thebeakerblog: Biologists have discovered a new species of...

thebeakerblog:

Biologists have discovered a new species of lanternshark (pictured above) off the Pacific coast of Central America. 

They’re calling it Etmopterus benchleyi after ‘Jaws’ author (and shark lover) Peter Benchley, but the common name is even more fun: “ninja lanternshark.”

The details of the discovery were published in the open access Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 

In an e-mail, study co-author Victoria Elena Vásquez says the common name was “decided upon by four children ages 8-14 years old.” The kids were relatives of Vásquez, and “shark enthusiasts,” according to the paper.

The ninja name refers to “the uniform black coloration and reduced photophore complement used as concealment in this species,” the authors of the paper write, “somewhat reminiscent of the typical outfit and stealthy behavior of a Japanese ninja.”

Read the full story:  Etmopterus benchleyi n. sp., a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the central eastern Pacific Ocean

(Image Credit: Dr. Douglas Long and D. Ross Robertson)

The ninja lantern shark. Scary looking.

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npr: skunkbear: Enjoying glazed squash, pumpkin pie, and...

Credit: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab


Credit: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab


Credit: Wikimedia


Credit: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

npr:

skunkbear:

Enjoying glazed squash, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce means enjoying the fruits of many bees’ labor. Much of what we eat is dependent on bees and other pollinators.

Something to keep in mind while chipping away at leftovers. -Emily

Save the bees!!!

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npr: This is a story about two people sharing one body. Maybe...

npr:

This is a story about two people sharing one body. Maybe even three people. Or four.

Back in the late 19th century, a German scientist named Georg Schmorl made a remarkable discovery: Cells from a baby can hide out in a mother’s body, after birth.

More than a hundred years later, scientists are just beginning to figure out what these cells are doing. And their findings may have implications for how cancer and autoimmune diseases affect women.

But the discovery also means something else. Something that’s a bit mind-boggling: You likely have cells from your older siblings in your body. And cells from your grandmother, maybe even your great-grandmother.

Fetal Cells May Protect Mom From Disease Long After The Baby’s Born

Illustration: Joseph Daniel Fiedler for NPR

Um, duh? Do you remember the last time your mom got sick?

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