Ocean lover. Scientist turned Science Communicator. Writer for the Ocean Portal at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. Thoughts are my own.
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Articles by Danielle Hall
DBIA Supports Waiver Extension of IIJA Buy America Requirement
Ongoing supply chain issues and rising material costs continue to put pressure on project teams nationwide. In addition, as the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues, provisions intended to maximize the use of American-made products in all federally funded infrastructure projects are even more challenging because of the uncertainty in the marketplace. Last month, the U.S. Dept.
Local Natives Are Starting Fresh
These days, Local Natives is all about switching things up. For the first 15 years of the band’s existence, Local Natives had a pretty set routine: make an album, tour the album, repeat. “We used to live in a house together and we toured basically 11 months of the year,” guitarist Ryan Hahn said. “We were just living and breathing the band.” But these days? “Truthfully we really don’t spend much time together,” Hahn admitted. There’s a few reasons for the change.
Nottingham project set to reduce CO2 emissions through AI
Notes to editors: About the University of Nottingham Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students.
University of Nottingham is first in the UK to become associated member of flagship European aerospace programme
Notes to editors: About the University of Nottingham Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students.
Researchers Discover Eco-Friendly Fungicide Alternative
By Danielle Hall A material that could replace current fungicides (i.e., anti-fungal pesticides), increase food security, and help protect wildlife has been discovered. A recent investigation undertaken by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) revealed that the UK is still using 36 harmful pesticides that have been banned in other European countries, with 13 described as "highly hazardous" that have links to water contamination, cancer, infertility, and other illnesses.
The Top Eight Ocean Stories of 2022 Original
In 2022, the Great Barrier Reef experienced its fourth mass bleaching event in the last seven years, and a NASA report revealed sea level rise is accelerating. Although climate change’s impact on the world’s oceans was the biggest marine story of the year, plenty of other amazing saltwater milestones deserve attention. Scientists found that the largest plant in the world is a seagrass and that 60 million icefish nest together off the coast of Antarctica.
Summer Lovin' with Lauren Zoeller
As the summer months begin their approach, so do the ‘summer flings,’ which may leave you thinking “Is my relationship built to last?” When I heard about the theme for this issue, education and empowerment, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share a tool to identify the strength of your current or potential “summer love” interest. The foundation of a long- lasting relationship is similar to a four- legged chair.
The Essentials of Essential Oils
It all started at a dog park for Amber Laign and Marci Freede, the founders of Plant Juice Oils. Both women were in the midst of caring for family in a difficult health journey, and both were searching for answers. After discovering the wonder of essential oils – particularly lavender – Amber was singing its praises from the rooftops of the Upper West Side of Manhattan. That’s when Marci started listening.
Skin Inspiration
Do you feel comfortable in your own skin? Just a few years ago, I would not go out of my house without any makeup on. I tried very hard to hide behind my mask. I lived like this for a very long time. I always thought people could see my imperfections, as they were looking at me and judging me. But they weren’t. It was all in my mind. The mind is very powerful at feeding you negative thoughts, as the brain is designed that way. It is much easier to conjure up a negative thought than a positive one.
Don’t Be Ugly! By Danielle Hall
Our eyes met from across the room and my heart sank. The event had been so successful. I felt proud of my work and my planning. The one person I strategically planned to avoid the whole night had found me. She was making a bee line toward me. There was no escaping her and what I knew would be her lengthy list of critiques, suggestions, and under-handed comments. We will call her “the complainer”. The complainer’s approach was always swift. She had a giant red lip stick smile. She was put together.
Reimagining the Office
Commercial office leasing analysts are getting a clearer picture of what “returning to work” might look like for cities across the nation. However, according to the Commercial Edge National Office Report, that picture varies significantly depending on the region with just six markets delivering more than half of U.S. office sales. “Nationally, $18.9 billion in office sales were recorded in the first quarter of 2022.
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2021
Alia N. Payne & Danielle Hall Smithsonian December 23, 2021 The year in ocean news brought about quite a few surprises, including the discovery of a self-decapitating sea slug and the return to popularity of sea shanties. We learned that whales poop a lot more than previously thought and that their excrement is essential for ocean ecosystems, and that even large sharks can glow. Read Full Article »
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2021 Original
A humpback whale and her calf swim underwater. A recent study in Nature found whales eat and poop way more than previously thought—and that feces plays an important role in fertilizing the ocean. Auscape / Universal Images Group via Getty Images The year in ocean news brought about quite a few surprises, including the discovery of a self-decapitating sea slug and the return to popularity of sea shanties.
Tohunga Tohorā’s Intuition Reveals New Whale Species
When Ramari Stewart laid eyes on the beaked whale that had washed ashore on the west coast of Te Waipounamu (South Island), Aotearoa New Zealand, she knew it was special. A renowned Tohunga Tohorā (whale expert) who was raised by her elders in the traditional Māori knowledge of the moana (sea), Stewart recognized that the whale was different than any other known. “When Nihongore turned up I knew that she was something different, I knew it was special because I hadn’t seen it before,” said Stewart.
Preparing for the Future
The debate continues in Washington as Congress hammers out the details of a proposed infrastructure and economic recovery package. The deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years and Owners will be looking for qualified design-build teams to deliver vital projects. Are you ready? Join design-build Owners and industry November 1-3 at the Design-Build Conference & Expo to network and prepare your teams for the future.
7 Ocean Parasites Worth Celebrating on World Parasite Day
For some creatures, having a partner in life is more than a choice, it’s a matter of life and death. Sometimes it’s a case of mutual agreement—two organisms live out their lives benefitting from a relationship, like the clown fish and its anemone host. Other times one partner receives the short end of the stick. That’s the case for parasitic relationships, where one partner harms, or hinders, a host animal that they live on or in.
DBIA Sector Conference Registration is OPEN!
With Challenges Come Opportunities America’s Design-Build Teams Will Help Rebuild Our Economy This year’s virtual Design-Build for Water/Wastewater and Transportation/Aviation Conferences are coming at a critical time for design-build teams. For many months, we have faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Dec. 17, 2020, 8 a.m. The year in ocean news was filled with stories that inspired awe and wonder, including one on the discovery of new species of squid and another on a broken underwater record set by a whale. But more sobering events also occurred, including a shipwreck that caused a devastating oil spill in the Indian Ocean. And scientists exploring the deep made key finds, such as a spiraled gelatinous creature that may be the biggest animal on the planet.
Angels of the Sea
Breadcrumb Home Ocean Life Invertebrates http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/angels-sea Angels of the Sea Article Tis the season when angels grace mantelpieces, treetops, and front stoops. Perhaps then, the timing also warrants an introduction to the fluttering angel that lives in the sea. Sea angels are a group of gelatinous sea snails within the larger mollusk division that have earned a heavenly distinction despite their modest existence as a snail.
What *not* to say to someone going through IVF (and what to say instead) Original
It can be hard to know what to say to someone going through in vitro fertilization (IVF). You love them and want to support them, I know. But sometimes, our well-intentioned remarks end up doing more damage than good, and before we know it, we've said yet one more unwanted or insensitive comment to a person who is already struggling a lot. We never know what people are going through, and as someone who went through IVF, I experienced my fair share of insensitive comments.
What Not to Say to Someone Going Through IVF
It can be hard to know what to say to someone going through in vitro fertilization (IVF). You love them and want to support them, I know. But sometimes, our well-intentioned remarks end up doing more damage than good, and before we know it, we've said yet one more unwanted or insensitive comment to a person who is already struggling a lot. We never know what people are going through, and as someone who went through IVF, I experienced my fair share of insensitive comments.
Indifference is Not an Option
“As our nation has experienced a level of civil unrest we likely never thought we would see in our lifetime, there is no better time to remind us that DBIA’s core values include “mutual respect for and appreciation of diversity.” DBIA is proud to say that for us these are more than just words on paper, but a philosophy that is engrained both at the staff level and among the DBIA National Board. We cannot succeed without working together – design-builders live this creed each and every day.
Native Knowledge of the Narwhal
The narwhal is an elusive mammal. During the winter months they feed in the deep waters between Baffin Island and Greenland north of the Arctic Circle, far away from human eyes. In the summer, though they come close to shore, they are never far from ice floes. Their lifestyle makes it particularly difficult for scientists trying to study them, and for that reason we know very little about how they live.
Eighteen Things We've Learned About the Oceans in the Last Decade
As the end of the decade approaches, marine scientists and conservationists are reflecting on what we have learned about the seas, and what the next decade may hold for the world’s watery realms. So the Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal team has combed through years of studies, discoveries and expeditions to bring you some of ocean science’s most notable moments of the last ten years.
Scientist Lampoons Birth Announcements With Discovery of New 'Spadenose' Ray
The new species sees the light of day after more than 70 years tucked away in museum collections Kelsi Rutledge, a UCLA PhD student in biology, and a museum specimen of a new species of ray called a guitarfish from the Gulf of California, Pseudobatos buthi, or "spadefish." (Courtesy of Kelsi Rutledge) smithsonianmag.com September 10, 2019 Poised on the beach cradling her fishy find, the mock birth announcement photoshoot of scientist Kelsi Rutledge caught the attention of more than just the...
Citizens of the High Seas
In a world where land is partitioned into countries with defined borders, the ocean can appear to be one of the few truly free areas left on the globe. Beyond a country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which typically reaches some 200 nautical miles offshore, the ocean becomes a common property to all. This is what’s called the high seas. The high seas are home to many migratory predators—understandably, they do not care about property lines.
Ocean Through Time
Contents The ocean may seem like a vast and unchanging landscape, but the reality is that the world beneath the waves has continuously evolved over time. As terrestrial creatures, humans are largely unaware that much of life's history has taken place in the ocean. Indeed, life had been evolving and changing for more than 3 billion years—the majority of the planet's existence—before the first creatures made their way out of the water.
A Stunning Optical Illusion at the Bottom of the Sea
In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, a hydrothermal vent that the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named SuBastian explored in early March is a remarkable sight to see. At a depth devoid of light, creatures and microbes thrive off of the chemicals spewing from deep inside the Earth. Over time the chemicals accumulate around the vent to build mineral towers, some upwards of 60 feet tall (20 meters), like upside down stalactites spotting the landscape. Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments
Scientists Spot Beautiful Optical Illusion at Bottom of the Sea
In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, a hydrothermal vent that the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named SuBastian explored in early March is a remarkable sight to see. At a depth devoid of light, creatures and microbes thrive off of the chemicals spewing from deep inside the Earth. Over time the chemicals accumulate around the vent to build mineral towers, some upwards of 60 feet tall (20 meters), like upside down stalactites spotting the landscape.
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, we look back on the studies, expeditions and stories that carried forward our knowledge and understanding of the world’s oceans—the lifeblood of the planet. It was a year filled with triumphs, from the first successful revival of coral larvae following cryofreezing, to an optimistic progress report for the Chesapeake Bay’s restoration, to global awareness about single-use plastic straws. It was also a year of discovery.
Penguins
Breadcrumb Home Ocean Life Seabirds Penguins by Danielle Hall Reviewed by Bill Fraser, Polar Oceans Research Group Contents Tuxedoed birds with endearing personalities, penguins are fascinating to young and old alike. Clumsy and comical on land, they become beautifully graceful swimmers below the ocean’s waves.
Prehistoric Whale Jaw Bone Sheds Light on the Evolution of Baleen
Hidden in a museums’ collections for years, a fossil provides a link between past and present feeding mechanisms Baleen is the soft, hair-like structure on the upper mouth of whales, such as the humpback whale in this photo, which allows them to trap prey in their mouth. (Ari S.
How Climate Change is Impacting Shark Mothering
As any mother knows, ensuring the safety of your kids is a tough job. For bull sharks, mothers give birth in protected inlets along the shore to give their offspring a leg up at survival. As adults, these massive sharks can hold their own in coastal environments, and can even consume prey as large as bottlenose dolphins, but young bull sharks aren’t the same formidable predators yet.
Cephalopods
Breadcrumb Home Ocean Life Invertebrates Cephalopods Danielle Hall Reviewed by Michael Vecchione, Smithsonian Institution Contents A highly intelligent group of ocean dwelling creatures, the living cephalopods include the eight-armed octopuses, the ten-armed squids and cuttlefishes, and the shelled chambered nautiluses.
In the Eyes of One Shark, Age is Nothing to Fear
In the freezing waters of the Arctic a toothed leviathan – the Greenland shark - claims an impressive feat. It now holds the record for longest documented lifespan of any vertebrate. The new discovery points to an age of roughly 400 years, meaning that some sharks swimming in today’s Arctic ocean may have shared the waters with explorers like Henry Hudson as he searched for the elusive Northwest Passage in the early 1600s.
Making a Mark on the Ocean Floor
Until very recently oceanography was a field dominated by men. A seafaring career, oceanography was still influenced by the superstitions of ship life; a woman on board was considered to bring bad luck. It may come as a surprise then, that one of the most influential oceanographic cartographers (mapmakers) of the 20th century was a woman, and she achieved such status without even stepping foot on a boat.
The Mystery of an Underwater Volcano
Three thousand feet (900 meters) beneath the sea surface, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, lies one of the world’s largest volcanoes, called Havre. The magnitude of its most recent eruption rivals some of the most memorable eruptions in recent history—for up to 90 days in 2012 lava poured out from a total of 14 vents around the semicircular volcanic opening.
The Cloud Factories that Live in the Sea
A jumble of syllables akin to a complicated wizarding spell, the term is actually the name for an extremely important chemical that has global impacts. Scientists don’t bat an eye at such a tongue-twister, but for those not in-the-know some explanation is needed. For Karen Romano Young, artist and science lover, a few simple cartoons are the key to conveying complicated topics that are nevertheless exciting and important.
America’s ever-changing relationship with seafood
A conversation with chef and author Barton Seaver In 1879, while fishing off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, cod trawler Captain Kirby made an exciting discovery. Instead of the famous Atlantic cod he was expecting, he was greeted by a haul of peculiar fish. After a quick taste test below deck, the crew said it was more delicious than any fish they had ever tasted.
The Gulf of Mexico: A Deep-Sea Treasure Trove of Fishes
Dragons, flying fish, and dreamers. These may seem like creatures from a fantasy world, but in fact, they are the names of fishes that live in a cold, deep, dark, and high-pressure ocean zone called the mesopelagic. At depths 650 to 3,300 feet (200 to 1,000 meters) beneath the surface, a trip to the mesopelagic is not an easy journey. For a while, scientists could hardly imagine that anything would live in such an extreme environment.
The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2017
This year, the depths of the world’s oceans revealed a host of watery secrets, from octopi that live in teeming underwater cities to the discovery of a massive new sunfish.
Why Are Endangered Sea Turtles Showing Up Cold and Seemingly Lifeless on Northeastern Shores?
A Kemp’s ridley turtle lies motionless, seemingly dead, along the high tide line on Skatet Beach. It’s exactly as Bob Prescott predicted. Prescott, the director of of Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod, bends down to move the turtle out of the reach of the cold ocean water, and covers it in seaweed to shield it from the wind. It’s 6:45 a.m. on November 24, 2016.
How Drones in the Sky Unlock Secrets of the Sea
In August 2015, a group of ocean researchers gathered on the coast of Costa Rica to study the nesting behavior of the rare Olive Ridley sea turtle. The scientists wanted to find out the turtles’ mysterious behavior offshore—an unknown even to experts on the reptiles' annual migration, known as the arribada. To do so, they turned to unlikely research tool: drones. Far above them, a senseFly eBee fixed wing glider surveyed the scene.
Making a Mark on the Ocean Floor
Until very recently oceanography was a field dominated by men. A seafaring career, oceanography was still influenced by the superstitions of ship life; a woman on board was considered to bring bad luck. It may come as a surprise then, that one of the most influential oceanographic cartographers (mapmakers) of the 20th century was a woman, and she achieved such status without even stepping foot on a boat.
The Deep Sea
Breadcrumb Home Ecosystems Deep Sea The Deep Sea Danielle Hall Reviewed by Karen Osborn, Smithsonian Institution Contents Below the ocean’s surface is a mysterious world that accounts for over 95 percent of Earth’s living space—it could hide 20 Washington Monuments stacked on top of each other. But the deep sea remains largely unexplored. As you dive down through this vast living space you notice that light starts fading rapidly.
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