Comments on: Alvin, the Deep Sea Research Sub, Has Spread Invasive Species in the Ocean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Marc http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33100 Marc Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:38:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33100 Ships have been sinking, tossing over junk, and trash for centuries. Thanks to gravity this stuff and their hitch hikers are all over the sea bottom. It's fine to be concerned and to take more stringent measures cleaning the mini subs but people shouldn't be up in arms over this. Ships have been sinking, tossing over junk, and trash for centuries. Thanks to gravity this stuff and their hitch hikers are all over the sea bottom. It’s fine to be concerned and to take more stringent measures cleaning the mini subs but people shouldn’t be up in arms over this.

]]> By: JLE http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33099 JLE Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:27:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33099 @ Julian: Your remarks are misogynistic & without merit. The gender of the cleaners of the sub were not discussed anywhere in the article, yet you have determined that they were female? Really? I wonder where your mind has wandered... @ Julian: Your remarks are misogynistic & without merit. The gender of the cleaners of the sub were not discussed anywhere in the article, yet you have determined that they were female? Really? I wonder where your mind has wandered…

]]> By: Julian Alien http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33098 Julian Alien Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:19:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33098 The people that were hired to clean the sub were hired because they had boobs,not because they were good at manual labor.I guess if you hang out at places with names like Wood's Hole your mind tends to wander from science to biology. The people that were hired to clean the sub were hired because they had boobs,not because they were good at manual labor.I guess if you hang out at places with names like Wood’s Hole your mind tends to wander from science to biology.

]]> By: scott http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33097 scott Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:01:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33097 Species migrate and move around - with or without us. Do we not do the same thing? Move in somewhere and change everything? Anyway, it can't be stopped, just controlled after something gets hold somewhere else. I am not saying we should not be cautious but this has been going on for millions of years. Many things in nature are adpated to "hitch a ride" somewhere else. Species migrate and move around – with or without us. Do we not do the same thing? Move in somewhere and change everything? Anyway, it can’t be stopped, just controlled after something gets hold somewhere else. I am not saying we should not be cautious but this has been going on for millions of years. Many things in nature are adpated to “hitch a ride” somewhere else.

]]> By: Dave R http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33096 Dave R Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:28:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33096 The Alvin team's scientific failure reminds us that it may be inevitable that the search for life in the universe will spread life in the universe as robosearches proliferate. There is an insatiable need to demonstrate extraterrestrial life just as there is to investigate the unknown. However, for humans, even scientists, to live is to assume competence. Sometimes it just ain't so. The Alvin team’s scientific failure reminds us that it may be inevitable that the search for life in the universe will spread life in the universe as robosearches proliferate. There is an insatiable need to demonstrate extraterrestrial life just as there is to investigate the unknown.
However, for humans, even scientists, to live is to assume competence. Sometimes it just ain’t so.

]]> By: Mike Borrello http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33095 Mike Borrello Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:23:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33095 I believe archaeogastropods, the class of molluscs to which limpets belong are free swimming organisms at their earliest stages of life, but even as they develop their shell and transform to the surface dwelling creatures we most often recognize, they are microscopic. Limpets like abalones exert a strong grip on the substrate, making them hard to remove. The shell of the juveniles are very thin so abrasive action , say wither a wire brush should be sufficient to remove. But I suspect the Alvin has many crevices that would make such cleaning difficult. I believe archaeogastropods, the class of molluscs to which limpets belong are free swimming organisms at their earliest stages of life, but even as they develop their shell and transform to the surface dwelling creatures we most often recognize, they are microscopic. Limpets like abalones exert a strong grip on the substrate, making them hard to remove. The shell of the juveniles are very thin so abrasive action , say wither a wire brush should be sufficient to remove. But I suspect the Alvin has many crevices that would make such cleaning difficult.

]]> By: Brian Too http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33094 Brian Too Wed, 30 May 2012 23:03:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33094 Most limpets I'm familiar with are pretty small, maxing out at a couple of centimetres. And they go down from there to some truly tiny creatures. They'd have to be small for the above article to be true. If Alvin is being cleaned after each mission, and the cleaning is more than cursory, only a small limpet could escape attention. Abalone are morphologically similar to limpets and can grow much larger, to dinner plate size. However abalone are not limpets and no one I know of mistakes the two. Most limpets I’m familiar with are pretty small, maxing out at a couple of centimetres. And they go down from there to some truly tiny creatures. They’d have to be small for the above article to be true. If Alvin is being cleaned after each mission, and the cleaning is more than cursory, only a small limpet could escape attention.

Abalone are morphologically similar to limpets and can grow much larger, to dinner plate size. However abalone are not limpets and no one I know of mistakes the two.

]]> By: Jay Fox http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/05/25/alvin-the-deep-sea-research-sub-has-spread-invasive-species-in-the-ocean/#comment-33093 Jay Fox Tue, 29 May 2012 18:05:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=37368#comment-33093 What is the size of these things? What is the size of these things?

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