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☆ A luxury Viking cruise ship helped scientists encounter the rarely-seen giant phantom jellyfish
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The submersible rides were part of a Viking Expedition trip. Hopping in one right from Viking's cruise ship makes things a little easier. AdvertisementSix passengers can ride in Viking Expedition submersibles and witness Antarctica from under the water. An expedition ship built for luxury and discoveryViking Expedition cruises to Antarctica typically have nine scientists aboard doing research and instructing passengers. Stanwell-Smit said this capability is cutting-edge for any research vessel, not a cruise ship.

Persons: —, Antony Gilbert, Damon Stanwell, Smith, Viking's, Octantis, Viking Expedition submersibles, Gavin Newman, Alastair Miller, Smit Organizations: Service, Viking Expedition, Business, Geographic, Viking, Polar Research, Polaris Locations: Viking, Antarctica

☆ Are we in the Anthropocene Epoch? Not so fast, geologists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Scientists have voted against a proposal to declare a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene to reflect how profoundly human activity has altered the planet. The vote followed a 15-year process to select a geological site that best captures humanity’s impact on the planet. Some experts argued that the start of the Anthropocene could be better defined in other ways, such as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. “This is the commission’s expert group for this interval of geological time and we are bound by its decision. Regardless of whether the term is officially classified as a geological epoch, Anthropocene is already widely in use, Cohen noted.

Persons: Kim Cohen, ”, Cohen, Phil Gibbard, eon, Colin Waters, Waters, …, David Harper, ” Harper, hadn’t, “ Organizations: CNN —, International Union of Geological Sciences, CNN Tuesday, geosciences, Utrecht University, Scott Polar Research, University of Cambridge, Geologists, University of Leicester, Durham University, International, of Locations: Ontario, Netherlands, United Kingdom

The agency knew officials in Scotland had named snowplows for years and decided a similar effort in Minnesota might draw attention to their winter work, Meyer said. The response in the first year of the contest was overwhelming, with about 24,000 submissions and 122,000 votes cast. “There's a natural infatuation with (snowplows),” said Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. Minnesota plans to keep its contest going in coming years and Meyer noted each plow keeps its name, which is displayed along the side of the vehicle. “We've got 800 snowplows statewide for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, so we have a lot of snowplows to name,” Meyer said.

Persons: Darth Blader, ”, Anne Meyer, Meyer, Plowy McPlowFace, Dogg, Han Snolo, Salt Fitzgerald, Paul, Scott Fitzgerald, Prince, Sleetwood Mac, Snow, Billy, Kid, “, Kristine Bustos, Erika Hill, Sir David Attenborough, We've, ” Meyer Organizations: Minnesota Department of Transportation, New, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Lincoln's Transportation, Utilities Locations: Minnesota, Scotland, Alaska, California, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Mexico, ” Lincoln , Nebraska, British

LONDON (AP) — Britain's polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world — a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday. It began drifting in recent months, and has now moved into the Southern Ocean, helped by wind and ocean currents. Scientists say it is now likely to be swept along into “iceberg alley” — a common route for icebergs to float toward the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process," she said. The British Antarctic Survey said its findings will help improve understanding of how climate change is affecting the Southern Ocean and the organisms that live there.

Persons: Sir David Attenborough, London —, ”, Andrew Meijers, “, A23a hasn’t, berg, Laura Taylor Organizations: British Antarctic Survey Locations: Antarctica, New York City, London, Weddell, South Georgia, British

☆ Chinstrap penguins take thousands of 4-second naps a day so they can stay alert and guard their newborns around-the-clock, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Christina Larson | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinstrap penguins take catnaps instead sleeping for a long period of time, researchers found. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. Chinstrap penguins, named for the thin line of black facial feathers resembling a chinstrap, usually lay their eggs in pebble nests in November. For the first time, the scientists tracked the sleeping behavior of chinstrap penguins in an Antarctic breeding colony by attaching sensors that measure brain waves. "For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure," he said.

Persons: —, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, Chinstrap, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: Service, WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. These short “microsleeps,” totaling around 11 hours per day, appear to be enough to keep the parents going for weeks. “For these penguins, microsleeps have some restorative functions — if not, they could not endure,” he said.

Persons: —, ”, Niels Rattenborg, Max Planck, “, King, King George Island, Won Young Lee, Paul, Antoine Libourel, Daniel Paranhos Zitterbart Organizations: WASHINGTON, Max, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Korean Polar Research, Neuroscience Research, of Lyon, “ Penguins, Oceanographic, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Germany, King George, Antarctica, France, Massachusetts

☆ Extreme sleep behavior documented in cute Antarctic chinstrap penguins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Guarding their nests is serious business for these medium-sized penguins, with predatory seabirds called brown skuas on the prowl. But this species, scientists said on Thursday, has devised an ingenious way of getting sufficient sleep without compromising vigilance. The researchers documented extreme sleep behavior in these flightless birds. "Penguins do not display any obvious negative consequence of sleep fragmentation," Libourel said. During incubation, skuas prey on penguin eggs, particularly on a colony's periphery.

Persons: chinstraps, ecophysiologist Paul, Antoine Libourel, Won Young Lee, George Island, Libourel, Lee, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Lyon Neuroscience Research, Korea Polar Research, GPS, Penguins, Thomson Locations: Lyon, France, Korea, Incheon, Washington

☆ Travel news: Underwater metro routes and marine discoveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. CNN —Incredible Italian home makeovers, jaw-dropping marine discoveries and ritzy new trains in Scotland and Taiwan: We’ve got all this and more in our latest roundup of news and features from CNN Travel. Massachusetts couple Doug and Leah Johnson renovated a 14th-century apartment in the town of Vasanello in Lazio that they bought for less than $14,000. Life on the railsAustralia and India are celebrating milestones in underwater travel. And on April 12, Kolkata’s new underwater metro route completed its maiden run, ahead of opening to the public in November.

CNN —China is making “significant progress” building the country’s fifth research facility in Antarctica after a several years-long lull in construction, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The site – a research station China has hailed as a means to expand its scientific investigation in the Antarctic – could also be used to enhance the country’s intelligence collection, according to CSIS. In February 2020, a team of US inspectors visited the station, where they were hosted by station leader Wang Zhechao of the Polar Research Institute of China. China has established four scientific research bases in Antarctica since 1984, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the 1959 treaty Antarctic Treaty, to which China is party, activities on the continent are restricted to “peaceful purposes.”Military personnel are allowed to conduct scientific research, but may not set up bases, test weapons of carry out maneuvers.

☆ Fact Check-Images purporting to show ancient alien artifacts unearthed during World War Two are AI-generated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Images created through AI of ancient alien artifacts alongside Nazi soldiers have been shared online, with some claiming they show secret discoveries in Antarctica or Egypt. Similar posts were shared on Facebook (here) and (here). The images, however, can be traced back to the Instagram page of Infinite Odyssey, an online magazine that claims to be “the first fully A.I. The post sharing the images carries a disclaimer that reads “WRITTEN BY A.I. Images purporting to show ancient alien artifacts were generated through AI.

☆ 5 of the wildest experiments tardigrades have survived in the name of science
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Water bears can go years without food or water and endure extreme radiation and temperatures. When the water bears returned to Earth, the scientists discovered that 68% survived. A thawed tardigrade survived being frozen for 3 decadesIn 2016, scientists at Japan's National Institute of Polar Research examined tardigrades retrieved from a frozen moss sample collected in Antarctica in 1983. Still, in a 2020 study, researchers found that long-term exposure to high temperatures, even in their hibernated state, can kill tardigrades in only a day. Tardigrades survived being shot out of a high-speed gunSome scientists believe that tardigrades may be capable of spreading life to different planets.

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