Sunburnt Whales: Three Species Show Signs of Sun Damage to Skin

[The Straight Story]

Sunburnt Whales: Three Species Show Signs of Sun Damage to Skin

ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2010) — Whales exhibit skin damage consistent with acute sunburn in humans, and it seems to be getting worse over time, reveals research published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Queen Mary, University of London and CICIMAR, studied blue whales, fin whales and sperm whales in the Gulf of California to determine the effect of rising levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on their health.

For a number of years scientists have observed blisters on the skin of whales. Now, using high-quality photos to give accurate counts of the blisters and analysing areas of damage in skin samples, this research has found that the three species of whale exhibit skin damage that is commonly associated with acute sunburn in humans.

Notably, the scientists also found that signs of sun damage were more severe in the paler-skinned blue whales, compared with the darker-skinned fin whales, and that in blue whales the symptoms of sunburn seem to be getting worse during the three years the study took place.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109214358.htm

Note to some preachers who are worried about adults hanging out together in a bar and having adult drinks and smokes - your car, your choices with your electric usage, not changing bulb types, etc and well---so on --> Your daily actions are having a real impact on all of us and yet day after day you drive your car to the store and work. You take your car to grandma's house instead of just calling. You use and electric shaver instead of a straight razor that you can sharpen by hand (or worse, you use disposable ones).

You sit around drinking bottled water and then going to the store and buying single servings of yogurt instead of making it in bulk at home, and then tossing away the containers (well, maybe you recycle them - but how much fuel was used to make that container and it get it to the store?).

One could go on and on (Did what you buy come from China? If so, chances are the pollution that affects us all is being supported by you).

Point is, if you are going to call one group on something, try taking a look at your own life and everything you do and how it affects others first.

But then, affecting the whole planet versus affecting consenting adults in a closed room is tricky to some.

Easier to attack what others do and ignore your own actions.

For the record, I smoke at home, outside, and honestly don't care what folks in bars do (as I don't want to drink and drive). But damn, at least be consistent with your condemnation of people and how their actions affect others and live up to it.

One would think that we had bigger issues to address than what a few old people choose to do together on a Friday night - but then that might cut too deep and you might see how silly it all is compared to what really matters and what is really going on (and it might make you feel bad). So let's ignore the real issues and do something that makes us feel good.

Yeah, save us adults from associating with each other all the while ignoring what is really harming us all. easy target, and you can vilify folks while feeling good each day about what you are doing (even if it has much worse results for people who have no choice).

I honestly don't give a shit about smoking in a bar, but I continue to marvel at people who want to control others for the sake of people who don't even have to ever in their life go to a bar, want to save them from the horror of it all, and then turn around and contribute more to pollution and global warming than the people they were complaining about.

[Catherina]

1. Rec'd. Great post n/t

[flvegan]

2. I missed part of the leap from sunburnt whales to smoking in a bar.

I swear that I read the whole post twice.

[sally cat]

3. The point was the juxtaposition of an absurd highly expensive "study" that used poor methodology and

has no benefit for either whales or humans (and again is absurd on it's face as whales have to be exposed to UV to breath) versus the very real problems facing us in our daily lives.

Or not.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. I'm right there with you. I started out reading about sunburnt whales......

and all of the sudden I was being made to feel guilty that I didn't own a straight razor and a strop.


WTF just doesn't cut it.


WHAT THE FUCK?

Serious stretch and jump in the OP.

[flvegan]

5. I think we're SOL on any sort of explanation.

Oh well.