Science

[Nautipus]

Collossal Squid: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

Giant Squid: Architeuthis species

The collossal squid gets to be the same length (if not longer) as the giant squid, but is much heavier bodied. Also, whereas most squid are armed with chitonous ring-teeth on all their arms and on the tentacles as well, the collossal squid has large claws on the ends of its tentacles. Also, the body of the giant squid appears relatively weak when compared with that of a collossal squid.


http://www.tonmo.com/images/content/...ig8NOSTEAL.jpg

There is a good physical comparison. Hope that helps.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Nautipus

That's actually called the buccal mass, which holds the beak.

I should look it up, maybe I can claim translation issues to cover up.

The beak is actually very unique, because it has varying degrees of hardness, so that when the squid bites, it foesnt harm itself. Very interesting to look at.

Yes, there was an article on the BBC not too long ago about that, how the beak's less hard away from the point. Fascinating material. I wanted to link it for you, but I thought you'd probably have found it way sooner than me.

[inked]

Thanks, Nautipus! That was very helpful. I abase myself for failure to previously understand the distinction.

Any idea which makes the best calamari? IR and I are agreed on wanting some!

[Nautipus]

It's no problem, Inked, I enjoy the subject immensly.

Well, considering they use Dosidicus gigas as food, I'm sure that they could probably do the same with these larger species.

But from an environmental and scientific standpoint I'd have to make calamari out of the person who tried.

Culinary-wise, probably Mesonychoteuthis, because it is more heavily muscled that Architeuthis.

But there is also the standpoint of safety: The things are so huge (and armed so well) it would be folly to try and tackle them without heavy equipment, espesially on the weight issue.

Also, Architeuthis has been shown to play host to a vicious parasite, and Mesonychoteuthis may be the same way. The ongoeing dissection should help settle that.

[inked]

Thanks, Nautipus, for the information. But since I like sushi and sashimi, I may be exposed! I was thinking flash frozen for that reason, too.

But it looks like we won't be having them naturally cooked by global warming! And that is a bright side, isn't it?!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

(And, IR, this doesn't have anything to do with G.rey W.olf's existence !)

[Nautipus]

Being deepwater animals, the only thing that we're doing to affecvt their environment is the overfishing of their environment, and the dumping of copious amounts of waste into the ocean, which wont "cool naturally" unfortunately.

The alterrations to our environment are quickly reaching a point where they become irreversible, so global warming or not, it's becoming less safe to live in or around the ocean, as well as eating seafood. I too, like sushi, but if I want to continue enjoying it There does need to be drastic change.

[Insidious Rex]

Originally Posted by inked

](And, IR, this doesn't have anything to do with G.rey W.olf's existence !)

Nor does it have much of anything to do with Global Warming’s existence since its simply stating we may see a temporary lull of ten years in the temperature rises because of cyclical current patterns. Hardly reason to fill your swimming pools full of oil and triumphantly declare it dead. In fact what you don’t take into account is that even assuming this is true, the strength of the meridional overturning circulation would make for REGIONAL fluctuations in temperature. It wouldn’t affect every single point on earth the same. One would assume since the circulation is northerly that the southerly regions (Antarctic in particular) would not see nearly the relief from their current temperature increases which are causing melting there now.

Of course I have to be a little dubious of a rag that places “science” articles next to sleazy ads of Halle Berry’s exposed boobage and Madonna’s raunchy dancing videos… But hey that’s just me… Im guessing you don’t see a lot of that in say the journal Nature.

And as for calamari, I would worry these giants would make for tire tread like hors d'oeuvres although Id still be keen to try them.

[Nautipus]

Originally Posted by Insidious Rex

And as for calamari, I would worry these giants would make for tire tread like hors d'oeuvres although Id still be keen to try them.

It's called a party ring, my friend.

And consider the size of the fried arms and tentacles as well, although with these species you'd have to cut the suckers off to avoid the denticles, and the tentacle clubs would be entirely removed to avoid the claws there. The only problem is availability.

[inked]

Tire ring party tray with its own utensils, IR and Nautipus!

The availability could be solved by demand and high prices - sort of like sushi!

And, per Nautipus, these guys won't be affected by G.lobal W.arming or
P.robably C.ooling!!!

Though they could probably be over-harvested if given the opportunity, I suppose. But that would require more data than we have or unjustified surmises based on little to no evidence (brilliant is the adjective most often given to that process, I believe, or a Nobel Prize for the most non-scientist politically correct hysteria campaign in a campaign year or eternity, as it has been ).

[Nautipus]

I'll pass, I dont want to start a trend.

The availability I was referring to was their population. Radical techniques would have to be implemented to harvest these giants, and considering that the number of strandings has decreased dramatically I'd say that it is likely that their population is already diminishing. So whilst the demand may be high, the supply is dwindling too much to meet it, creating a vacuum which only the rich could take advantage of. And, considering the amount of money that coorporations are able to put into ventures like this (as opposed to the scientific community in general) then they would be harvesting before the animals could be studied enough to warrant their placement on the ES list, erradicating them before we really know much about them. And (my point earlier) while they wouldnt be affected a great deal by G.lobal W.arming at the moment, the loss of ecosystems in the surface waters could affect them to a great degree, sort of like collateral damage. And we musnt forget the pollution.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Oh, no. Let's DO forget about pollution.

Come dance a May dance.

[Ingwe]

Originally Posted by Nautipus

Hellooo, Ron White.

Yup, that's the one. I was going to say Bill Engval but I woulda been wrong.

[The Telcontarion]

The science that is placed out in front of the world and presented as state of the art is actually nothing of the sort. It is just a "straw man" set up to lead people in the wrong direction and give the masses a false sense of the human progress and potential.

In the health industry, there has been a cure for several deseases for at least 20 years: aids, cancer, the common cold etc. Why? money!!! Greed!!! Gold and silver can cure 95% of all ailments; most ailments are caused by mineral deficiency. A deficient thyroid is the root for most common medical issues ranging from chronic fatigue to weight gain.

The combustion engine has been obsolete for the last 30 years. Alternate energy has been a reality for almost as long.

Science...ha!!!

[Nautipus]

So, are you generalizing all science, or just marketable science?

[Earniel]

Gold and silver can cure almost all ailments? Sorry Telcontarion, but I'll be trusting my doctor instead.

[Insidious Rex]

Thats because it takes gold and silver to pay off your medical bills these days.

[GrayMouser]

Speaking of science, and the ignoring of by policy-makers for ideological/financial reasons:

Cheney's Office: (Do Not) Save The Whales
By Paul Kiel - April 30, 2008, 11:30AM

The latest contribution to good government from Vice President Dick Cheney: preventing the implementation of rules to protect the endangered right whale.

This comes from a letter House sleuth Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent to the White House today, requesting that the administration quit delaying the rules, which would restrict the speed of ships near American ports. Faster moving ships hit the whales, causing injury or death, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say.

But not so, says Cheney's office and other White House officials, who have delayed approving the NOAA's submitted rules. One exchange Waxman obtained is typical, he says (pdf):

"Another internal document shows that the officials working for the Vice President also raised spurious objections to the science. According to this document, the Vice President's staff "contends that we have no evidence (i.e., hard data) that lowering the speeds of 'large ships' will actually make a difference. NOAA rejected these objections, writing that both a statistical analysis of ship strike records and the peer-reviewed literature justified the final rule. In its response to the objections from the Vice President's staff, NOAA reported that there is "no basis to overturn our previous conclusion that imposing a speed limit on large vessels would be beneficial to whales."

In his conclusion, Waxman wonders why Cheney's office seems so invested in the topic:

"While I appreciate the value of vigorous scientific debate, I question why White House economic advisors are apparently conducting their own research on right whales and why the Vice President's staff is challenging the conclusions of the government's scientific experts. The appearance is that the White House rejects the conclusions of its own scientists and peer-reviewed scientific studies because it does not like the policy implications of the data. This is not how the review process is supposed to work."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/

Well, I guess you have to have some relaxation from cooking up bogus reasons for invading other countries, and you can't go around shooting old men in the face every day.

Dr. Evil lives!

[Earniel]

And didn't Bush make the Navy exempt from adhering to noise limits that where put into place to protect the whales and other marine mammals from the Navy's powerful sonars?

[Insidious Rex]

And don’t forget the Bush Administration’s three year fight against placing the soon to be extinct polar bear on the endangered species list because the big oil companies don’t want to lose any drilling rights and they don’t want to set a global warming precedent. Im betting that one came up in one of Cheney’s secret “energy” meetings with the fat cat industry CEO’s. Clearly to Cheney, record billion dollar profits are more important than cute cuddly animals (or even dangerous animals) that are dying off thanks to global warming.

Was Cheney always this despicable form day one or did he wake up one day and figure screw it if they all think Im such a scum bag then Im going to go out of my way to come off as one. Lets start by shooting friends in the face and trying my best to kill as many baby animals as possible. *sneering smile*

[inked]

A little irony or a little truth....

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...3053890C173182

you decide............................................ ......