Giant Jellyfish invasion video from GOODmagazine

This cool video came up after watching a cool drinking water video from GOODmagazine. Just imagine all the possible uses for jellyfish mucus. I have a blender!

Arctic Ocean Jellyfish

Here are some cool new photos from the Arctic Ocean on the BBC link below.

BBC Photos of Arctic Jellyfish http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8231000/8231553.stm

Scientists photograph jellyfish deep in Arctic Ocean.

http://aprn.org/2009/09/03/jellyfish-photographed-in-arctic-ocean/

Scientists have published photos of jellyfish found deep in the Arctic Ocean. During a series of dives, using remotely operated vehicles in 2002 and again in 2005, the animals were filmed, and now the photos have been published in the Journal of Deep Sea Research. The research took place in an area known as the Canadian Basin, just north of Point Barrow, which is an undersea trench cut off by deep ridges.

Ellen Lockyer, APRN – Anchorage

Now a Jellyfish Robot

This is pretty cool. a jellyfish robot. http://www.physorg.com/news165234976.html

Jellyfish Robot Swims Like its Biological Counterpart June 26th, 2009 By Lisa Zyga

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Jellyfish are one of the most awesome marine animals, doing a spectacular and psychedelic dance in water," explain engineers Sung-Weon Yeom and Il-Kwon Oh from Chonnam National University in the Republic of Korea. Recently, Yeom and Oh have built a jellyfish robot that imitates the curved shape and unique locomotive behavior of the living jellyfish.

A future where oceans dominated by Jellyfish instead of fish???

Between climate change, overfishing and pollution we are making conditions right for jellyfish to rule the sea. The follow article describes how human activities are creating an ocean where jellyfish can dominate.

http://www.csiro.au/news/Jellyfish-a-threat-to-the-oceans.html

‘Jellyfish joyride’ a threat to the oceans
Reference: 09/96
Early action could be crucial to addressing the problem of major increases in jellyfish numbers, which appears to be the result of human activities.
8 June 2009

New research led by CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship and University of Queensland scientist, Dr Anthony Richardson, presents convincing evidence that this ’jellyfish joyride’ is associated with over-fishing and excess nutrients from fertilisers and sewage.

“Dense jellyfish aggregations can be a natural feature of healthy ocean ecosystems, but a clear picture is now emerging of more severe and frequent jellyfish outbreaks worldwide,” Dr Richardson says.

“In recent years, jellyfish blooms have been recorded in the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Black and Caspian Seas, the Northeast US coast, and particularly in Far East coastal waters.
“Mounting evidence suggests that open-ocean ecosystems can flip from being dominated by fish, to being dominated by jellyfish,” Dr Richardson says.

“The most dramatic have been the outbreaks in the Sea of Japan involving the gargantuan Nomura jellyfish which can grow up to 2 m in diameter and weigh 200 kg.”

The new research, by Dr Richardson and colleagues at the University of Miami, Swansea University and the University of the Western Cape, has been published in the international journal; Trends in Ecology and Evolution, in time for World Oceans Day on 8 June.

“Fish normally keep jellyfish in check through competition and predation but overfishing can destroy that balance,” Dr Richardson says. “For example, off Namibia intense fishing has decimated sardine stocks and jellyfish have replaced them as the dominant species.”

Climate change may favour some jellyfish species by increasing the availability of flagellates in surface waters – a key jellyfish food source. Warmer oceans could also extend the distribution of many jellyfish species.

“Mounting evidence suggests that open-ocean ecosystems can flip from being dominated by fish, to being dominated by jellyfish,” Dr Richardson says “This would have lasting ecological, economic and social consequences.

“We need to start managing the marine environment in a holistic and precautionary way to prevent more examples of what could be termed a ‘jellyfish joyride’.”

National Research Flagships

CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia’s major research challenges and opportunities. The nine Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community to deliver impact and benefits for Australia.

Download images at: 'Jellyfish joyride' a threat to the oceans.

Read more media releases in our Media section.
References

Anthony J. Richardson, Andrew Bakun, Graeme C. Hays and Mark J. Gibbons. Trends in Ecology & Evolution Volume 24, Issue 6, June 2009, Pages 312-322: The jellyfish joyride: causes, consequences and management responses to a more gelatinous future. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Jellyfish Husbandry

Hmm, I never knew there was such a thing. Just when I was despairing that there wasn't anything going on in the world of jellyfish, my cousin did this Twit

New occupation? @Frauenfelder: Alex Andon teaches jellyfish husbandry at Maker Faire. #mf09 http://yfrog.com/5i8uoj

Soooo, I started looking into Jellyfish Husbandry. this is what I found so far

• a how-to site http://jellieszone.com/captivejellies.htm
• a talk http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/2478
• a book http://www.amazon.com/How-Keep-Jellyfish-Aquariums-Introductory/dp/160494126X
• an internship http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/internships/2009_internships/intern_cieciel.htm
  

Jellyfish (and Fireflies too) are Helping Find the Cause of Infertility

Scientist are using illuminating genes from jellyfish and fireflies to light up cells that are producing prolactin.

Here is the Eurekalert Press Release from the University of Edinburgh...



photo:marrr Flickr

Contact: Tara Womersley
tara.womersley@ed.ac.uk
44-131-650-9836
University of Edinburgh

Fireflies and jellyfish help illuminate quest for cause of infertility

Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans

Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans.

Scientists are using the luminescent and florescent genes to illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The technique will help scientists track the production of the hormone prolactin, which is crucial in ensuring supplies of breast milk in nursing mothers but can be overproduced by some pituitary tumours, causing infertility.

Prolactin has been linked to more than 300 biological functions. It is believed to play a role in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in the inflammation of cells and tissues.

Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool harnessed firefly and jellyfish genes, which enable these creatures to emit light, and used them to create a chemical reaction to light up cells expressing prolactin in rats.

The technique means that scientists can identify when and where prolactin is expressed to look at how the hormone works in real time.

Sabrina Semprini, whose study is published in the journal Molecular Endocrinology, said: "The lighting up of cells expressing this hormone will help us to understand its role within the body and could help research looking for treatments for conditions in which prolactin is involved."

The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, identified cells producing prolactin throughout the body. This included the pituitary gland, the thymus – an organ in the chest which helps protect against autoimmunity – the spleen and inflammatory cells in the abdominal cavity.

Alien Stingers

http://www.alienstingers.com

The New York Aquarium has an exhibit and website on Alien Stingers (cnidarians) including jellyfish. There is information about other cool creatures like corals and anenomes. Much of the scientific information is presented at the 7th grade level so it is a little tricky for grade-schoolers but still very cool.

*photo from http://www.alienstingers.com/stingerjellies

Jellyfish save the world from global warming

*Okay I really enjoy making headlines that are slightly deceptive and exaggerate. I am inspired by Science Insider.

There is a new household wind turbine named the Jellyfish Wind Appliance. It looks great. It is affordable and plugs right into a normal socket. Below is the information and website. Very cool stuff that could make saving the world cheaper and easier.

http://www.clariantechnologies.com/main/page_plugin_wind_power.html

The Jellyfish Wind Appliance is a new class of wind turbine that is affordable, quiet, reliable and safe, and that anyone can install.

While wind power is one of the more cost effective sources of renewable energy available, few of the systems available today are either practical or affordable - turn-key systems cost thousands of dollars and are difficult to install. As a result, they lack scale, there's no killer energy app out there - until now.

By developing an affordable wind appliance that is quiet, reliable, safe and that anyone can install, Clarian hopes to enable renewable energy generation of unprecedented scale - similar to the way the PC revolutionized the computing industry. Imagine a Jellyfish Wind Appliance for every household!

Jellyfish Find the Fountain of Youth

Not only are Jellyfish taking over the world but they are immortal too. They actually can age backwards. How cool is that? Here is the link to the article in National Geographic...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090130-immortal-jellyfish-swarm.html

Jelly Fish Take Over the World

Okay, maybe they haven't quite taken over the world but the do have quite an impact. Here is an awesome special report by the National Science Foundation.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/jellyfish/