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The De-Evolution of the Ocean
An anonymous reader writes to mention an LA Times article entitled 'A Primeval Tide of Toxins.' The article looks at changing conditions in the world's oceans, and the resulting explosion in the growth of algae, jellyfish, and other primitive lifeforms. From the article: "In many places -- the atolls of the Pacific, the shrimp beds of the Eastern Seaboard, the fjords of Norway -- some of the most advanced forms of ocean life are struggling to survive while the most primitive are thriving and spreading. Fish, corals and marine mammals are dying while algae, bacteria and jellyfish are growing unchecked. Where this pattern is most pronounced, scientists evoke a scenario of evolution running in reverse, returning to the primeval seas of hundreds of millions of years ago. Jeremy B.C. Jackson, a marine ecologist and paleontologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, says we are witnessing 'the rise of slime.'" The article is parting of a just-beginning series on our changing world called Altered Oceans.
They tell us that
We got our tails.
Evolving down
To little snails.
I say it's all
Just wind in sails.
Were we once men?
We were DE-VO!
This is just like the American political scene.
Who'da thunk it?
The opposite of progress is congress
Yeah, that process worked great for Windows Vista...
Can't wait...
My ZooLoo
Polar bears are cute.
Try lookin' at one from the inside.
KFG
"Fish, corals and marine mammals are dying while algae, bacteria and jellyfish are growing unchecked."
How that is de-evolution?
It's not de-evolution. In this case, the less complex organisms work best in that environment. So, really, it's survival of the most-fit. Wait... I've heard that somewhere before...
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
I prefer a different system of classification. Rather than "higher" or "lower", I like to classify organisms as "tasty" or "not tasty". According to my detailed studies, oysters and lobsters are the pinnacles of ocean life, followed by rock crab, shrimp, salmon, and others. Jellyfish is pretty far down the list. This change in our oceans is a travesty!
Dude, don't anthropomorphize nature. She doesn't like it when you do that.
I'm sorry, I just had to point this sentence out:
With a tug on the trip-rope, the bulging sack unleashed its massive load.
The new, better toxic oceans will simply be a tought playing field for our watery bretheren. The competition will be fierce, but in the end the seas will be populated by new fish. Better fish. New, better races of ATOMIC SUPERFISH THAT I SHALL BEND TO MY WILL AND RULE THE WORLD! Ha ha ha ha! Despair, ye mortals, and weep! Oh, Discordia!
Imagine! Goldfish that shoot lasers from their eyes! Tuna that can bite through adamantium! Shrimp that can do your taxes! Coelacanths that can write bug free code! Oh, the mind wobbles. More toxins! DUMP MORE TOXINS, DAMMIT!
uhh the earth is only 5000 years old. /flamebait!
No, serious bears have a similar system. Funny bears never eat people. (Wocka Wocka Wocka!).
Some see the vessel as half full; others see it as half-empty; We pour it out on the floor and laugh
I do; how about "Fascists"?
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
Hi my name is Al Gore...
Don't forget your part to help stem over-population by not having too many kids!
Really, I find it hard to respect an environmentalist who has four children. They may be energy-savvy, but I doubt they are *twice* as efficient as the Bush children. Plain and simple, we have way too many people, even if we all install fluorescent lighting and buy hybrids. If we don't stabilize and eventually decrease the population, nothing will save us.
they?
you're.. not.. human?
SETI would be interested to know!
Can you be Even More Awesome?!