It’s the first Friday Smorgasbord of the Fall and we’ve got a few quirky ones for you today. We start our journey across our solar system on Pluto and work our way back to Earth where we explore Glocks and lionfish, robotic sailboats and a giant tuna in a UK river…enjoy!
Salt water on Pluto?
A new study suggests salty oceans may be hiding underneath the frozen surface of Pluto under the iconic “heart” we fallen in love with of late. According to a flyby of the dwarf planet, Pluto’s icy “heart” may have a massive oceans underneath, a surprising conclusion given the dwarf planet’s distance to the Sun.
[via Nature World News]
An interesting way to control lionfish
For those of you bored with spears or electrical charges or robots in getting rid of the invasive lionfish, might appreciate using a 9mm Glock pistol to eliminate the pests. Some might think this is way cool, others might not, but either way its pretty interesting to see a gun operate under water.
Robotic sailboats on a 3-hour tour?
A small company called Saildrone is betting big on autonomous sailboats to monitor our oceans. The company is using these robotic boats to collect data that would be difficult with human-controlled vessels. According to this New York Times story, the company is currently monitoring fish in the Bering Sea and even monitoring the seals that feed on the fish by tracking transponders that scientists have attached to the heads of the seals.
[via New York Times]
Giant Tuna washes up in UK river
Some British paddler boarders were given quite a surprise when the came across a 7 ft. tuna that washed up in the River Severn at Minsterworth, Gloucestershire. Needless to say, the fish is usually found far away in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
