Standing on a beach looking out to sea leads many of us to ponder the question, I wonder what is out there? The explorers among us grab a mask and snorkel to see for ourselves. Warm, sunny waters invite hands-on exploration, making for enjoyable vacations. But what about the vast majority of the oceans deeper than 40 meters (131 feet)-beyond the range of most scuba divers? Technological advances, often driven by the military and the oil industry, have given scientists new tools to take them deeper. As a result, ocean exploration has increasingly become robotic.
Robots allow scientists to locate and investigate marine animals, ecosystems, and shipwrecks and other submerged archaeological sites at depths beyond that 40-meter easily-accessible depth. Robotic explorers generally fall into two categories, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVS) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVS). Each type of vehicle has specific capabilities that make it better suited to certain kinds of research.
Secrets in the Deep
Why would scientists want to spend the time and effort needed to locate and study a shipwreck in water deeper than they can reach by diving? Shipwrecks in the deep ocean can yield information about their place of origin or their early history that has not been scrambled by the effects of waves. (Waves are much more prevalent in shallow water.) Fragile artifacts are also more intact when they have escaped wave action. Not surprisingly, shipwrecks beyond the reach of scuba divers also have better site integrity. That's a location's ability to yield information to answer important research questions. Shipwrecks found in shallow waters are often like a book with its pages jumbled or ripped out.
この記事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の July/August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の July/August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.