Plan leaves snapper fishermen in a knot Nov 5, 2009
They also count growth rings in ear bones to determine the age of fish. They devise statistical models based on this information. (Florida Today)
Scientists discover link to ears in fossil Oct 9, 2009
But a discovery of a fossil of the tiny creature -- unimpressive when compared to its dinosaur contemporaries -- has captivated a local paleontologist, who says the animal's microscopic ear bones may help those in his field figure out how the delicate and sophisticated middle ear of humans and other modern mammals developed ... Paleontologists believe that the mammalian middle ear bones evolved from a piece of the jawbone of the mammal-like reptiles that preceded them ... And because their... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Paleontologists discover new Mesozoic mammal Oct 9, 2009
These mammal middle ear bones evolved from the bones of the jaw hinge in their reptilian relatives ... According to the Chinese and American scientists who studied this new mammal, the middle ear bones of Maotherium are partly similar to those of modern mammals; but Maotherium's middleear has an unusual connection to the lower jaw that is unlike that of adult modern mammals. (Xinhuanet, China)
Proposed snapper, grouper fishing ban would be large-scale Oct 6, 2009
He wrote a letter to Crabtree telling him when he went to Safe Harbor Seafood in Atlantic Beach to cut the ear bones out of fish needed for the study, no one there had ever seen that before. And Safe Harbor Seafood is "the red snapper capital of the South Atlantic," Nelson said. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Steelhead or rainbow: The great fish debate Sep 30, 2009
An absolute test to determine whether or not the fish are steelhead measures marine nutrients in the fish's ear bones, Begich said. "That test is too costly, and we know that they're here," Begich said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Take a few simple steps to reduce ocean acidification Aug 28, 2009
It makes fish grow oversized ear bones, called otoliths, potentially affecting their ability to orient themselves in the water. It even makes the ocean noisier, by increasing the efficiency of sound transmission. (Anchorage Daily News)
Douglas-fir, Geoducks Make Strange Bedfellows In Studying Climate Change Aug 9, 2009
"But when we add the data from a second species, we can increase that number to 70 percent or more. And that's important because it is allowing us to go back and create more accurate models of sea surface temperatures and at time scales more than twice the length of the instrument measurements. "Each species brings its own 'perspective' of past climate, such that their combination provides a more accurate account," Black added. Results of the study are being published in the professional... (Science Daily)
Fishy research Jul 15, 2009
Alaska Department of Fish & Game employee Gabriel Wilson will chop thousands of fish heads this summer to remove the tiny ear bones, which are chock full of useful information ... The tiny ear bones, or otoliths, of hatchery fish bear unique thermal marks that can be used to determine where and when the fish was raised ... Fish ear bones hold biological code identifying hatchery origins and age. (Juneau Empire)
High Carbon Dioxide Levels Cause Abnormally Large Fish Ear Bones Jun 27, 2009
A brief paper published in the June 26 issue of the journal Science describes experiments in which fish that were exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide experienced abnormally large growth in their otoliths, or ear bones. Otoliths serve a vital function in fish by helping them sense orientation and acceleration. (Science Daily)
Did you hear? CO2 makes fish ears bigger Jun 26, 2009
The ear bones of juvenile sea bass appear to grow larger than normal rather than smaller, as expected when placed under high carbon dioxide conditions ... Those fish had ear bones 7 percent to 9 percent larger than fish raised in seawater with current gas concentrations ... Researchers now will try to figure out how the added carbon dioxide in the water causes the ear bones to enlarge, whether this is happening to other types of fish, and whether the long-term effect will be good or bad.... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Ancient animals may be Darwin's 'missing links' May 13, 2009
Yet its half-spherical ear bones - thick on the outside and thin on the inside - resembled the ears of modern whales and were clearly structured to hear well underwater - just as whales and dolphins do. Additionally, its unique teeth resembled transitional forms of modern species of toothed whales. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
News Briefs | Mar. 27 Mar 27, 2009
When senior Laura Cobb was hit by a drunk driver last September, she was left in a coma with multiple brain injuries, a fractured skull, fractured facial and ear bones and major damage to a carotid artery. Since awakening three weeks later, she has been undergoing rehabilitation efforts. (Washington University Student Life, MO)
Seismic Communication in Elephants Mar 1, 2009
Like whales, elephants have large middle-ear bones that are designed to detect very low frequency sounds ... When they close off their ears, they are more sensitive to vibrations, and therefore can listen to longer-range, low frequency messages traveling from the earth, up through their bodies, to their ear bones. (Suite101.com)
