{"id":3679,"date":"2010-06-28T17:41:48","date_gmt":"2010-06-28T21:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=3679"},"modified":"2010-06-28T17:41:48","modified_gmt":"2010-06-28T21:41:48","slug":"from-the-community-genetically-altered-salmon-microbes-on-dogs-paws-and-anchovy-roulette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2010\/06\/28\/from-the-community-genetically-altered-salmon-microbes-on-dogs-paws-and-anchovy-roulette\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Community: genetically altered salmon, microbes on dogs\u2019 paws and anchovy roulette"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Genetically altered animals come closer to approval, global climate change extends the time space junk orbits the Earth, researchers develop a method to identify and analyze whale vocalizations, artists shape messages about the planet\u2019s health and female mollies prefer a more mustachioed mate. Here are highlights in ecology from the last week in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

Genetically altered salmon:<\/strong> Genetically modified salmon\u2014Atlantic salmon containing a growth hormone from Chinook salmon and a genetic \u201con-switch\u201d from the pout\u2014is being officially reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. If the double-sized salmon is approved for the market, it could clear the path for other modified animals. According to The New York Times<\/em>, \u201cnext in line behind the salmon for possible approval would probably be the \u2018enviropig,\u2019 developed at a Canadian university, which has less phosphorus pollution in its manure.\u201d Read more<\/a> at \u201cGenetically Altered Salmon Get Closer to the Table.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dogs and microbes: <\/strong>Microbes appear to be responsible for a faint popcorn or corn chip smell associated with some dogs\u2019 paws, said a writer on the Mental Floss<\/em> blog. Matt Soniak explains that the presence of yeast or the bacterium Proteus<\/em>, which are both known for their sweet, corn tortilla smell, or the bacterium Pseudomonas <\/em>could be living and breeding in the folds of the paws and causing an odor. <\/em>Read more<\/a> <\/em>at \u201cWhy Do Your Dog\u2019s Feet Smell Like Popcorn?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Space junk: <\/strong>Scientists have added space junk\u2014debris like broken satellites or parts from a rocket in the Earth\u2019s orbit\u2014to the list of concerns associated with global climate change. Researchers from the University of Southampton in the U.K. found that the atmosphere is reducing in density by 5% every decade at an altitude of 300 kilometers, causing the debris to stay in orbit longer. Read more<\/a> at \u201cClimate change is leaving us with extra space junk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sperm whale communication:<\/strong> Biologists have developed a new technique for deciphering the calls of sperm whales, leading to new discoveries about their vocalization and communication. As the researchers described in the journal Marine Mammal Science<\/em>, <\/em>subtle variations in the sperm whale vocalizations, caused by differences in the shape of individual whales\u2019 heads, were linked to specific individuals. Read more<\/a> at \u201cSperm Whale Voices Are Personal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anchovy roulette: <\/strong>Artists are showcasing microbes, locusts\u2019 shells and anchovies in an exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. In a New Scientist<\/em> gallery, six of the artists explain their statements about the health of the planet. In the installment Roulette<\/em>, Tracy Henenberger explains the wheel of bamboo and anchovies: \u201cI called the piece Roulette<\/em> because I feel that humans are gambling with their future, and that of the planet, for short-term gain.\u201d Read more<\/a> at \u201cArtistic agenda: The state of eco-art.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, a photo essay<\/a> of the Gulf of Mexico and the oil leak, the White House halts BP funding<\/a> for research, documenting<\/a> an expedition to study the Humboldt squid, tool-using vultures<\/a>,<\/span> the male mustachioed molly of Mexico<\/a> and jet propulsion versus undulation in marine life<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Photo credit: doublebug<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Genetically altered animals come closer to approval, global climate change extends the time space junk orbits the Earth, researchers develop a method to identify and analyze whale vocalizations, artists shape messages about the planet\u2019s health and female mollies prefer a more mustachioed mate. Here are highlights in ecology from the last week in June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[857,858,55,56,454,707,859],"class_list":["post-3679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","tag-eco-art","tag-genetically-modified","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-gulf-oil-spill","tag-microbe","tag-salmon","tag-sperm-whales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}