Baltic Sea gas leaks
Sabotage is the most likely cause of leaks in two Baltic Sea gas pipelines between Russia and Europe , European leaders have said , after seismologists reported explosions around the Nord Stream pipelines . A seismograph on the Danish island of Bornholm , near where the leaks occurred , twice recorded spikes on the same day in September on which the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines reported dramatic falls in pressure . A Danish military flight over the leaks brought back striking images from the ruptures , including one showing an area of bubbling gas a kilometre wide on the sea ’ s surface .
Cave divers uncover skeleton
A prehistoric human skeleton has been discovered by divers in a Mexican cave system flooded at the end of the last ice age . Marine Archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the shattered skull and skeleton partly covered by sediment in a cave in an area where the Mexican government plans to build a high-speed tourist train through the jungle . Given the distance from the cave entrance , the skeleton could not have been positioned there without modern diving equipment , so it is possibly 8,000 years old , Mr del Rio said , referring to the era when rising sea levels flooded the caves .
Field notes from the Nursery Shark Trust MD Paul Cox reports on new research on tiger shark breeding and birthing zones , and its implications for future conservation
Perhaps not completely surprising but important nevertheless , a new study out this summer has shed new light on the movements and habits of tiger sharks . According to the authors of “ Age-Dependent Dispersal and Relatedness in Tiger Sharks ( Gelocerdo cuvier )”, both male and female tiger sharks repeatedly visit the same areas to reproduce . Meaning that , despite roaming vast tracks of the world ’ s ocean , these big predators are remarkable creatures of habit .
As what might be described as a ‘ dormant ’ scientist , when I saw this pop up in the news , I did what I ’ ve been taught to do and sought out the original scientific paper . And as a dormant scientist , reading it had the effect of making my brain hurt . Scientific writing is a complex code , honed over years , to describe a process with absolute precision . If you ’ re not used to reading it , you really have to focus . And keep starting again . Anyway , suffice to say , for such a ‘ simple ’ conclusion , the research team had to jump through a fair number of hoops . Comparing data from tracking with DNA analysis and systematically removing animals of different sizes and sexes to focus in on the important signals
in the data . It ’ s a complex picture but , if you make the effort , it ’ s an interesting set of conclusions .
Tagging studies in the past have provided evidence that females return to favoured pupping grounds over many cycles . But the pattern detected for males has been less clear . Why would they need to return ? It ’ s not like they play any role in the pups ’ early years . Or do they visit pupping grounds to snack on the young sharks ? Well , this latest study provides some clarity . The DNA data , once untangled , show both males and females “ returning to base ”, implying that these areas are not only places for birthing but also for meeting a mate . Why leave it to chance in the open ocean ? If you want to meet a mate , just pop into the nursery ! And so the circle of ( tiger shark ) life , rolls on .
The point in all of this , comes back to conservation . While this is all great to know , from the perspective of protecting the species it places particular importance on these areas . And on the ability of science , and scientists , to do the hard work of searching through the clues to find out what makes these incredible animals tick . www . sharktrust . org
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