It has been far too long between posting our last Friday Smorgasbord and since summer is nearly over and we are all back to the normal grind, it made sense to dust off the typewriter and craft a new smorgasbord post. Here are a few snippets from around the world to entertain, inform and inspire. First off is a study from Fiji that proved corals and fish use smell as a major factor when deciding where to call home. When coral larvae is looking for a place to settle, they can actually can smell the difference of a healthy reef to the damaged one thanks to the chemical cues from the damaged reef. But coral is not the only ones affected. Fish can also detect this chemical signature of a reef in decline and use this select a new home in better condition.
[via Tech Times]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx_X6hmhwrs
Dogs are usually known as man’s best friend but this video shows one dog that is looking to help out its scaled friends. This intriguing video shows a canine trying to scoop water onto fish in what appears to be a way to keep them alive.
Researchers from the University of Houston and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign has created an artificial skin inspired by octopuses. The skin can sense when light is being shined on part of it and change its color accordingly. Right now the sheet can go from black to white, depending on where the light is pointed and holds some promise for the future
Drones are providing plenty of cool video, but before we get entirely sick of these flying machines and potential privacy issues they bring, let’s enjoy some aerial footage. Here is a drone cam of a few whales in the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts.
Finally, here is a bit of a longer video that explored 10 facts (you may or may not know) about the oceans.
