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        • Astrocytes Expressing ALS-Linked Mutated SOD1 Release Factors Selectively Toxic to Motor Neurons
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        • And Many More...
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    • 2013 Publication

STRENGHT IN NUMBERS

Editor's Note: after learning about the bristlemouth fish for her advanced chemistry class, Ruhi S. ('18) considers the greatness of the ocean.
It makes sense that Darwin’s Origin of Species was greeted with strong skepticism. Our pore-less faces wrinkle in disgust and our purebred homo-sapien brains recoil in horror at the thought of our fishy forefathers. The differences are more than apparent. However, it’s the differences that make the theory all the more intriguing. Who exactly were our ancient ancestors, and how are they doing today? We know so little about marine life that we don’t even know what we don’t know, due to its vastness, lack of breathable oxygen, and high pressure. If we persevere in exploring the ocean floor, we will find life beyond our wildest imaginings.

For example, the bristlemouth – a tiny, bioluminescent fish living in the middle-depths of the ocean, known for its needle-like fangs – is, according to a memorable study done in 2015, the Earth’s most abundant vertebrae. They’re usually no smaller than a finger, colored shades from tan to black, and are hermaphroditic, born male and occasionally turning into a female. They also live in deep, almost inaccessible parts of the ocean, which is why we have precious little information about them. However, far-reaching nets, deep-sea divers, and sound waves have revealed trillions – maybe even thousands of trillions – of these fish swimming in the depths. There are about a dozen of these fish per square meter of water. In contrast, there are about 24 billion chickens living on Earth. It sure humbles our human egotism.  

The sheer size of this news is fascinating. Land-bound as we are, humans can only see 1 percent of the Earth’s biosphere, and even that is breathtaking. It’s left up to the imagination to imagine the other 99 percent of life beneath the ocean, and the truth does not disappoint; try imagining ten thousand trillion fish swimming under you the next time you go to the beach. It’s literally incomprehensible. Furthermore, this discovery is a demonstration of how little we know about marine life. We should have contemplated the amount of bristlefish in the ocean ages ago, but there was no definite evidence until 2015; a somewhat disappointing affair, considering our latest toilet seat technology.

Despite the drawbacks, the human race could benefit greatly from more research about the oceanic habitat; we’ve already learned plenty from the bristlefish. We have to be careful about our environment these days, and those fish, as many as there are, have a large affect on the whole ocean food chain. By studying them, we can get a better grasp of how the ocean’s food chain operates, thus gaining more information on how to preserve it and our environment at large. Also, we can use the study of this fish and the secret of their abundance for better technology today. The Navy, for example, conducted their own research on the deep ocean in order to understand how to improve its tracking and camouflage abilities. Studying biology and applying naturally occurring concepts to our technology is the fastest way to create higher quality, after all.

Finally, science is universal. There are no gender, class, or race oriented boundaries around science. We all want a greater understanding of our environment, and the information about the unassuming bristlefish provides yet another piece of that puzzle.

Bibliography:
"Science News That Stuck With Us in 2015." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Broad, William J. "An Ocean Mystery in the Trillions." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • HOW TO SUBMIT
  • Past Publications
    • 2019 Publication >
      • Scientific Research
      • Mathematical Exploration
      • Scientific Exploration
      • Computer Science
    • 2018 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Scientific Research
    • 2017 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Scientific Research
    • 2016 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
      • Scientific Research
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Artistic Creations
    • 2015 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Bell Curves
        • Birds Vs. Turbines
        • Energy in the Obama Era
        • The Future of Neuroscience
        • Gender Gap in Math
        • GMOs--Yes or No?
        • The History of Minecraft: How a Swedish Indie Game Came to Dominate the World
        • The Effect of Prozac on the Brain
        • Philae Lander's Discovery of Organic Molecules
        • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
        • Your Own Worst Enemy: An Overview of Lupus
        • The Methylhex Ban
        • The Effect of Lyme Disease on the Immune system
        • Infectious Mononucleosis
        • Replacing CFCs
        • The Switch
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • The 43rd Figure
        • The Clock
        • The Collatz Conjecture
        • Constructing a Soccer Ball
        • Determining how Ballparks Affect Batter's Ability to Create Hits
        • The Rotating Conundrum
        • Pythagorean Puzzle
        • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
        • Kinetics Lab
        • Math in the Restaurant Business
        • Math as a Vessel for Social Change
        • Sustainability of Bottled Vs. Tap Water
        • Thoughts on the Lottery
        • Understanding Player Efficiency Rating
      • Scientific Research >
        • Communicating With Computers
        • The Mystery of Asthma
        • The Nanoscopic War Against Cancer
        • Phytochemistry
        • Solving the energy crisis with Intermediate Band Solar Cells
        • A Pain That Never Ends
        • Rapamycin Resistance
        • Ampacity of a Single Core Horizontal Cable
        • Morphological Properties of Texting Acronym Formation
        • cGAS and STING Expression
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Can Humans Survive the Climate Crisis?
        • My Experience as a Teacher's Assistant
        • Ted Talk Responses
        • Teens For Food Justice
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Chandelier
        • Deltoidal Hexacontrahedon
        • Dodecahedron Card Trick
        • Eye of the Triangle
        • Free Radric Delantic Davis
        • The Grid
        • What Does A Randomly Composed Song Sound Like?
        • Science Wing Mural
    • 2014 Publication >
      • Cover Photo
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Art Using the Fibonacci Sequence
        • Computer Generated Architecture and Designs
        • Mathematical Landscape
        • Math Art
        • Math in Music
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Algae Bio-Fuel
        • An Energy Alternative
        • Clean Energy In Transportation
        • Calorie Restriction
        • Creating Energy in the Modern World
        • Dietary Intervention Impact on Gut Microbial Gene Richness
        • Earthly Applications for NASA Technology
        • Explaining Relative Motion
        • Exploring Artificial Inteligence
        • Gamma Function
        • How Leaves Work
        • Hydrogen Fuel Cells
        • Music and Brain Development
        • Programming Calculators
        • The Science of Microsatellites
        • Sci-Fi Taser
        • Sloane's Gap
        • Sustainable Energy: Why Some Ideas Shine Brighter than Others
        • Understanding The Galvanic Cell
        • The Virus: Our Unforeseen Philosopher's Stone
        • What Are Fuel Cells and How Do They Work?
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • Astrocytes Expressing ALS-Linked Mutated SOD1 Release Factors Selectively Toxic to Motor Neurons
        • Big Bang
        • Dictyostelium Discoideum
        • The Future of Solar Cell Technology
        • And Many More...
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Alternative Energy Sources, New but Unused
        • An Insight Into the Curious World of Ethnobotany
        • Challenging What We Think We Know
        • The Current State of American Education
        • Discovering New Numbers
        • Interview With an Architect
        • Life of Pi Response
        • Mathematical Art Video Commentary
        • Missing from Science Class
        • The Museum of Math
        • The Inside Scoop on a Real Mathematician
    • 2013 Publication