Dr. Daniel P. Brown (formerly "Irradiatus") may be doing a second post-doctoral research job at Carnegie Mellon University at the lab of Dr. Veronica Hinman to study the evolution of developmental gene networks, and the creator of the magnificent blog Biochemical Soul where he writes about science, nature, outreach and evolution, but he's also one of the nicest biologists I've ever interviewed!

Not only did he thank me for doing the Q&A before it had even begun ("First off, I’d like to thank you so much for inviting me for this interview. It’s not often I get to talk about myself knowing that I’ve been given license to do so. I hope that your readers will find something entertaining or educational in my answers," he said) but he was also apt to answer all of my questions on marine biology even though that wasn't exactly his focus.

It was a pleasure to hear his responses!

As far as pets in science fiction are concerned, fish are pretty low on the popularity list. They don't make very good companions when exploring a newly-discovered planet or help keep you space ship rat free. However, there are a few science fictional characters that do keep an aquarium. Not only are those pet fish educational and entertaining, they tell us something about the personality and interests of their owners.

So here are a few of my favorite science fictional pet fish:

Arthur Dent's Babel Fish

One of the biggest problems in a universe full of intelligent beings is communication. In the Star Trek universe, the solution is a universal translator. In the universe of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the solution is much wetter, as Arthur Dent finds out when his friend Ford Prefect: rescues him from the destruction of earth and shoves a Babel Fish into his ear:

Arctic waters are rapidly turning acidic, even faster than originally thought. New research from oceanographer Dr. James Orr of the Laboratory for the Sciences of Climate and Environment in Paris predicts that the Arctic Ocean will be corrosive enough to dissolve shells of clams, mussels and others within the next decade. Host Jeff Young talks with Dr. Orr about the mounting crisis in the Arctic Ocean.

YOUNG: As we heard, ocean acidification is one of the looming threats marine scientists are racing to better understand. As seawater absorbs carbon dioxide, it changes the pH. And recent research indicates this acidification could come fastest in the Arctic Ocean. Oceanographer James Orr is with LSCE, the Lab for Sciences of Climate and the Environment in Paris. Dr. Orr, what’s happening in the arctic waters?

ORR: The Arctic is a special case because basically, it’s cold, and, therefore, naturally more prone

Phil Magistro and Apryle Craig knew they wanted to promote awareness of the plight of the wild Pacific salmon and chose a unique and unconventional way to do so. On May 2nd, they began in Gig Harbor, WA, paddling 1,251 miles to Glacier Bay, AK in a total of 111 days, averaging 17 miles a day.  Along the way, they stopped by many salmon farms and salmon streams along the route, spoke with wild commercial fisherman and locals to find out about their experiences, and raised money for the Living Oceans Society! It was an exhausting but worthwhile journey and they've lived to tell about it! 

We were lucky enough to speak with Apryle about the incredible excursion! For more on the adventures of this marine powerhouse team, check out their site: Elevated Attitude. 

Please each tell me a little bit about yourselves, including how you got to the point where you are now.

When I interviewed CEO Iain Kerr of the Ocean Alliance, an organization that collects data on whales and ocean life, he made sure that I understood that this work is not quite as romantic as it might sound, spending weeks at sea on a small boat with the same people with little or no privacy and always feeling the pinch of funding. He told me that it is very expensive to send a research vessel to sea along with the necessity for an extensive range of local and international research permits.

"You need an expensive vessel, a well-trained crew, and good equipment. Work at sea is high risk," he said.

But as difficult as it is, it's also rewarding.  He knows so much about the ocean's pollutants and what the world can (and must) do to help protect the ocean.  He goes as far as churning out a list below of top ten tips to save the ocean.  

And he's learned so much about the whales through reports on toxicology, bioacoustics, behavior, and genetics as well as efforts to conserve them. 

After all, he says below, "They serve as flagships for the health and well being of the whole marine ecosystem."

We've got some great marine poetry in our midst, from one talented femme who combines aquaria and verse on her blog, The Digital Cuttlefish.  This one's specially made for The Reef Tank, but make sure to check out the rest of her page.

Some personal, some public, some immense, some small

So many variations I could never list them all.

It's easy to see why Coby Beck, science blogger from A Few Things Ill Considered would allow me to republish this climate change denial argument over again even though it was written in 2006.  Unfortunately, it's not a very heartwarming reason.  The Climate Change denialist standpoint is still a very big and common issue that marine biologists and climate scientists alike still must deal with. The fact is, these skeptic don't understand that this climate change crisis is hurting our world, our marine life, and our bodies of water.

While e-mailing Coby Beck about republishing this piece, he told me that the denialist talking point found below is still a very common one and the fault of the argument remains the same. There is a fundamental flaw in its reasoning.  Despite this concept though, have we changed our ways? Have we improved our knowledge of the climate change crisis? Are we doing something to keep these climate change skeptics from remaining skeptical?