Author: Hannah

Recently published in a journal, Scientists have finally declared the the tiny shark a species after years of one being found. The first pocket shark, a female was discovered in 1972 in the pacific ocean but no other shark resembling her had been found until 2010.  The shark’s length is a mere 5.5 inches long however it’s not called a pocket shark because they can fit in your pocket but because the species has a “pocket” like pouch, containing a glowing fluid, near its back fins. The shark also has a large bulbous head that resembles a sperm whale. Only two of its kind have been found, one male, and one female. The two sharks are not the same species, they have some small differences in features The author of the article, “Adorable Shark Fits in Your Hand, Looks Like a Mini Sperm Whale” had this to say on the differences, “It has different teeth, 10 fewer vertebrae, a pit organ on its jaw and light-producing organs distributed on its stomach and back, the scientists wrote”( Weisberger ).  The new species recently discovered is the american pocket shark. 

Mollisquama mississippiensis has been found the gulf of Mexico which has lead scientists to develop a curiosity as to what other species lurk in the deep depths of the unexplored gulf. (Weisberger)

The American pocket shark was discovered by accident in February by ship (NOAA Pisces) studying sperm whales in the gulf of mexico. (Bronston) 

Not much is known about the life of the pocket shark which raises many questions about the species. It can be assumed that shark lives in the dark because of the presents of luminous pores all over its body. And maybe similar to the sperm whale the American pocket shark can dive very deep for long periods of time. 

By Hannah Mayes

Figure 1. A picture of the gulf of mexico at sunset. “Twilight Time at the Gulf” by Charles Patrick Ewing ,https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/c1903543-e2ab-4c73-be4a-1cd140c48ef2 

 

Work Cited 

Bronston, Barri.“Researchers identify new species of pocket shark”.Tulane University.July 18, 2019.https://news.tulane.edu/pr/researchers-identify-new-species-pocket-shark. 

Weisberger, Mindy.“Adorable Shark Fits in Your Hand, Looks Like a Mini Sperm Whale”.Livescience. July 22, 2019. https://www.livescience.com/65989-american-pocket-shark-new-species.html.

Patrick Ewing,Charles. “Twilight Time at the Gulf” ,https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/c1903543-e2ab-4c73-be4a-1cd140c48ef2

Hannah Mayes

In a recent news article titled, “Massive fangs and a death crush: How a 370 million year old tetrapod hunted and killed” from the University of Lincoln; scientists put together the fossil of a newly rediscovered species of extinct tetrapod,  Parmastega aelidae. Russian Paleontologists were exhilarated to find a new clue into evolution’s past. Before this discovery little was known about tetrapods during this time, 370 million years ago. This species was described to have several unique features which included large fangs, eyes on the top of it’s head and cartilage shoulders, which likely means they never left the swamps (Massive). In the article the author peers into Paramastega aelidae’s past using biological clues as to how the animal lived.  “The unusual combination of anatomical features has cast new light on how one of most distant ancestors hunted and its life-style. Researchers believe it would have used its slender needle-like teeth and elastic jaw to snatch prey before crushing it to death with massive fangs protruding from its palate” (Massive). This tetrapod made an excellent hunter who spent most of its time in water feeding off large insects that lived by the waters edge. The scientists also observed it lived and hunted in groups. Dr. Marcello Ruta, a scientist from Lincoln said, “These fossils give us the earliest detailed glimpse of a tetrapod: an aquatic, surface-skimming predator, just over a metre in length, living in a lagoon on a tropical coastal plain.” (qtd. Massive). These findings are important because early tetrapods show us the step species made from fish to land mamalis in our past.

 

 In another article written about the discovery of the tetrapod; Two researchers from the Natural History museum in berlin, Nadia Fröbish and Florian Witzman, had this to say about the looks of Paramastega Aelidae, “Given their eye shape and position, these tetrapods would have been most comparable to modern mudskippers”(Newly). However, the writer of this article points out that mudskippers use their eyes for looking out for predators and not hunting like this species would. From the fossil evidence this devonian period tetrapod and the looks of a crocodile crossed with a mudskipper and was filled with a goldmine of information about evaloution’s past. 

 

The article I chose “Massive fangs and a death crush: How a 370 million year old tetrapod hunted and killed” by Lincoln University, reliable and informative, and I was able to back up the information with another article “Newly discovered strange ‘grinning’ crocodile-like creature lived 372 million years ago” by CNN. This topic  relates to what we have learned in class about the Fossil record and Comparative anatomy. As we know the Fossil record is physical proof of species that have existed in the past, which is how Paramestga aelida was discovered by paleontologists, and Comparative anatomy is the body structures of species around the world. In my article  Paramestga aelida was compared to crocodiles and mudskippers and its anatomy was the main focus of the news. And finally, I want to retouch on how important this when studying evolution. Paleontologists study the remains of ancient life on earth that helps us understand how and why life is now on earth.

Figure 1. The Carouselambra Kid, “Another Tetrapod!” , Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

 

Work Cited 

 

“Another Tetrapod!” by The Carouselambra Kid is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/6f023268-a104-4738-a530-b68aeb0e703c 

 

“Newly Discovered Strange ‘Grinning’ Crocodile-Like Creature Lived 372 Million Years Ago.” CNN Wire, 23 Oct. 2019, p. NA. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link-gale-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A603585792/AONE?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=AONE&xid=09a66142. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.

 

University of Lincoln. “Massive Fangs and a Death Crush: How a 370 Million Year Old Tetrapod Hunted and Killed.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 October 2019 <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024105825.htm>.

 

 

PAUL STAMETS BY HANNAH MAYES

Fig. 1. “File:Paul Stamets with Agarikon.jpg” by Howcheng https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/3428eee3-5631-476d-b925-b98d6962414e 

After reading from several articles I found “return of the fungi” by Andy isaacc illustrated stamets the best for my research. Paul staemts faced hardships and insecurities his whole childhood and so he did not think his life was going anywhere. He had a troublesome stutter and so he felt alienated among his peers.  On one fateful night stamets ingested psychedelic mushrooms, the next morning after along drug induced night he discovered he had conquered his speech impediment. Because of this experience he developed a fascination with fungi and the possible benefits. Paul first went to college but dropped out for work, He eventually graduated from  evergreen state college where he studied Biology and electron microscopy. When he could not enter grad school He started his own fungi based company, ‘Fungi Perfecti’; a company that prides itself on maintaining and selling edible and medicinal mushrooms. (Isaacc)

Paul now can be found roaming the forest floors of the Pacific northwest with his with dusty, searching for mushrooms he can use in his research. Most recently he has received attention for his work in fighting to save the bees by using red reishi and amadou which are species of a wood conk mushroom. The mushrooms help because they have a resistance against a virus that has been wiping out bee populations across the county. ( Stamets) 

Other notable things in his work include his research of agarikon which has been proven resistant to smallpox, bird flu, and Tuberculosis. He also discovered that a part of the oyster mushroom can be used to turn waste from oil spills or farmer run off into stable soil (Isaacc). Paul Stamets is a unique and special scientist because he proves that anyone can start off from nothing and become somebody who can make themselves proud.

 Works Citations 

Isaacson, Andy. “Return of the fungi: Paul Stamets is on a quest to find an endangered mushroom that could cure smallpox, TB, and even bird flu. Can he unlock its secrets before deforestation and climate change wipe it out?” Mother Jones, Nov.-Dec. 2009, p. 70+. Gale In Context: College, https://link-gale-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A210919980/CSIC?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=CSIC&xid=bf9fd728. Accessed 28 Sept. 2019.

 

Stamets, Paul. “Saving Bees With Mushrooms.” New York Times, 30 Dec. 2018, p. 4(L). Gale In Context: College, https://link-gale-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A567692441/CSIC?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=CSIC&xid=5928b950. Accessed 28 Sept. 2019.

“File:Paul Stamets with Agarikon.jpg” by Howcheng is licensed under CC BY 3.0

hey world.