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.
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.
