It is a three day weekend here in the States as we get set for Labor Day weekend and here are a handful of fun Friday Smorgasbord tidbits to start off your weekend. Russian biologist and photographer Alexander Semenov has captured some stunning underwater images and this series of the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) are no exception. You can see the entire series on Semenov’s photostream for more wonderful images.
[via io9]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPh533ht5AU[/youtube]
Being in a wheelchair limits some things people can do but it didn’t limit one woman’s imagination. Sue Austin, who has used a wheelchair since 1996, unveiled the world’s first self-propelled underwater wheelchair. Austin has been interested in scuba since 2005 and teamed with researchers and dive experts to create the chair that is powered by two dive propulsion vehicles and steered with a bespoke fin and foot-operated acrylic strip. She has created a series of artistic videos to showcase the chair through underwater performances called “Creating the Spectacle!” Enjoy!
[via The Post Game]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLCk9dEwct0[/youtube]
We always get suckered in with videos of sharks doing what sharks do and this one grabbed us. This video showcases a shark eating a seal near Monomoy off of Cape Cod. The great white shark was caught taking a snack of a seal just 15 feet off the shoreline from his 35 foot boat. Amazing!
We have research behind the source of the ocean’s, ummm, how can we say this? The ocean’s “gas” problem. Yup, scientists have discovered what causes ocean farts or methane gas sources released by the seas. Seems like the discovery was made accidentally when researchers were looking for new antibiotics by examining phosphonates. Long story short, they found that when Nitrosopumilus maritimus (one of the most abundant organisms on the planet that thrives in the ocean) dies, other marine microbes do their thing eating the microbe with one byproduct of it all being methane. For all the details, check out the complete story.
[via TG Daily]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLP8aKqhhrI[/youtube]
In memory of the seal that turned into shark food above, we wanted to share this touching video of a diver interacting with a seal off the Northumberland coast of England. The friendly grey seal likes the diver Ben Burville so much, he holds his hands and gives a squeeze. The front flippers of the seal can grasp much like a human hand.
