt5gdWUS/s400/Ilha+da+Trindade+%2528311%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photo: Fernanda Colabuono</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In this age of technology, it's become usual to not be able to communicate with the “external world.” You have to deal with the fact that you won't know about your friends and family for a while – and they won't know about you. To spend a month showering only in seawater, or having no “real” toilet to use may seem a little odd, but one can adapt. Some of these experiences may sound scary, but they become pleasant and can even be missed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c49ed963-4087-a8d1-7984-62b4e523ef0e"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The feeling I had when visiting these places, where nature is the dominating force, is that man is only a visitor; we don't belong and we were not invited. My intention is not to be negative, but rather to show how strong Nature's presence is in places where humankind has not imposed itself as much. These are places that belong to the fauna and flora that have adapted to inhabit there. It would be great to maintain these islands as they are for the benefit of the great diversity of fish, birds, plants and other unique organisms that call these remote places home.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Fernanda Colabuono:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY-WRH0T7jr9T8AHLIpsyzLkTFfIszybaokWbvgcyfR1sSzxrr3z66gcRP4zCjWiCU_jOW4dK8v_JBJ_l3A4zM23P585PTsUs_CkU7fJQeSIh8LUbyY75wK0z7igP8pSkI6VI5I4JTa8S/s1600/FernandaPerfil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY-WRH0T7jr9T8AHLIpsyzLkTFfIszybaokWbvgcyfR1sSzxrr3z66gcRP4zCjWiCU_jOW4dK8v_JBJ_l3A4zM23P585PTsUs_CkU7fJQeSIh8LUbyY75wK0z7igP8pSkI6VI5I4JTa8S/s320/FernandaPerfil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cf3c5320-4088-0088-50ae-114335d2b648"></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fernanda Imperatrice Colabuono is a biologist that has been working with seabirds since 2001. She is enrolled in a post-doctorate program in the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo, where she conducts ecological and conservation research on Antarctic birds, using pollutants and stable isotopes as ecological and environmental tracers. </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0Brasil-19.31114335506464 -39.375-49.172672355064641 -80.683594 10.550385644935361 1.9335939999999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-34051631540977661302017-03-16T07:35:00.000-07:002017-06-06T12:22:00.342-07:00Honey, I’m pregnant!<div class="normal" style="line-height: 137%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 137%;">By</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/p/desde-minha-infancia-sempre-gostei-de.html"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 137%; text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; line-height: 137%;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/from-time-i-was-child-i-loved-reading.html">Raquel Moreira Saraiva</a></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 137%;"> and</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 137%; text-decoration: none;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; line-height: 137%;"><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/i-earned-my-degree-in-biological.html">Yonara Garcia</a></span></span><u><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #1155cc; line-height: 137%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh3GKALogf64vPq0OJI6WjuIjJaeA5hjcSzj0pFM63a_gf4Y9fMwxK9gfakBvco9Ex1t2aCXf9Hz01Pde8d8vfxkxse9kbbbAacB3NMtcPzyDf3p2CU2b97W1W2JiI13bVGNUhhXFin5q/s1600/rect4159.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh3GKALogf64vPq0OJI6WjuIjJaeA5hjcSzj0pFM63a_gf4Y9fMwxK9gfakBvco9Ex1t2aCXf9Hz01Pde8d8vfxkxse9kbbbAacB3NMtcPzyDf3p2CU2b97W1W2JiI13bVGNUhhXFin5q/s400/rect4159.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image
(right): <i>Flickr</i></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today we are going to talk about the Super Dad of the animal
kingdom, the seahorse! This peculiar organism is considered a Super Dad for a
good reason: the males become pregnant! That's it! Seahorses stand out in the
animal kingdom because the males are responsible for all parental care after
fertilization: they carry the pups during gestation, experience the "birth
pangs," and finally give birth! Recent research also shows that seahorse
daddies have even more similarities to human mommies than we thought! But
before we talk about those peculiarities, let's get to know a little bit about
seahorses in general.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_BBmpY9vdIMf1z6T6w9iLIW2UmuH5cUOPgtC7TYY8V-cilhaJ5c3bgGmUCw0slHVyCznTXvVjWXmopCwpIEaN0fF8apNJF9sd6khepWExMV3f0J9xNh3k0UiaPSV0ll4YmfyhOsnsa5F/s1600/couple2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_BBmpY9vdIMf1z6T6w9iLIW2UmuH5cUOPgtC7TYY8V-cilhaJ5c3bgGmUCw0slHVyCznTXvVjWXmopCwpIEaN0fF8apNJF9sd6khepWExMV3f0J9xNh3k0UiaPSV0ll4YmfyhOsnsa5F/s320/couple2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Two "pregnant" seahorses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Image: </span><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Flickr</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Seahorses are bony fishes (teleosts) belonging to the genus <i>Hippocampus</i> and the syngnathidae family
(Syngnathidae). This family has the unique developmental characteristic of
viviparity, where embryonic development occurs within the body (the same as
humans), which in this case, is the paternal body. There are more than 50
species of seahorses distributed throughout the world in tropical and temperate
regions. Of these, three species occur on the Brazilian coast: <i>Hippocampus reidi, Hippocampus erectus, </i>and<i> Hippocampus patagonicus</i>, present in the
marine and estuarine environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnazCwfImUPDPTSlpwSxTsb2JFWPUmfnLzzA7K7mnL2aPBvhTJ5vc_6y2CPkVB1ZtPVP73ina0NrU8fSLXg0wqKgh_ZWfejR7Tpwk5l5QmZs_1j6sSCQCEvmKXe6yhyphenhyphen-pWtg_rEbr0mefZ/s1600/brasileiros.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnazCwfImUPDPTSlpwSxTsb2JFWPUmfnLzzA7K7mnL2aPBvhTJ5vc_6y2CPkVB1ZtPVP73ina0NrU8fSLXg0wqKgh_ZWfejR7Tpwk5l5QmZs_1j6sSCQCEvmKXe6yhyphenhyphen-pWtg_rEbr0mefZ/s400/brasileiros.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Representatives of the three species of seahorses that occur
in Brazil: <i>Hippocampus reidi</i>, <i>Hippocampus erectus,</i> and <i>Hippocampus patagonicus</i>, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Images: <i>Projeto Hippocampus</i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />These fish move vertically through wave movements of their
dorsal fins, which vibrate rapidly. This type of vertical locomotion slows them
down to the point of being considered one of the slowest fish in the oceans.
Seahorses are predators, with a diet based on plankton, crustaceans, and small
animals that are sucked through their tubular snout. They are also skillful at
camouflaging themselves: if they feel threatened, they can change color and
develop skin projections that mimic algae or coral polyps. Additionally, they
can become rigid and immobile, fixing themselves on algae and corals through
their prehensile tail. But these disguises are not infallible: crabs, some
carnivorous fish (e.g. tuna), penguins, sea birds, and even humans predate upon
adult seahorses (to learn more about plankton, read our post <i><u><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/05/o-que-voce-sabe-sobre-o-plancton.html">O que você sabe sobre o plâncton?</a></u></i>).<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzu9z_1sitfi0hTz6JOcZ9p9fKfyoeydYWBMRBgYN0oeiqFnYQbITEUgBTg8lHi2679jo1xZRxfnPlksnCebZd5i3lJaQZGVKErRTnTQMC1DYGKSIcww23rwXcp22ABTSzax9bE9yb_Ci/s1600/mimetismo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzu9z_1sitfi0hTz6JOcZ9p9fKfyoeydYWBMRBgYN0oeiqFnYQbITEUgBTg8lHi2679jo1xZRxfnPlksnCebZd5i3lJaQZGVKErRTnTQMC1DYGKSIcww23rwXcp22ABTSzax9bE9yb_Ci/s400/mimetismo.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Seahorses mimic the environment when they feel threatened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Images: </span><i><span style="font-size: small;">Flickr</span></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Most seahorses are monogamous, so that both the male and the
female of a formed pair repel other partners who try to interfere with the
relationship. For mating, they perform a type of dance in which they
synchronize their movements, turning around one another with interlaced tails.
Male pregnancy has interesting implications for the classic sex roles in
mating. In most species, males compete for access to females, so it is common
to see the evolution of secondary sex characteristics * in males. According to
researcher Adam Jones of the University of Texas, in the case of seahorses,
females exhibit a competitive behavior that is typically characteristic of males.
In addition, males appear "demanding" in relation to the choice of
their partners, an attribute commonly observed in females.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPZflBkZkStiOY5WVvOfng658qAyU9i9g2pSyRL3B16fAmptZDO57eIdVsyteQvSIvhIhC-oNzJgYpE6DLDNLCBy6kRom1pYRrCFVVcfu3Y0FcMWDsKQG8bOTRDqrCR81urECeEd0tkru/s1600/IMG_2316+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPZflBkZkStiOY5WVvOfng658qAyU9i9g2pSyRL3B16fAmptZDO57eIdVsyteQvSIvhIhC-oNzJgYpE6DLDNLCBy6kRom1pYRrCFVVcfu3Y0FcMWDsKQG8bOTRDqrCR81urECeEd0tkru/s320/IMG_2316+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Illustration:
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/p/joana.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Joana Ho</span></a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now let's get down to
business: how can males in this group get pregnant? The male seahorse has a
specialized brood pouch where the female places her oocytes (reproductive
cells). When it is ready to mate, the male signals the female by filling the
pouch with water. The female, in turn, swims and presses against it, placing
her ovipositor into a dilated hole in the male's pouch. After the oocytes are
transferred, the hole closes, and the male fertilizes them. Thus begins the
development of the babies (called fry) inside the body of the male.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 180%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The gestation period of this group varies greatly, according
to the species and the water temperature, and can occur between ten days to six
weeks. In tropical regions, seahorses have a gestation period of around 12 days. They reproduce
throughout the year, and from the first year of life, a couple is able to
produce more than 1000 larvae per gestation.<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhph0AJyB9AfCVn5K4SBDm2Dev5yXYs2i3ILAv77SQDT5ibZNVux0hOkibThOzRPLpGYts1QtWNy8OFJRl7g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Seahorse giving birth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Source:
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgoinj5XGR0"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgoinj5XGR0</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The challenges of
pregnancy are the same for all animals, including ensuring the adequate supply
of oxygen and nutrients to the embryos. Recent studies have shown that several
animal taxa have overcome these challenges in a similar way. Seahorse embryos,
like many other viviparous animals, acquire many nutrients from the vitellus of
the mother’s egg, which is equivalent to the egg yolks of chickens. Researcher
Dr. Camilla Whittington and colleagues at the School of Biological Sciences,
University of Sydney, Australia, have shown in studies published in <i>Molecular Biology</i> and <i>Evolution</i> that additional nutrients,
such as calcium and some lipids, are secreted by the fathers from the brood
pouch and absorbed by the embryos. In addition, the dad’s pouch also maintains the complex challenges
of gas exchange, excreta removal, and providing immunological protection to the
young!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pregnancy is
accompanied by many morphophysiological adaptations, such as the remodeling of
the brood pouch, transport of nutrients and residues, gas exchange,
osmoregulation, and immunological protection of embryos. Another curiosity
discovered by researchers is that the genetics related to these adaptations are
very similar to the genetic expression of the internal reproduction of mammals,
reptiles, and other fish. It is surprising that, even in animals with very
distant evolutionary histories, the genetic tools for reproduction have
developed remarkably similar to each other, even between viviparous aplacental
(seahorses) and placental (mammalian) animals (Caspermeyer, 2015; Whittington
et al., 2015).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Seahorse populations
are declining worldwide. In addition to their limited locomotion capacity, the
destruction of their habitat and incidental and targeted fisheries have
threatened the lives of these fish. There is high demand for live specimens
among ornamental fish enthusiests. Dehydrated, they are used as ingredients of
homemade and industrialized drugs and as decoration, which leaves them even
more vulnerable. The purchase of these fish, even alive, encourages their
capture and trade, in addition to contributing to the ecological imbalance.
Genetic, physiological, and ecological studies of these animals help not only
to understand their biology and the evolutionary steps that led to the
inversion in sexual behavior, but also contribute knowledge to the management
of these species. The best option is to leave seahorses in their natural
habitat, reduce exploitation, and take care of the environments in which they
live, including coral reefs and mangroves. This way you can get to know these
fish better while helping<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> in their preservation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnt8dj4PrsP1060LKhH34kqalUGttv6pRj6h95g9MS46s4wKQAlDzp8z3VSzXs2W7jFDt4BnoHaFbDdzwO43mzlpbzpx_qsibjDjKsvVvSBRBxiaJ0CJqqihyphenhyphenW8nJMmULJXbGRzMfghql/s1600/dried.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnt8dj4PrsP1060LKhH34kqalUGttv6pRj6h95g9MS46s4wKQAlDzp8z3VSzXs2W7jFDt4BnoHaFbDdzwO43mzlpbzpx_qsibjDjKsvVvSBRBxiaJ0CJqqihyphenhyphenW8nJMmULJXbGRzMfghql/s400/dried.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="normal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Dehydrated seahorses being sold at a market in Hong Kong. In
Asia they are much appreciated in cooking and as raw material for the
manufacture of medicines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Image: </span><i><span style="font-size: small;">Britt-Arnhild’s
House in the Woods</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">*secondary characters: characteristics that develop
during the sexual maturity of animals, but which, unlike the sexual organs, are
not part of the reproductive system.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 180%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To learn more about the
subject:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.projetohippocampus.org/site/"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext;">Projeto Hippocampus</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"> -</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;">
Iniciativa do Laboratório de Aquicultura Marinha - LABAQUAC para educação
ambiental e estudos de conservação de cavalos-marinhos.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.projetohippocampus.org/"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.projetohippocampus.org/">www.projetohippocampus.org</a></span></span><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.projetohippocampus.org/"></a></span><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Caspermeyer, J. Unraveling the Genetic Basis of
Seahorse Male Pregnancy Mol Biol Evol (2015) 32 (12): 3278 first published
online November 17, 2015 doi:10.1093/molbev/msv238<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jones, AG & Avise, JC. Mating Systems and Sexual
Selection in Male-Pregnant Pipefishes and Seahorses: Insights from
Microsatellite-Based Studies of Maternity J Hered, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(252 , 252 , 252); font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;">Rosa IL, Oliveira TPR, Osório FM, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;">Moraes LE, Castro ALC, Barros GML & Alves RRN. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(252 , 252 , 252); font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;">Fisheries and trade of seahorses in Brazil: historical
perspective, current trends, and future directions. Biodivers Conserv, 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Silveira, R. B. Dinâmica populacional do
cavalo-marinho hippocampus reidi no manguezal de Maracaípe, Ipojuca,
Pernambuco, Brasil. (2005).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whittington CM, Griffith OW, Qi W, Thompson MB &
Wilson AB. Seahorse brood pouch transcriptome reveals common genes associated
with vertebrate pregnancy.<i>Molecular
Biology and Evolution</i>, 2015.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-10896366905380626462016-12-01T04:40:00.000-08:002016-12-01T04:40:24.295-08:00A foreigner researching in Brazil<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b59e-abca-5d59-c4cccf76e06c"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Sabine Schultes</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While writing this post, I'm at my work desk in the Munich Biology Faculty. From the window, I see green fields; the only salt water in a 600km (~370 mi) radius is a mere 20L (~5 gal) of artificial seawater in the laboratory, in a bucket containing copepods of the species </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acartia tonsa.</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That's what is connecting me with my great passion, the study of biological oceanography.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5a0-2e54-aca0-bcccaf099e71"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Copepods are minuscule crustaceans, around 1 millimeter (~0.04 in) in length. With the naked eye, they look like jumping little dust particles in water. They live in all water ecosystems including lakes, rivers, underground water, and oceans. Their numbers seemingly rival the stars in the universe, and as they are so numerous, they have an important role in ocean ecology. They consume the biomass created by microalgae through sun energy – in a process called primary production – and transfer it to fish, as fish like to eat copepods. </span><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/04/para-o-plancton-tamanho-e-documento.html">Learn more about it here</a>)</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b9-882b-8c8b-c55d09d33f33"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Copepods</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I have worked with copepods from the temperate waters of the North Atlantic, from the cold Antarctic ocean, and in 2007 I went to work as a post-doctoral researcher in the Oceanographic Institute of USP (University of São Paulo) to get to know the tropical copepods. What a joy! …and, at the same time, what an adventure to live in São Paulo, in a country 12000 km away from Germany. I jumped in without thinking twice and, when in a taxi at “Marginal Tietê,” between Guarulhos and the University City, I suddenly realized that I was far away from home. It is in these transitional moments, moving from one world to another, that all details are fixed in our memories. I was warmly welcomed by the “Paulistanos” (those who live in São Paulo) and, although Brazil is known for its beaches, samba and caipirinha, I had the opportunity to work with high-end technology in my research field.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5af-c603-60c6-de91b7942024"></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was in charge of two sophisticated instruments for my copepod analysis. My job was to establish measurements and calibration protocols. There was no bias or concern that “a woman does not understand technology.” Every day my learning experience was huge: living in a big city in a tropical country, Portuguese, image analysis techniques, electronic data exchange. Also huge was the help I received from science colleagues from Brazil, Canada and France. In only a short while, it was possible to christen the equipment in the Oceanography base at Ubatuba. For a marine science researcher, that was a dream coming true.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The famous LOPC is a particle profiler, that can detect, count and measure plankton with high spatial resolution. By Catarina Marcolin.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another dream was coming true with the expedition of the project PROABROLHOS: to study with said equipment the zooplanktonic (copepods and other tiny animals) distribution on the Abrolhos Bank. There's a bunch of fish there, and remember that fish like to eat copepods! In this project, researchers from various universities of Brazil and the world joined forces in order to enhance the understanding on how this ecosystem operates, in order to protect the great biodiversity of Abrolhos and it's value to society (</span><a href="http://laps.io.usp.br/index.php/90-portugues/laps/projetos/155-proabrolhos" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://laps.io.usp.br/index.php/90-portugues/laps/projetos/155-proabrolhos</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b2-9d68-c5ce-8ee0d44dd6a1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b2-9d68-c5ce-8ee0d44dd6a1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To spend one month on board of the old oceanographic ship Prof. Besnard was quite the adventure (it has finally been retired – now the oceanographic institute has a new ship), but all worked out. Our results were published in the following years (2009 to 2013), but I decided to go back to Europe before that. How come?! Wasn't that a dream come true??</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeah, well, looking back, I can sense I lacked some faith. But also, maybe I needed to be around my own people, culture, and family to get the faith to keep on studying the oceans of the world. Unfortunately, life in science is filled with uncertainties and short work contracts (1 year). At the same time, scientific realizations take years. To write a project, get funding, execute it, analyze the results, and communicate that new knowledge all happens in 5-10 years’ time.</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b3-2303-24bb-6dd78391099a"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Back from Brazil, it took me another 4 years of coming and going between France, Brazil (I fell in love), and Germany for me to finally get a position as a teacher in the Faculty of Biology of Munich in 2012, when I was 40. I live near my parents' house, and I am teaching zoology, ecology, and scientific initiation to undergrad and grad students. For the first time, I know where I will work, live, and study the ocean, until at least 2020, when the future may take me down another path.</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b3-2303-24bb-6dd78391099a"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b3-2303-24bb-6dd78391099a"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I had few preconceived ideas before coming to Brazil. I like living in other countries. I usually try, at first, to observe and go with the flow. I discovered the “Brazilian way” of doing things, the São Paulo coldness, and I learned how to dance forró. I thought – still do – that all of the people around me were very dedicated to work, friends and family. The most important thing I learned in Brazil? That sometimes things may take a while, but all works out in the end!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b6-6edb-64e7-fec402a690b2"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In Rio Grande, RS, Brazil</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd36260d-b5b6-db6f-ebe2-88e0e77cc914"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Sabine: </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sabine Schultes likes to see herself as biologist and oceanographer. She studied biology and hydrobiology in the Hamburg faculty, defended her masters in oceanography at the Université du Québec Rimouski, Canada and her doctorate at Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Bremerhaven. After some post-doctoral contracts in France and Brazil, she is now a teacher at the Munich Faculty (LMU), teaching zoology and ecology. She says that her parents taught her how to look for new paths and to socialize with people and cultures around the world. She is convinced that today, more than ever, we need to take care of our oceans. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sabine has also published: </span></span></span><br />
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-22071688274540596942016-11-10T05:30:00.000-08:002016-11-11T09:05:20.888-08:00Finding self-confidence as a woman in science<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Deborah Apgaua</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2016 this year I received an international award that changed my life and perspectives about many aspects on science. This award was granted by the Schlumberger Foundation under their Faculty of the Future program, and is intended for women from developing countries to conduct research in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The program aims to form a transformative network where men and women have similar opportunities in the job market.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Illustrated by <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/caia-colla.html">Caia Colla</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To be a woman in science is still a challenge, especially in a developing country like Brazil, where the biggest portion of professors in STEM are men, and where gender imbalance is evident in leading positions. According to a post already published in this blog (</span><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/05/o-sexo-realmente-importa.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o sexo realmente importa?</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), it may help to reverse this scenario by accepting that this gender imbalance exists, but this has still not happened. Even more importantly, an increase in self-confidence in women could help to break this barrier towards a greater female participation in STEM.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The possibility of pursuing post-doctoral research overseas is of course an important component of the satisfaction that I feel after winning the award. To be part of the <i>Faculty for the Future</i> community that searches for new directions for science enhanced my self-confidence to develop research and to become a role model to inspire other women to follow a similar path. Therefore, way before I started my research, I already felt a big change in the way I expressed my ideas and guide students in their work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When I decided to try this program, I had to remember and mentally organize my entire academic carrier from my undergrad to my doctorate. I had to search for value in each experience and think about how these experiences can help me inspire other women. Thus, I discovered a new force that was inside me, something that I did not know. Before submitting the proposal for my research, I reread it and felt fulfilled, regardless of the application results. I asked myself how many women could feel this contentment if they remembered each step of their journey and add value to their work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, I realized that I have more teaching experience than I was aware. During my undergrad, I developed research in traditional communities where I participated in giving short courses and presenting user-end research outcomes. Besides this, during my postgrad I had acquired experience through teaching placements, and this counts as teaching experience even if it was with the assistance of my supervisor. While doing part of my doctorate studies overseas, I kept in touch with my work mates back in Brazil, and helped in reviewing academic texts. Therefore, I could see the relevance of all those moments when I had to convince the </span><a href="http://www.slb.com/about/foundation.aspx" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schlumberger Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that I am a candidate that deserves the award.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To believe in this reality without diminishing myself, but on the contrary, finding merit in my academic choices, I did not worry about what I could have done but I didn’t. When I was interviewed in English with the intention to confirm what I wrote, I did not present myself as a “serious and baddie” person trying to show a masculine stereotype to express power. On the contrary, I was friendly and feminine finding confidence being myself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I received the positive results on my proposal, the “insecure girl that could not express her scientific ideas because she did not believe it was relevant” disappeared. As I resonate with the philosophy of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faculty for the Future </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">program, I decided to accept the mission to engage and encourage more women in science. I have chosen to embrace the strong woman that was sleeping inside me and see myself as a scientist that searches for even more experiences knowing that I still have a lot to learn. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Since that moment, with my self-confidence renewed, I have talked to women in my university and from other institutions and I see their countenance changing as I point to the possibility of a simple path to achieve their goals. The change is inside us, because many times we boycott ourselves, with insecurity and low self-esteem. Focus and self-confidence are the key ingredients for our transformation. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Talking with female post-grad students in my department, I noticed that some of them are afraid to become a “shadow” of their male counterparts. Perhaps this is a result of a predominantly male work environment where only three out of 31 professors are women. However, this is a fear that freezes, and it is only by acting on our academic goals that we can be free from this self-perceived subordination. So when we overcome the insecurity and fear of being overshadowed by men in science, we are on our paths of knowledge that will bring us to academic success.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Overcoming our insecurities and fears is also facilitated when we understand that we do not do science alone and that working together with others is essential. This way, we can transform competition to collaboration, and not have to feel that we are alone in our academic endeavors at every step of our work. Scientific knowledge is an ever-expanding thing. Men or women alike, trusting that science moves forward by our combined efforts reduces our ego and dispels the perceived ideal that we have to know everything to be able to do good science.</span></span></div>
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Links: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deborah_Apgaua"><span lang="PT-BR" style="line-height: 107%;">https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deborah_Apgaua</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="PT-BR" style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130799">http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130799</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12787/abstract%20"><span lang="PT-BR" style="line-height: 107%;">http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12787/abstract
</span></a></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="PT-BR" style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.ufla.br/ascom/2016/09/06/estudante-da-ufla-e-contemplada-com-premio-internacional/">http://www.ufla.br/ascom/2016/09/06/estudante-da-ufla-e-contemplada-com-premio-internacional/</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deUQFTSX0EY"><span lang="PT-BR" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deUQFTSX0EY</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</u></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Deborah:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLKm5T6pm4BaawIkdmZ1-um05kkhoSaJa8AJRbPZOdaSR_1cX01CJdmMapyJR3DbX_HQMjfky3vvpcEQttwY8U9HXGGiaZxCOI-8nHdI8XhLkJdcqwbAQe_aTFicgX2cctV4trKZvzfQz/s1600/Deborah+Apgaua+in+the+field.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLKm5T6pm4BaawIkdmZ1-um05kkhoSaJa8AJRbPZOdaSR_1cX01CJdmMapyJR3DbX_HQMjfky3vvpcEQttwY8U9HXGGiaZxCOI-8nHdI8XhLkJdcqwbAQe_aTFicgX2cctV4trKZvzfQz/s320/Deborah+Apgaua+in+the+field.JPG" width="213" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am a doctor in
forest ecology, and I have a deep love for the world’s tropical forests. I have
graduated in biology during which I studied ethnobiology. During my masters and
PhD I worked with forest ecology to be in contact with Brazilian forests. During
my Ph.D however, I ended up going to Australia where I developed a project with
plant functional traits in rainforest plants. More recently, I am preparing to go
back to Australia again to pursue a post-doc, supported by an award that I
received for women in science. I aim to understand how plants cope with drought
through their traits and bring this knowledge to Brazil. I hope to inspire
other women to pursue the academic career. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-43176621078149497382016-09-15T08:31:00.000-07:002016-09-15T08:31:29.667-07:00Sun protection cosmetics – good for you, bad for the aquatic environment?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By </span><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sabine Schulte</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2940-8008-f150-080197f64eaa"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Most people who like the sea and the shore also enjoy a sunny day at the beach, playing in the water when the weather is warm. Luckily, the education campaigns for skin cancer protection have made us all aware of the importance of protecting ourselves from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation which is a part of natural sunlight. UV light is at the lower end of the light spectrum and is divided into UVA, UVB and UVC. The highly energetic UVC is absorbed by our atmosphere, but UVA and UVB reach the surface.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="C:\Users\Schultes\Desktop\Bild1.png" height="261" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fjc0XfMXQgs1sPvMs7vO6flJTMgKmKA0rxV27kS47jj2qSkmM35XODjRIAg3iGXL7ZuB5QFtm4tUj7tI4ZrYXUJwmO1Jl5dIUAfn-q6kwZOc8cL1v2dN33gJYUIpeBZDZ3E5gdBDPkq8BQl60w" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2943-3bce-a53f-3548d80fd4db"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2943-3bce-a53f-3548d80fd4db"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Wavelength spectrum of natural sunlight. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2941-029a-cb84-1f7cbccb233d"></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So, we all adopted the habit to regularly apply cosmetic sunscreens before sunbathing, but we are typically not as attentive when it is time to take a dip in the lake or ocean. Probably, you are just like me and are so anxious to cool off, that you rush over the hot sand and to take a wonderfully refreshing dive head first into the waves.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bFNZpiY4z3BUtigxEY2rGPBaH2A_qajqKl6o231IrosC1titIGSrdO0CyAg1GLlczDtT_3ac-lGNPKs3iOPFmD14vSmow3YdWZGskto2JuZmxA0ZD29F5BYRnViSN7MVWMJl994Eu5Prk_B8Zg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bFNZpiY4z3BUtigxEY2rGPBaH2A_qajqKl6o231IrosC1titIGSrdO0CyAg1GLlczDtT_3ac-lGNPKs3iOPFmD14vSmow3YdWZGskto2JuZmxA0ZD29F5BYRnViSN7MVWMJl994Eu5Prk_B8Zg" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2944-3b52-fc95-23c66f0d9666"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 9.33333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">© worldartsme.com/</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">UV radiation is not only a problem for us, but for all living beings, especially if they are without protective pigmentation, feathers, fur, or scales. Single-celled organisms have it even harder, so much so that one way to kill bacteria to make a sterile environment is to expose the lab bench to a couple of minutes of UV radiation. Sunburn for a single cell is lethal! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2941-55ee-f52f-e3e6e930c9c4"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/2015/05/o-que-voce-sabe-sobre-o-plancton.html">Plankton</a> are, in most cases, single celled or transparent, so they are very sensitive to UV light. Luckily, ocean and lake water progressively absorbs the incident sunlight. Depending on how clear the water is, UV light only reaches a few meters below the surface. Planktonic organisms have nevertheless evolved repair mechanisms to cope with the constantly occurring DNA damage. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alternatively, plankton can avoid UV radiation by migrating to water depths with no or little UV radiation. This strategy has been adopted by the zooplankton such as some copepods . Other copepods that live in very clear alpine lakes or in the surface layer of the tropical ocean are pigmented, often orange or even blue! Instead of getting a suntan - when our skin cells produce melanin - the zooplankton simply accumulates the pigments from their algal food. One example are the beautiful blue copepods from the genus </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anomalocera</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in the family of the Pontellidae. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, what happens if you and I take our dive into the waves and the sunscreen we have applied to our skin is washed off, into the sea? Yes, large parts are washed off, even if you use waterproof lotion. Looking through the scientific literature makes it clear: sunscreen cosmetics are a source of pollution with growing concern. Waters of popular beaches all show high concentrations of the organic molecules used as chemical UV filters in sun protection creams. Very low concentrations (10µg/L) are sufficient to promote coral bleaching. The chemicals persist in the aquatic environment and accumulate in mussels, fish and dolphins. Lakes and rivers are also subject to this type of contamination.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is why I have decided to do at least two things: </span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Before taking a swim I will try to get rid of most of the cream on my skin. Many modern beach facilities have showers connected to a wastewater system. So why not have a quick wash before you dive? If showering is not an option, I bring baby wipes and rub off the excess. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I started to do my own research into the question. I am interested in learning how plankton growth and diversity is affected by sublethal concentrations of sunscreen. Is the pelagic food web disturbed? Are there alternative cosmetics available with potentially less harmful effects for the aquatic environment?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sunscreen cosmetics are complex mixtures of organic UV-filters (e.g. oxybenzone, octocrylene, …), oils, perfumes, stabilizers and often nanoparticles. Our experiments also try to find out, which of the components are particularly harmful, and if sunscreen cosmetics that are solely based on natural oils may be a better option for the aquatic environment. I will tell more about this in my next post - so wait and see! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Preliminary results show that plankton growth can either be enhanced or reduced when the water is polluted with conventional sunscreen, depending on the concentration we add and whether the water comes from an oligotrophic or eutrophic environment. The community composition of the phytoplankton is modified because some algal groups are more sensitive to sunscreen pollution than others. The use of sunscreen may even be one of the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in recreational lakes leading to skin irritation in summer swimmers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2941-e756-3933-751585dd86da"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We need recreation, and we need to protect ourselves from UV radiation to prevent skin cancer. How can we fulfill the needs of human society without totally spoiling our environment? This question is exemplary for many issues in nature conservation! So, I am passing this question on to others and will make an opinion poll at the beach...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Beach life in Ubatuba, Brazil (left). </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beach life in Munich, Germany (right).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Further reading:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Balmer, M., Buser, H.R., Müller, M.D., Poigner, T. 2005. Occurrence of some organic UV</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">filters in wastewater, in surface waters, and in fish from Swiss lakes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39: 953-962</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Cunha, C., Fernandes, J.O., Vallecillos., L., Cano-Sancho, G., Domingo, J.L., et al. 2015. Co-occurrence of musk fragrances and UV-filters in seafood and macroalgae collected in European hotspots. Environ. Res.143: 65–71</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Danovaro, R., Bongiorni, L., Corinaldesi, C., Giovannelli, D., Damiani, E., et al. 2008. Sunscreens cause coral bleaching by promoting viral infections. Environ. Health Perspect. 116:441–447</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gago-Ferrero, P., Alonso, M. B., Bertozzi, C. P., Marigo, J., Barbosa, L., et al. 2013. First determination of UV filters in marine mammals. Octocrylene levels in Franciscana Dolphins. Environ. Sci. Technol. 47: 5619−5625</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sánchez Rodríguez, A., Rodrigo Sanz, M., Betancort Rodríguez, J.R. 2015. Occurrence of eight UV filters in beaches of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). An approach to environmental risk assessment. Chemosphere 131: 85–90</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-de9debe0-2942-2321-73bd-2233898069d8"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tovar-Sánchez, A., Sánchez-Quiles, D., Basterretxea, G., Benedé, J.L., Chisvert, A., et al. 2013 Sunscreen products as emerging pollutants to coastal waters. PLoS ONE 8(6): e65451. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: normal;">About Sabine:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-WJ2ygH4DawTkr68aFXRQmK-KIWwtAa-jdDQ6taEUi4hxwRhY8L2m1SGAqm_1_hdpoejRiHHpuwKAcO4jLsp8uHoxVQuJe72yDgNcEEx8VO3zcKz-v_FONS2ygHdsIPOzEMLHK05gWsn/s1600/P1010191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-WJ2ygH4DawTkr68aFXRQmK-KIWwtAa-jdDQ6taEUi4hxwRhY8L2m1SGAqm_1_hdpoejRiHHpuwKAcO4jLsp8uHoxVQuJe72yDgNcEEx8VO3zcKz-v_FONS2ygHdsIPOzEMLHK05gWsn/s320/P1010191.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: normal;">With the goal to become a marine biologist, I studied biology and hydrobiology at Hamburg University and then earned a Master’s degree in oceanography from Université du Québec à Rimouski, in Canada. My doctoral studies in biological oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven were followed by various post-doc projects in Brest, France and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since 2012, I teach ecology and zoology at LMU Munich. Growing up, my parents gave me the incentive to search new ways and to relate with people and cultures around the world. I am convinced that today, more than ever, we need to take good care of our Oceans.</span></span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-92209688699510250122016-09-01T07:17:00.000-07:002016-09-01T07:17:41.758-07:00A new home for Nemo<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Cathrine Boerseth</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylemdlGssWS0TEIbW6eQSOULIHVzwylB6YUZAMRBZU7hG_Ji94BAwVlgH_sgO8rzOm53Qoy9gw2ynXVV_gMUdd8ZWdy3hhsdj2LWczbylCZP3jGF-rM5fhrKNDi5LBtFjRuLfMRwldbc4/s1600/Blogfigur2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylemdlGssWS0TEIbW6eQSOULIHVzwylB6YUZAMRBZU7hG_Ji94BAwVlgH_sgO8rzOm53Qoy9gw2ynXVV_gMUdd8ZWdy3hhsdj2LWczbylCZP3jGF-rM5fhrKNDi5LBtFjRuLfMRwldbc4/s400/Blogfigur2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">People don't like having their homes destroyed and neither do animals; bears don’t like it, birds don't like it, fish certainly don't like it and neither do the tiniest planktonic animals that people often forget even exists. Some of these tiny animals are meroplanktonic, which means they only float around in the early stages of their lives, to grow up as adults they need somewhere to settle down, a nice home with a good foundation; for many organisms that means a hard surface like rocks or a coral reef. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sadly, in the waters of northern Paraná state, many of these nice hard (and already rare) surfaces were destroyed by destructive fishing methods like trawling. The meroplanktonic larvae were still floating around in the water, but there were few places for them to settle down. In the biological world one thing always affects another and so did the lack of appropriate habitat in our case; fish eat the organisms living on and around rocky reefs and so the lack of hard bottom substrates meant a lack of food for the fish, and so the populations declined.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But what if we made new homes for these animals and what if those homes were so sturdy and strong that trawlers wouldn't be able to break them? Well, that’s exactly what researchers did between 1997 and 2013 when they deployed a number of artificial reefs along the Paraná coast. But what exactly is an artificial reef? An artificial reef can be made out of rocks, concrete blocks or even sunken ships. They are man-made structures, preferably with different holes and crevasses, placed under water to provide shelter for marine organisms. Bacteria and algae are usually the first organisms to arrive, meroplanktonic larvae settle and grow up to be anything from anemones to crabs; all of these animals attract fish looking for food and they in turn attract larger fish and other predators. After a while, the ecosystem on the artificial reef grows to become a place with both food and shelter for all kinds of marine organisms.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0tJTUUPB2MbStrhfWdIOp3pZliG3O_nI4lcCBiPBsPD-cji_LN9gVZlrp1OdWgryJfazqQkhqAGQyCxpvY4boigvvxF67HciXb9-h_6mZKQYU7z3yV4r4ooRLbFe975nRW19L6FMxC4b/s1600/REBIMARfoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0tJTUUPB2MbStrhfWdIOp3pZliG3O_nI4lcCBiPBsPD-cji_LN9gVZlrp1OdWgryJfazqQkhqAGQyCxpvY4boigvvxF67HciXb9-h_6mZKQYU7z3yV4r4ooRLbFe975nRW19L6FMxC4b/s320/REBIMARfoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">However, even after the artificial reefs were in place, many questions were still unanswered: would meroplanktonic organisms come to settle? Would they attract fish? Would those fishes reproduce? Would the ecosystem of the artificial reefs be anything like a natural rocky reef? The answer to the two first questions was discovered to be a big YES, but what about the other questions? That's what I wanted to find out! Exiting stuff, now what?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To answer those questions, we decided to look at fish larvae and fish eggs. To capture them we used a net attached to an underwater scooter (so cool, I know), and a light-trap. With the scooter and light-trap we were able to capture larvae very close to the artificial reef; the net captured eggs and the smallest fish larvae while the trap attracted larger larvae. We also sampled at a distance from the artificial reef (would the abundance of larvae and eggs be different there?) and at a natural rocky reef habitat nearby (the beautiful archipelago of Currais). We collected as many samples as the weather and waves allowed between the July of 2014 and April of 2016.</span><br />
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The samples were collected using a light-trap (left) and a net attached to an underwater scooter (right).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2jR6RToBmKfiSDkHeiLhdlpPxkH6K4eALPGS0z2RGAiBEDIyqHX4IOhMQlkpBZKSnEb6xeekm50ywhVAZRctN4kOyvF512zQQcUn_zNu9sh8P_K9n4okdSNqX-J_ViNaIRu911cIugwU/s1600/20140802_110833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2jR6RToBmKfiSDkHeiLhdlpPxkH6K4eALPGS0z2RGAiBEDIyqHX4IOhMQlkpBZKSnEb6xeekm50ywhVAZRctN4kOyvF512zQQcUn_zNu9sh8P_K9n4okdSNqX-J_ViNaIRu911cIugwU/s320/20140802_110833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Currais archipelago on the Paraná coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So what did the data show? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The number of fish larvae and fish eggs was in fact higher on the artificial reef compared to samples taken at a distance from the reef. Furthermore, the fact that the samples contained eggs and very small newly hatched larval fish means that fish are either reproducing on the reefs or close by. Additionally, many of the fish larvae collected on the artificial reefs belonged to species that are known to live on rocky reef habitats; most of the other species found were pelagic, which means they live in the open water. What does it all mean? Well, it means that the artificial reef is beginning to act like a natural reef (great!), but it still has a way to go. Fish are still more abundant on the natural reef and many of the fishes on the artificial reef are more like visitors, like the pelagic species. They are all welcome of course! The artificial reef provides food and shelter; many of the visitors attracted by delicious food become food themselves, but that's ok, it's all part of the food network. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It may sound like artificial reefs are the solution to all of our problems and you may want to stand up with your hands in the air shouting: let's put artificial reefs in all the seas in all the world! Then everything will be great again, right? That would be amazing, but unfortunately, as with most things in life, it's just not that simple. There are many factors to consider because deploying an artificial reef is in itself a human intervention in nature and could cause more harm than good, careful research in each individual case is essential!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What can we learn from all this? Nature finds a way. Humans are destructive; in order to get our way and build our houses, we destroy houses of so many other animals. Fortunately, given time, many ecosystems are resilient enough to come back to life. Artificial reefs may not be the answer to all our problems, but on the coast of Paraná it appears that a tiny piece of a suffering ecosystem may actually be getting back on its feet. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqvtf-3RJDQ5XyxR923uGsOB_ZkORDWXJ9dET3WIiWldVUpvJbcQKlPya6zt8Z3zFpvK_jBDYSF2DJctvqeK5VYJj4SYa0uRlzOF91t8lJ8ZU2jbmCyGhCmjaYgf3cM7TliNs807b4y-i/s1600/blogfigur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqvtf-3RJDQ5XyxR923uGsOB_ZkORDWXJ9dET3WIiWldVUpvJbcQKlPya6zt8Z3zFpvK_jBDYSF2DJctvqeK5VYJj4SYa0uRlzOF91t8lJ8ZU2jbmCyGhCmjaYgf3cM7TliNs807b4y-i/s320/blogfigur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Cathrine:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuv9tXIDDnUUkqxEy9XHq3pWatPar9H4GoGKpwgDyMxDBObHPUZWA18GDfDLKrRd_ePiN6cS3HHgU_vhfIDAcuc6A23X2qikKDwP8XrsMNGJP8A9VlpujY4Bpztd-b6kVpd420wkmwaRK/s1600/Hitra+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuv9tXIDDnUUkqxEy9XHq3pWatPar9H4GoGKpwgDyMxDBObHPUZWA18GDfDLKrRd_ePiN6cS3HHgU_vhfIDAcuc6A23X2qikKDwP8XrsMNGJP8A9VlpujY4Bpztd-b6kVpd420wkmwaRK/s200/Hitra+%25282%2529.jpg" width="174" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Biologist and currently preparing to defend my masters’ dissertation in the field of biological oceanography at the University São Paulo. As a true Norwegian I fell in love with the ocean scuba diving in the freezing waters of the north. I have been living in Brazil for four years now and I can't wait to discover where life will take me in the future. What I know with certainty is that I want to work and live close to nature, that being in the beautiful tropics of Brazil or in the wonderful Arctic of Norway (or somewhere in between). </span>Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-57415663049428019622016-08-18T07:19:00.000-07:002016-08-18T07:19:55.064-07:00How do tiny animals in the ocean influence atmospheric carbon dioxide?<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Emma Cavan </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The important role small (< 5 mm) plants and animals play in the ocean is widely unknown to the public, as the media prefers to broadcast ‘cuddly,’ charismatic animals such as dolphins and whales. However, the plankton are very important. <a href="http://batepapocomnetuno.blogspot.com.br/search?q=plancton">Plankton</a> are defined as organisms (both plants and animals) that cannot swim against the currents and range from microscopic algae to huge jellyfish. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My research is on the biological carbon pump, described by Yonara Garcia in a previous post ‘Ocean fertilization and climate change’ (<a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/2016/05/ocean-fertilization-and-climate-change.html">May, 2016</a>). The biological carbon pump describes how phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals) drawdown carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the deep oceans. I am most interested in how this biology transports organic carbon (as particles) through the upper ocean (top 500 m).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: right;">Image of crustaceous zooplankton </span><br style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;" /><span style="font-size: small; text-align: right;">about 0.5 mm in length. Photo by Emma Cavan.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Zooplankton range from tiny </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">crustaceans (shrimp-like animals) to much larger salps and jellyfish. Here I am just going to concentrate on the crustaceans. One commonly known crustaceous zooplankton is krill, which are large (2-5 mm) for their group and are often found in abundance in the Southern Ocean. T</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">hey are the food prey for large baleen whales such as </span><a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/2016/07/a-tour-through-ocean-understanding.html" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">humpback whales</a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">. Zooplankton change how much organic carbon (originally photosynthesised by phytoplankton in the su</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">rface ocean) reaches the deep sea as they:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1. Respire inorganic carbon; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. Ingest the carbon and release some as packaged faecal pellets;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">3. Break particles into smaller pieces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To further complicate the process zooplankton can migrate 100s of metres per day vertically, so they may eat at the surface at night, then at dawn sink deeper in the ocean and release faecal pellets there, increasing the amount of carbon reaching the deep ocean and away from the atmosphere. Hence zooplankton are particularly hard to accurately represent in biogeochemical models! I have been to sea in the Southern Ocean and the Equatorial Pacific to find out how zooplankton affect the transfer of organic carbon to the deep ocean.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Southern Ocean</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Macintosh HD:Users:emma:Desktop:emma:Screen Shot 2015-04-20 at 22.33.07.png" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/lGRUF_Ezp7ugBtJlT-jw_p0-90CZeMDaTXKHqlQsYjizdP-3TKVJfDcqTRePq7MQCbz-T99kEJhOPDrdJqBnyGRk0c_3rZ9cPrckeS8aSLTlrxtuw9xjKJQYWPNTVnGPia2Wn8LFz2yamcXcZg" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="398" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">At sea in the Southern Ocean, Elephant Island where <br />Ernest Shackleton landed is in the background.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Working in the Southern Ocean is an amazing experience. It has to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We were surrounded by so many penguins every day! Back to the science though… As I said, the Southern Ocean has a high number of crustaceous zooplankton such as krill and copepods. They can thrive in the cool waters around Antarctica but are very patchy (not evenly spread throughout).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="1045.bmp" height="177" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BOHLwlknp_1BXDsRqfe1TgtiV_XmTifQoC2B0T41NP298XVVyFBc4R6mlAMTLYs7c4p-j6o8728CHkEcQvoYUoECOGhv-AoAEuHjA_9asXfvhc2R-1--PjrB03T92xd3mC4djwPJVGfrJEiYRw" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="258" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Faecal pellet, 0.3 mm in length. <br />Photo by Emma Cavan.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here I collected sinking organic particles (full of carbon) and they turned out to be mostly zooplankton faecal pellets (as opposed to detrital phytoplankton). This suggests that most of the organic carbon reached the seafloor from zooplankton grazing on the phytoplankton and releasing faecal pellets. The number of zooplankton present was shown to actually affect how many particles sunk out of the surface ocean. Further, whether zooplankton were feeding on fresh phytoplankton (brown faecal pellets) or detritus or their own faeces (white faecal pellets – and yes, they eat their own poo!) affected how efficiently organic carbon reached the deep ocean! So these little critters were playing an important role in transferring organic carbon from the surface to the deep ocean here.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Equatorial Pacific</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Working here was very different from the Southern Ocean; it was extremely hot, and I saw barely any clouds the entire cruise. We were working off the Pacific coast of Guatemala, and while there was a lot less sea life here, I did see a lot of turtles and even a Thresher shark! </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"> RRS James Cook at port in Panama before the cruise. Photo by Emma Cavan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Compared to the Southern Ocean, the Equatorial Pacific is very stable with little change in seasons. Between 100-1000 m in this area of the ocean, oxygen concentrations plummet, so organisms are extremely oxygen starved at these depths. Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are common around the globe, particularly near coasts such as off of Peru and the west coast of Africa. Many studies have shown that in OMZs, a much higher proportion of organic carbon reaches the deep ocean compared to rest of the world. But the reason for this is still unknown and so I went to sea to find out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There are two main reasons why organic carbon doesn’t reach the deep ocean:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> 1. It is consumed and respired by zooplankton;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> 2. Or it is hydrolysed by bacteria.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Micro-respiration system used to measure <br />bacterial respiration on particles. An oxygen sensor <br />(blue) is inserted into the small vials which <br />contain particles to measure oxygen concentrations <br />over a few hours. Photo by Emma Cavan.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So I wanted to test if bacterial ‘remineralisation’ (process of converting organic carbon back to inorganic carbon, like carbon dioxide) is reduced in OMZs because bacterial metabolism is limited by the low oxygen concentrations. To do this, I measured the respiration of microbes on particles.What this showed was that actually microbes are very well adapted to live in the low oxygen conditions and were responsible for most of the organic carbon degradation! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This meant that likely a reduction in zooplankton respiration and processing of particles in the OMZ must be why such a high proportion of the organic carbon reaches the deep ocean. This seems like a reasonable hypothesis as studies have shown zooplankton abundance is low in OMZs and their metabolism is greatly reduced. The life cycle of bacteria is much shorter than zooplankton so they can adapt much faster to challenging conditions. So in the Equatorial Pacific, the absence of zooplankton means more carbon reaches the deep ocean and cannot be exchanged with the atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To summarise, zooplankton have a complicated relationship with carbon in the ocean. Both their presence and absence can increase the amount of carbon in the deep ocean, it just depends on the oceanic ecosystem they are part of. This is why it is complicated to model their effect on the carbon cycle and more work is needed to constrain it better. But we should remember tiny animals do indeed influence how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. Who would have thought it?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About Emma: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Emma is a marine biologist turned biological oceanographer (which basically means marine biologist of small organisms!). She grew up on the south coast of England and attended the National Oceanography Centre at the University of Southampton, UK, for both her undergraduate and PhD degrees. She has just finished her PhD and is hoping to stay in academia and continue researching. Emma is also very interested in connecting science and policy and spent 3 months working at the Royal Society in London in their science policy centre. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Aside from science Emma likes to travel as much as possible and has been able to do so both for pleasure and with work. She also loves kayaking, camping, reading, napping and socialising.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Follow Emma on twitter @emma_cavan or visit <a href="http://emmacavan.wix.com/emmacavan">http://emmacavan.wix.com/emmacavan</a></span><br />
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Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-90258417684880811282016-07-14T08:18:00.000-07:002016-07-17T18:34:42.535-07:00A tour through the ocean: understanding the comings and goings of humpback whales<div class="normal">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <span style="color: red;">Daniela Abras</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is immensely challenging to try to understand
the mechanisms that move a 15 meter-long and 40 ton organism 9,000 km yearly.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Humpback whales migrate every year from the
feeding grounds of Antarctica to the mating grounds of Brazil. The route, which
is about 4,500 km each way, is made twice a year and typically takes about 2
months going, and 2 months coming back. By including their 4 month stay in
Brazil mating, these whales spend 8 months of the year without food. That’s a
long fast! To accomplish this feat, they need to eat a lot during the 4 months
in Antarctica, and they need to stock up on energy reserves, in the form of body
fat.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ1gbeIbES-rL6SKwr39cA5-A9MJYfRs0K4rVaT6SnZuaN_EvfCO0i7TzWLXO20E2XuyrTYL2dXAV_ALI1kVN0-vz47zrQ_Pt-CmjqJWQZd0CoOqQ0VxNjq4tSEjr9JOLxGpt_Lf284LZ/s1600/image04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ1gbeIbES-rL6SKwr39cA5-A9MJYfRs0K4rVaT6SnZuaN_EvfCO0i7TzWLXO20E2XuyrTYL2dXAV_ALI1kVN0-vz47zrQ_Pt-CmjqJWQZd0CoOqQ0VxNjq4tSEjr9JOLxGpt_Lf284LZ/s400/image04.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Map that shows the migratory corridor of the humpback whales between the feeding <br />area in Antarctica, and the main reproductive area on Abrolhos Bank.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But what do these whales eat? As the adorable
Dory, from Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo would say, whales don't eat fish, they
eat krill. Krill are small crustaceans, similar to shrimp, that are about 5cm
long and live in giant clusters (swarms). Krill are the base of the vertebrate
food chain in Antarctica, where most species depend on it, directly or not.
Many species of fish, seals, penguins, and whales prey almost exclusively on
it. Some species, like Orca whales and Leopard seals, prey on fish or penguins.
This is why the food chain in Antarctica has been called by scientists
“krill-dependent.”</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-UzP9NlpKifXRj5PVKn12QyC__pJ4n6m58xG6D3txppqB-mJd2pW3mfhKuWpcUQi14kWVaBAsxS_Kvhvcf9l4YhLk0U2Adg2u3dPjQlc8LJVCzWSnL1bO3AVoc9sERwXXN_3QvT1qIL4/s1600/Dani.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-UzP9NlpKifXRj5PVKn12QyC__pJ4n6m58xG6D3txppqB-mJd2pW3mfhKuWpcUQi14kWVaBAsxS_Kvhvcf9l4YhLk0U2Adg2u3dPjQlc8LJVCzWSnL1bO3AVoc9sERwXXN_3QvT1qIL4/s400/Dani.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: start;">Krill (</span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: start;">Euphausia superba), </i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: start;">the main food of Humpback whales <br />in Antarctica, live in large swarms.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Every year, whales arrive at the Brazilian
coast in July and stay there until November. There are times when the
population arrives slightly earlier in the year and stay longer, but they can also
come later in the season and leave more quickly. In some years, there are more whales
than in others. This started to raise some questions: When they stay in
Abrolhos longer, is it because they fed better? When they leave the bank
earlier than average, is it because of high water temperatures? Or do these
things not influence their behavior at all, and they rely mostly on genetic
programming? What initiates the migration process?</span></div>
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<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My Master's research focused on these
questions to try to understand the diverse environmental mechanisms influencing
the migratory dynamics of humpback whales. I primarily focused on the
availability of their main source of energy. To do that, I analyzed parameters
such as photoperiod, water temperature in both Abrolhos and in Scotia Sea
(where they stay in Antarctica), and the availability of krill during summer. I
compared this to 7 years of sighting data collected at a fixed location around
the Abrolhos Archipelago. To observe the whales, a piece of topography
equipment with 30X zoom, called a theodolite, was used. For the 5 months the
whales were in Abrolhos, we observed the whales daily, and found that the
population's abundance fluctuates throughout the reproductive season with a
gradual increase in July, followed by the peak in August/September, and then a
gradual decrease, until no more whales were present by the end of November.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVu9F42L1W35Af-LMn41ZxMFoEMSNdg085Pu875xyn72votFpuLU7FNndP3x4L2nEzoP83lcm2iSDn6eHUah-uSgtTkfNUc8e2nu8whjg3iSiSNc_gyPU2kKYDxRWFxH5p0qL24BGgvC5/s1600/Dani2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVu9F42L1W35Af-LMn41ZxMFoEMSNdg085Pu875xyn72votFpuLU7FNndP3x4L2nEzoP83lcm2iSDn6eHUah-uSgtTkfNUc8e2nu8whjg3iSiSNc_gyPU2kKYDxRWFxH5p0qL24BGgvC5/s320/Dani2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0mn_nCtYQT3t3UNb3ITWJhZTAw8thyzQ_axMDhdylFuChlkIGHUu_v2V-_Zgu7pne4K5bE7Wv7hvpn70LvJh2yGRQ1_xmmQP7N2ChfZzXLySz_698XASsK7Xf_ofjlHA9o1apraItqnx/s1600/Dani3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0mn_nCtYQT3t3UNb3ITWJhZTAw8thyzQ_axMDhdylFuChlkIGHUu_v2V-_Zgu7pne4K5bE7Wv7hvpn70LvJh2yGRQ1_xmmQP7N2ChfZzXLySz_698XASsK7Xf_ofjlHA9o1apraItqnx/s320/Dani3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Watching whales with the theodolite, </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">from Abrolhos Archipelago.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The results were more than expected. In years
when there were more krill available, the whales fed more and had greater
energy stores. This allowed them to invest a longer period of time on
reproduction and more whales were seen in Abrolhos. The opposite was also true.
In years with less krill, fewer whales were seen in Abrolhos and their time at
Abrolhos was shortened. The water temperature didn't seem to have significant
influence on their migration, however it assisted in indicating the starting
moment for the migration – the migratory timing.</span></span></div>
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<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The most surprising result was related to the
photoperiod (length of daylight in a day). No other research had related the
migratory dynamics with photoperiod, perhaps because scientists thought it was
too obvious. But, sometimes, it's important to understand the obvious! The
photoperiod in Antarctica has a huge difference between summer (18 hours of
light) and winter (6 hours), while in Abrolhos, the difference from summer (13
h) and winter (11h) is far smaller.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, as my dissertation's conclusion, I
discovered that the humpback whale's migration starts and is influenced by the
sharp lowering of photoperiod when they are in Antarctica. When in Abrolhos,
migration is impacted by the sum of 3 factors: the photoperiod (which is more
steady than in Antarctica), the sea surface temperature (this slightly
increases gradually during the reproductive season) and krill availability
while in Antarctica.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It was difficult to analyze such a high volume
of data, linking different environmental parameters in order to answer all of
my research questions. With these results, we have started to understand
complex migratory dynamics and the importance of krill in the maintenance of
the humpback's population. </span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you want to know more about my Master's
dissertation, contact me via email at <a href="mailto:daniabras@gmail.com">daniabras@gmail.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The humpback whale population was almost
driven to extinction in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century from intensive
commercial hunting. Before commercial whaling, the estimated population was
around 25,000 individuals, but it dropped to about 800 individuals while at the
peak of whaling. After the whale-hunting moratorium in 1986, the population
recovered and is now around 15,000 individuals today! In 2015, h<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>umpback whales were officially removed from the endangered
species list in Brazil. This is a victory for the whales as well as for those
of us that have the privilege of watching them arrive annually, in bigger
numbers every time, performing their aquatic ballet. Go meet them! Between July
and November, they are concentrated on the Abrolhos region, but they can also
be seen from the states of Rio Grande do Norte state to Rio de Janeiro. </span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Want to know more about humpback whales? Visit
the Brazilian Humpback Whale Institute website: <a href="http://www.baleiajubarte.org.br/"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;">www.baleiajubarte.org.br</span></a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wESOxvI3ce3xKDv8qe-jQ7YCbNg6_7yupRjdSABqk5Y7x5lSLnwGc5D51viyt60Wnr8ckT9F6zkGQbPYOZkNNIX4ZiyDRC5I_Xg8bEmBGIGmkaf38kdX1HDkbp-PqPAEoAKGzgqwdBnd/s1600/Dani4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wESOxvI3ce3xKDv8qe-jQ7YCbNg6_7yupRjdSABqk5Y7x5lSLnwGc5D51viyt60Wnr8ckT9F6zkGQbPYOZkNNIX4ZiyDRC5I_Xg8bEmBGIGmkaf38kdX1HDkbp-PqPAEoAKGzgqwdBnd/s400/Dani4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Humpback whale jumping in Abrolhos region.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">-----------------</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Daniela Abras is from Belo Horizonte, has a
bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UFRJ, and has a Masters degree in
Oceanography from USP. She has loved cetaceans since she was 8 years old, when
she did a school project about them. When she was a teenager, she would say
that she wanted to work with whales, but was never taken seriously. In the
early 90s, she heard the famous National Geographic “Whale Songs” vinyl record
and discovered the “Save the whales” project. From all of this obstinacy, her
dream to study and protect whales came to life. She is now a researcher for the
Brazilian Humpback Whale Institute, dedicating herself daily to studying these
magnificent animals.</span></div>
Chat with Neptunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15199609766490240983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268527938290242072.post-78222176040758221202016-06-10T07:11:00.000-07:002016-06-10T07:13:57.510-07:00When to add children to the academic timeline?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By <a href="http://chatwithneptune.blogspot.com.br/p/in-love-with-ocean-and-animals-since.html">Jana M. del Favero</a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When starting a research project, it is necessary to establish a project timeline in which all of the activities to be carried out are mapped out to keep on schedule. My question, one I know other women ask as well, is where and how to fit a pregnancy in the academic timeline?</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-308e-e595-6789-f3452cb40d38" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">During undergrad, we're too young and have the whole world ahead of us; during a masters', time is short, we have approximately two years in which it is impossible to think of things other than classes and the thesis. Then comes the doctorate. We're more mature, some are already married, but we still only think of research and publications – we know that after the four years of the doctorate we'll face the competition for jobs or need to be able to engage in a postdoctoral position. Therefore, the best option would be to wait for all of that to end, and decide to get pregnant after getting hired, with some professional, financial, and personal stability guaranteed. That stability generally occurs when a woman is around 37 years old, though, long after her fertility peak (Figure 1).</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbjLtjpR35iQELSvqbJSIPNvlIIQog_s3bwZphTWCfA1ZpIZp9E41cFt6tIGQnB-D7vV36-KGz5XffBT9g1jdY_ZyOoLDpHFKJ6LtkGHeE5yMgIepeWftX2-A4eXB4jhGslWGDt-IOuqD/s1600/FertilidadeCarreira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbjLtjpR35iQELSvqbJSIPNvlIIQog_s3bwZphTWCfA1ZpIZp9E41cFt6tIGQnB-D7vV36-KGz5XffBT9g1jdY_ZyOoLDpHFKJ6LtkGHeE5yMgIepeWftX2-A4eXB4jhGslWGDt-IOuqD/s400/FertilidadeCarreira.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-9bd4-2c7f-aa11278036c6"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-9bd4-2c7f-aa11278036c6"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 1. The age at which a scientist builds her career occurs at the same time of peak fertility </span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-9bd4-2c7f-aa11278036c6">
</span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-9bd4-2c7f-aa11278036c6"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">(measured by the number of ovarian follicles). Source: Willians & Ceci (2012).</span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-9bd4-2c7f-aa11278036c6">
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although it is not difficult to name successful female researchers/professors with kids, the “graduate students that gave up their academic career after getting pregnant” scenario is far more common. As Figure 2 shows, the dropout percentage amongst post-doctorate researchers with no kids or plans to have kids is practically the same for both men and women. However, having a child after starting a post-doc doubles the dropout rate among women, but has no effect for men. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUQxFkzZnRT1smPboIPs-2bSHT-vEk0pS8G-71mugN3ny5iHV_kU1N3V4JRTXCMOdpcOXfJzisES8SLBkCPgNvVfthfSWNiO8xK-bDkp7RE_MOThj7A6FhL0w5Pqw-nRAB88W1q_EP63r/s1600/DesistenciaDoutorado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUQxFkzZnRT1smPboIPs-2bSHT-vEk0pS8G-71mugN3ny5iHV_kU1N3V4JRTXCMOdpcOXfJzisES8SLBkCPgNvVfthfSWNiO8xK-bDkp7RE_MOThj7A6FhL0w5Pqw-nRAB88W1q_EP63r/s400/DesistenciaDoutorado.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-f2a6-a94c-5633017d46ca"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-f2a6-a94c-5633017d46ca"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 2. Influence of children and plans to have children in the postdoctoral </span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309b-f2a6-a94c-5633017d46ca"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">careers </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.8; white-space: pre-wrap;">of men and women. Source: Williams & Ceci (2012).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Of course a child can alter a woman's life path, and also her academic productivity. Leslie (2007) shows that the more children a woman has, the less time she spends on professional activities (Figure 3). Shockingly (although the research dialog doesn't discuss reasons), the same study shows that the effect is reversed in men: more kids equals more working hours! I won't dare to go further in discussing causes for this difference, but I see two possibilities: a man sees it as more responsibility and, seeing himself as the family provider, works more (this is not necessarily his fault, the systemic tradition imposes and teaches women to take care of their home and men to provide for it); or they run from the domestic responsibilities for whatever reasons. A friend told me that when his child was a baby and required all mom's all attention and care, he would prefer to work late to avoid getting home before the baby was asleep, justifying himself by saying he was jealous of all the care his spouse had for the baby and felt he didn’t fit in his own home.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2kuKtXS6nm-nUMyilhz7BABpQ9cFSF5wIjUKspe1XVPMGzxw8r4-blVfKnfZICn2b5DPtcaJpV3BCXgqdlsjKhzxbDME71LU1-xzYTczOC5OsXY_OQcWGf0wEEeQUljSTmaWNK9mn71a/s1600/HorasTrabalhadas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2kuKtXS6nm-nUMyilhz7BABpQ9cFSF5wIjUKspe1XVPMGzxw8r4-blVfKnfZICn2b5DPtcaJpV3BCXgqdlsjKhzxbDME71LU1-xzYTczOC5OsXY_OQcWGf0wEEeQUljSTmaWNK9mn71a/s400/HorasTrabalhadas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-11d00957-309c-3976-0920-ef904cd7b73c"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Figure 3. The number of hours worked weekly for men and women compared
to the number of dependent children. Source: Leslie (2007).</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One way to enhance female representation in universities and to reduce the academic dropouts is to focus on the problems mothers face to take care of a family while studying and researching. Williams and Ceci (2012) made a list of strategies that could be adopted to minimize problems and help families. As an example: universities could offer quality childcare, offer maternity leave for the primary care giver, regardless of sex; they could also instruct selection committees how to ignore curriculum gaps that happened while one was using more time to take care of the family (as an example, the committee would understand why someone didn't publish for some time if that time was used to take care of a newborn), and so on. What is not on the study's list, and what I consider extremely important, is a structural change in people's minds. I heard once that, to be accepted in a certain lab in Spain, the professor in charge would ask women to sign a form, agreeing not to get pregnant during the doctoral program. It's painfully hard to believe many minds still work like that!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.8; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And back to Brazil, where are we? USP, one of the largest universities in Brazil, has a childcare center that is praised by the parents, but just got at least 117 spots suspended for lack of funds invested in them (</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 43.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">read more <a href="http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/educacao/2015/02/1586589-usp-suspende-ao-menos-117-vagas-em-creches-para-alunos-e-funcionarios.shtml">here</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.8; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.8; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not all funding agencies provide paid maternity leave for those with grants. Some progress can be seen, but many setbacks are still noticed. Even though some universities have adopted measures to help families' lives, a lot still need to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.8; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'll not be able to give an answer to the question I posed in the text's title here, mostly because I believe it's a personal decision and not just a cake recipe. Personally, I've been married for 3 years and will finish my PhD in the middle of 2016, with no intentions of expanding the family by then.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nonetheless, I will not end the post with this matter. The blog will have testimonials of “women who are warriors,” that managed to study and have children; “altruistic women,” that gave up their academic career to dedicate themselves fully to their family and feel good about it; “scrappy women,” that stepped out of the university for a while to take care of kids and suffered many obstacles to get back in. My testimonial of an “indecisive woman” you already have.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What about you, have something to share? We welcome you to comment or contact us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">References</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Goulden, M.; Frasch, K.; Mason, M. 2009. Staying competitive: Patching America’s leaky pipeline in the sciences. Center for American Progress,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/technology/report/2009/11/10/6979/staying-competitive/">https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/technology/report/2009/11/10/6979/staying-competitive/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Leslie, D.W. 2007. The reshaping of America’s academic workforce. Research Dialogue 87. <a href="https://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/pdf/institute/research/dialogue/87.pdf">https://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/pdf/institute/research/dialogue/87.pdf</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.8; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Willians, W.M.; Ceci, S.J. 2012. When Scientists Choose Motherhood. American Scientist, Volume 100. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 28.8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/when-scientists-choose-motherhood">http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/when-scientists-choose-motherhood</a></span></span></div>
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