I was driving to work while listening to CBC radio yesterday morning and they were talking about the sci fund challenge. This researcher was talking about seahorses, one of those fascinating animals where the male seahorse, instead of the female carry the offspring in a pouch for the duration of the "pregnancy" - which I believe is evolutionary pay back at a very very very small scale.
It turns out that this researcher had lots to say about seahorses and since I already know about farting fish I paid attention so that I can learn something new. Here's is her home page: http://scifundchallenge.org/seahorseadventures/ and a few seahorse facts:
1) Seahorses can be as small as quarter or as big as a banana
2) Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach. Food passes through their digestive systems so quickly, they must eat almost constantly to stay alive.
3) Because of their body shape, seahorses are rather inept swimmers and can easily die of exhaustion when caught in storm-roiled seas. They propel themselves by using a small fin on their back that flutters up to 35 times per second. Cool eh?
4) Unlike most other fish, they are monogamous and mate for life. This, a rather unfortunate evolutionary set back I must say.
Anyway, all of this new knowledge is tied to very creative ways to raise research funds (small amounts, not NSERC or CIHR type funds) with this great little online challenge. This website allows the public to see EXACTLY where their research funds are going and they offer rewards for different amounts donated (a la PBS style). The rewards are quite small, for example for a $5.00 donation you can get a digital photo of a seahorse - which you could probably get online anyway, but this way you help support the people who are passionate about what they do and help them achieve their goals.
The most interesting research project I found was a person wanting to reintroduce a type of shrimp into the waters of West Africa http://www.rockethub.com/projects/7509-projet-crevette-save-children-from-disease.
Schistosomiasis (or "schisto") is a debilitating parasite that infects millions of children in third world countries around the globe. Because of their infections, they may suffer anemia, growth stunting, and learning disabilities. Projet-Crevette means "Project Prawn" in French. At Projet Crevette they are working on a solution that could eliminate schistosomiasis, sustainably and permanently. They are looking into a new method of prawn farming that will allow prawns to eat (and eliminate) the disease-carrying snails that are the source of the infections. This research may pave the way to saving millions of children and adults from contracting this disease.
Easy solution to a big problem right? One well worth supporting! Have a look!!
So plug in the website: http://scifundchallenge.org/ and have a look.
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