Diving Do's, Vicious Volcanoes, Spacey Salinity, and Fiesty Fish.

Science makes the world go round.
Well. I mean, so do cookies, but whatever.


So. Diving.
There are definitely loads of risks that come with this glorious pastime, and one of those is decompression sickness.
This occurs when a diver ascends too quickly, and his/her nitrogen levels get out of whack.
Scientists at the United States Naval Medical Research Center have suggested new ways of preventing this, making diving less dangerous and/or uncomfortable.

http://news.yahoo.com/usc-dornsife-scientific-diving-methods-avoid-decompression-sickness-104200994.html;_ylt=AqsSMSWjEKhuo7ptyxJHiz8PLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0bjI1bzRrBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzU5Y2U4ZTViLWZiNDUtMzQ2My04OGFhLTVkY2VmOWIxYzAzYwRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDNTQ3ZjNlZjEtYjRkMy0xMWUxLTliNmUtZDY5ZmU4YmI2OWM2;_ylg=X3oDMTFsMmxkdGs2BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Also, I found an awesome article about decompression sickness as far as genetics go! Check it out!

http://azchipka.thechipkahouse.com/archives/5435




Whoa. Something besides humans is depleting the ozone layer surrounding our planet.
Active volcanoes in Nicaragua and other parts of Central America have (over the course of 70,000 years) been releasing the elements Bromine and Chlorine into the atmosphere.
Bad.
Scientists have been able to predict (based on data collected in Nicaragua) that a large enough eruption could double or triple the levels of these harmful chemical elements in the stratosphere, eating away at our precious ozone; this thinning effect can happen over vast areas, not just Central America.
Let's get one thing straight: the ozone layer is one thing in modern culture that we don't want to see skinny.



The Apoyo Caldera, Nicaragua.



Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua.

http://news.yahoo.com/large-eruptions-could-eat-away-ozone-layer-213225568.html;_ylt=AlHfsFGrmOO2Ept2aQVD.GMPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0MnFrN3Y5BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzcwODdmZWQyLTJhMDItMzdmOS04MzNlLWQ0MTZmYzhiNDU5NgRwb3MDMTQEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMzA4YjI4MjEtYjRkNy0xMWUxLWJjZmItMWU4Y2U1NDM4YjI0;_ylg=X3oDMTFsMmxkdGs2BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3




Did you know that the salinity of the ocean could be measured from space?
Well, neither did I.
Impressive.
Launched on June 10, 2011, the Aquarius instrument is aboard a satellite, sending information on the ocean's salinity back to scientists from week to week.
Said information is useful in many ways, such as determination of environmental factors.
Among these are global water cycle and circulation. Heavy stuff.
Of course the mission is being run by NASA, and as it progresses, the data sent back will hopefully become more precise and accurate.

Scientists clean Aquarius from the back.

A salinity report from Aquarius.

http://news.yahoo.com/oceans-salt-measured-space-213222125.html;_ylt=AgaLHqUiOcTjbEnWBZD4_G4PLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0ZHFiOTUxBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzc1YWE2ZGQ0LThiZWYtM2RkMi1iNmYwLWUxNTgyZmI3YzNlYQRwb3MDMTUEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMzA4MjI3NzEtYjRkNy0xMWUxLWJlZTktY2YxZTdjZWMxN2E5;_ylg=X3oDMTFsMmxkdGs2BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3




Parrotfish? Haven't they got impressive beaks?
Why yes. Yes they have. They also have impressive foreheads.
...Foreheads used for domination and awesomeness.
A typical day for a Bumphead parrotfish:
Swimmin' swimmin' swimmin' WHOA. You gon' get up in my grill??? Okay, sucker-fool, taste my hard-headed wrath!!!
That is correct, my friends. The Bumphead parrotfish tend to...bump heads with each other on certain issues.
Issues such as...which of us shall have that pleasing female? or, I'm such a hoss...I will own you.

The head-butting behavior was discovered in 2011, though I myself am surprised people didn't think of this before. My first impression of these guys was, "Whoa. Check out the scars on those ba-dasses." It seems marks like these have given conclusive evidence of such behaviors in many other animals. Ah, well. They can't all be as boss-like as moi.



D'awwww. Lil' four-foot niblet of adorableness.



This photo is a bit blurry, but you can see two male Bumphead parrotfish hittin' it off like old nemeses.


http://news.yahoo.com/violent-head-butting-discovered-giant-reef-fish-191818273.html;_ylt=AjRw3RME.jeh_8PTQYs7WqsPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0bnRlc3RlBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnA2QwOTQ0NjQzLTRiM2UtMzg5MS1hYjRmLTkyMWRmZDRiZGEzYgRwb3MDMTgEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMDllYTkwZjEtYjRjNS0xMWUxLWJmYjYtMWEwNjNmOGI5MGY0;_ylg=X3oDMTFsMmxkdGs2BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Fish are awesome. That's that.