10/23/05
A seventh grader from North Carolina asks:
Why do the colors of collected specimens fade away?
Generally the colors of animals are pigments in their scales, skin, and shells. There is almost
always a chemical reaction that takes place between those pigments and the alcohol that changes
the color. These colors fade over time. It is not an immediate change. You might have seen something
similar if you have ever used those color change magic markers where you write with one color,
then go over it with a special marker and have another color appear. With markers, the change
happens much more quickly.
What does the alcohol do to preserve the specimens?
Alcohol kills bacteria and other things that could decompose the specimens. Generally, we use
alcohol for invertebrates and formalin for fish. Formalin does the same thing as alcohol, but
will eventually breakdown the calcium in the shells of animals such as crabs. If you leave a
crab in formalin too long, the crab's shell will dissolve and all that will remain will be
pieces of the crab's inside.
Stuart, an eighth grader from Orange county, wonders
if there are any commercial uses for Lophelia.
We do not know of any commercial uses for Lophelia. It would be very difficult
to collect. Also, these corals are quite old and grow very slowly. If they were
harvested, they would not grow back quickly.
Cameron, a third grader from Randolph county, wonders
what you do with the specimens you collect.
The specimens we collect become part of a research collection. Some of the collection goes to
the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, while other parts of the collection go to the researchers
who are working out here. Every sample provides a vital piece of information in our understanding
of the habitat.
Vanessa, a third grader from Randolph county, asks: How
long does it take the submersible to sink to the bottom of the ocean?
The length of time it takes for the submersible to sink depends upon the depth. When conditions are ideal,
the sub sinks about 100 feet a minute, so it would take about 30 minutes to reach 3,000 feet.
Diane from South Carolina asks what is the most
unbelievable thing Reneé has seen.
The most unbelievable thing I have seen is a hagfish. It is long and thin and secretes a slimy
film from its body. One scientist picked it up from the bucket and had slimy, gooey, mucous-like
substance all over her hands! It was nasty! I was amazed that all that "gook" came from one fish.
