Do whales and dolphins sleep?

Whale sleep patterns are different from land mammals in that they are never really unconscious when they sleep. See more pictures of marine mammals. ­

Whales and dolphins are mammals, so in a lot of ways, they are just like human beings.­ Among other things, they have similar bone structure, are warm-bloodedand give birth to "live young." The biggest differences between these animals and human beings are related to our respective environments. Whales and dolphins have a unique respiratory system that lets them spend long periods of time (sometimes 30 minutes or longer) underwater, without taking in any oxygen. ­

On land, human beings and other mammals breathe involuntarily: If we don't make a decision to breathe or not to breathe, our body will take in air automatically. Because of their undersea environment, whales and dolphins must be conscious breathers: They have to actively decide when to breathe. Consequently, in order to breathe, they have to be conscious. This presents a problem, since mammalian brains need to enter an unconscious state from time to time in order to function correctly (see How Sleep Works to find out why this might be).

There's plenty of time for a dolphin to catch a catnap between trips to the ocean surface, of course, but this isn't a viable option. When you're a conscious breather, it's just not feasible to be completely unconscious -- what if you don't wake up in time? The solution for whales and dolphins is to let one half of the brain sleep at a time. In this way, the animal is never completely unconscious, but it still gets the rest it needs.

Scientists have studied this phenomenon in dolphins, using electroencephalography. In this process, electrodes hooked up to the head measure electricity levels in the brain. The resultingelectroencephalograms (EEGs) of dolphin brains demonstrate that in the sleep cycle, half of the dolphin's brain does indeed "shut down" while the other half is still active. Researchers have observed that dolphins are in this state for approximately eight hours a day.

We can't really know what this rest state feels like, but we can make a good guess. It is probably something like the semi-conscious state we experience as we begin to fall asleep. We're pretty close to unconsciousness, but are aware enough of our surroundings to wake up completely if we need to.

And where do dolphins and whales sleep? They could probably sleep anywhere, but it makes sense that they would do it near the surface of the ocean so they can come up for air easily. It's not uncommon to see dolphins "logging," swimming slowly along the surface, with very little movement. Presumably, these are dolphins at rest.

MARINE MAMMALS

• How can dolphins disarm sea mines?
• How do walruses sleep in the water without drowning?
• Marine Mammal Quiz
• DiscoveryChannel.com: Sperm Whale Sleep

MORE ON WHALES AND DOLPHINS

He tracks down Kodiak bears, milks venomous snakes and pals around with flying foxes -- he's Jeff Corwin, and his wild adventures range from Kenya to Peru­. For more, tune in to Jeff Corwin's shows on Animal Planet.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/mammals/question643.htm

4x5大片幅相機拍攝2012倫敦奧運

David Burnett和他的4X5大片幅相機

在現代社會，拍攝大型運動會通常會用上專業的數碼相機，每秒拍攝6張，甚至是10張相片也視作等閒，但攝影師David Burnett反璞歸真，於2012年倫敦奧運用上4x5大片幅相機拍攝，David Burnett共拍了350張黑白的4x5相片，而操作這樣的古老相機需要很長時間，無論是測光、對焦、光圈、快門等也要用人手慢慢調教，而且每次只可以拍一張，換底片也會花上差不多一分鐘，可能正是因為操作慢，每張相片也特別有感覺，而且相片的現場感非常強，現在便一起欣賞David Burnett的「攝影過程」吧！














































http://www.davidburnett.com/gallery.html?sortNumber=11&gallery=London%202012%20%2f%20Olympics&skipno=0

Google Glass

Google 日前公布了「How It Feels through Glass」影片，讓你體驗一下戴著 Google Glass 的經驗，我們先來欣賞一下：

對於 Google Glass 還不熟悉的朋友，它是 Google 秘密研發許久的「可穿式電腦」，能夠上網、拍照、錄影、導航、與朋友聊天，基本上可以想像把一支智慧手機戴在眼睛的前面。

我一直在說 10 年後我們都不會戴「智慧手機」出門了，因為行動裝置將會化整為零，變成我們身上的某些配件，也就是所謂的「可穿式電腦」。而現在看了這支 Google Glass 影片後，我開始覺得這個 10 年或許會比我們想像中還快到來。

當然這不是 Google 第一次公布 Glass 的相關消息，但卻是第一次讓我們感受到 Glass 即將從「研發中」的工程樣品，逐漸要變成「商品」了。除了上面的影片，Google 還貼出了許多 Glass 的照片，這些照片不僅在描述 Glass 這台「電腦」的功能，也在訴求 Glass 這支「眼鏡」的功能，例如像是輕且堅固有彈性的鏡框等等。

甚至連 5 種鏡框的顏色，Google 都分別取上了非常時尚的名字：

當然用 Google Glass 來拍攝照片與影片，得到真正的「What You See is What You Get」(俗稱 WYSIWYG) 是非常酷的一個功能，但影片裡面我最欣賞的，是當冰雕家要刻出一隻老虎，他可以在 Google Glass 的幫忙下，顯示老虎的照片在眼前，大大幫助他的雕刻工作。也就是說 Google Glass 不僅是讓你把實體世界帶到線上的一個「第三支眼」，也是一個讓你用線上的資料去提昇實體體驗的一個「嚮導」– 沒錯，也就是七龍珠裡超級賽亞人眼鏡最重要的功能。

這個功能最重要的應用大概就是「翻譯」，在未來，有了這些裝置後，我們出國旅遊，與外國人交流的種種體驗，我想都會變得非常不一樣。我們可以減少浪費時間在資訊的尋找與翻譯上，而可以花更多的精神在了解當地的文化與朋友上。

3D塗鴉筆(3Doodler)

在介紹這隻神奇的筆之前，先問問大家有看過3D影印機(3D Printer)嗎？不同於以往2D的技術，影印機以油墨為素材，3D影印機則是利用一層層的堆疊塑料，先掃描確認物品形狀後，再打印出一件3D作品，很複雜嗎？看看這支影片你就會知道它有多神奇了：

今天的重頭戲來了，因為有了3D影印機的概念，以及科技不斷創新下，這支3D塗鴉筆(3Doodler)於是誕生了，現在你筆下的每一畫都能立即成為3D的立體圖型，不管大人小孩都能輕鬆享受3D作畫的樂趣。雖然它看起來像是支熱熔膠槍，但當未來技術更加成熟、實用性越高時，將會帶來全新的生活面貌。

Bryant Austin

鯨魚表現人類特性

由美國埃默瑞大學（Emory University）神經生物學家洛瑞馬里諾博士（Dr. Lori Marino），法國巴黎瑪麗居里大學（Marie Curie University）神經生物學家喬治沙普捷博士Dr. Georges Chapouthier和加拿大達爾豪西大學（Dalhousie University）哈爾懷特黑德博士（Dr. Hal Whitehead）所進行的研究都證實，鯨魚有智慧和感情。這些發現指出，鯨魚不僅對疼痛與痛苦非常敏感，而且他們也擁有過去被認為只屬於人類的品質， 包括自我意識和認同複雜的溝通、抽象思維和複雜的母系文化。懷特黑德博士和同事觀察到海洋中所有雄性鯨魚都會唱一首鯨歌，並在數月和數年內不斷改編這首歌。其實鯨魚的大腦擁有似乎為因應群體的互動而發展出且能處理認知和情緒的腦區。美國攝影師步萊恩奧斯汀先生（Mr. Bryant Austin）也了解鯨魚這個類似人類的品質。這些龐大的鯨魚，允許他在離牠們僅6英尺的距離拍攝牠們。奧斯汀先生回憶與鯨魚的首次相遇，並讓他決定終生 職業的原因。

奧斯汀先生：「我感覺有東西輕觸我的背，我轉身去看，發現自己正與身後1隻50噸的雌性座頭鯨對視，她比學校公車還大，她伸展她的15英尺胸鰭，就 像你伸出手臂來觸摸我，讓我知道她在我後面。我當時意外處於她與她的幼鯨之間，但她非常小心不對我造成任何意外或不小心的傷害。那時我非常震驚，我離她的 眼睛好近，她的眼神很平靜與小心。對我來說她不再是鯨魚！我的一生就此改變。」

這些鯨魚主動接近奧斯汀先生，牠們小心翼翼，避免因為牠們的龐大有力，而意外傷害到他。他拍攝的鯨魚相片被用來讓大眾認知到，捕鯨等是錯誤的行為。

奧斯汀先生：「想到這些野生動物這麼友好、好奇對我這麼溫柔。但人類卻帶給牠們巨大的痛苦，我的心都碎了。我們的後代不會有這些機會，我們現在應該行動才能保證鯨魚繼續存在，如果不採取更多行動，本世紀末，很多鯨魚會在人類史上首次滅絕！」

清海無上師屢屢強調保護生命，才能拯救地球的重要性。她常常提醒動物物種的高貴品質，且不該傷害牠們。就如刊登在09年12月16日《愛爾蘭愛狗雜誌》（The Irish Dog Journal）上的專訪。

清海無上師：「如果想知道我們殺的是什麼，關於動物的聰慧靈敏，科學家每天
都有更多發現。以鯨魚為例，鯨魚能透過海水，辨識不同鯨魚的呼叫，就像人類能從人聲鼎沸的房間認出朋友的聲音一樣。而且他們很有禮貌，輪到自己時才發言，難以置信吧？然而這些美妙的眾生，卻遭爆炸性魚叉射殺，極緩慢 地被百般折磨，使他們痛苦至死。我們若只愛某些動物，就不能說自己愛動物。所以，懇請大家：改吃健康、營養、又問心無愧的純素食，整個世界擴大對動物的慈 悲氣氛，吸引動物的無數祝福，當然地球氣氛會穩定，甚至變得更像天堂，洋溢和平與愛心！」

Bryant Austin, Studio: cosmos http://www.studiocosmos.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/studiocosmosaustin

Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry

Southern right whale and diver, New Zealand, 2007

It was a stunning scene—a 45-foot-long, 70-ton right whale hovering over the bottom just a few feet away from a diver standing on the bottom. … At some point I stopped and kneeled on the sand to catch my breath, and I was certain the whale would just keep swimming. Instead, the whale also stopped, turned, and hovered over me as it stared with that soulful eye. A few seconds later, I resumed swimming alongside the whale, making pictures, and savoring every second.

Ocean Soul is a love story. It is a story of discovery. It is a story of hope. The story begins when a boy who loves the sea attends an event with underwater photographers and has an epiphany: "I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but I now understood how I would do this. I would do it with a camera." With sheer deter­mination, hard work, and a little bit of luck the boy, named Brian Skerry, realized his dream with more than 20 awe-inspiring articles for National Geographic magazine. Now, with Ocean Soul, he showcases his stunning photography and describes his adventurous life in a gripping portrait of the ocean as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with the proper attention and care.

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who captures images that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea but also bring attention to the pressing issue which endanger our oceans.

Using the camera as his tool of communication, Brian Skerry has spent the past three decades telling the stories of the ocean. His images portray not only the aesthetic wonder of the ocean but display an intense journalistic drive for relevance. Skerry's work brings to light the many pressing issues facing our oceans and its inhabitants. Typically spending eight months of the year in the field, he often face extreme conditions to capture his subjects. He has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats and dived beneath the Arctic ice to get his shot. He has spent over 10,000 hours underwater.

A contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine since 1998, Brian Skerry has had twelve stories published in the magazine with several more upcoming.


TED
http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_skerry_reveals_ocean_s_glory_and_horror.html

掠食者犯罪現場: 大白鯊殺手 Predator CSI: Jaws slayer

Discover what caused a whale to attack natures perfect killing machine.
大白鯊與虎鯨是海裡最強大的掠食動物，我們以為牠們從不曾相互挑戰。某天早上在加州海岸，全船的遊客目睹兩大巨獸的對決。如今在一群專家的協助之下，我們重新檢驗這次不凡事件，並且揭露關於海中兩大掠食動物的驚人新觀點。

影片
http://ipd.pps.tv/play_33HAZL.html

Inside Nature's Giants - The Fin Whale

今天看的電視，記錄一下

Record-breaking whale stranded on Irish beach dies 
as rescuers struggle to save it

Motionless in the shallows off the coast he lay, as his life ebbed away. 

It was a sorry end for the young fin whale, found trapped on a sand bank yesterday morning. 

Although his carcass was left by the shore, apparently mourned by just a single surfer, this whale did not die without a fight.

A surfer stands by the whale stranded on a sandbar in Courtmacsherry Bay

His final hours were testament to the bond between one of Earth's largest animals and humankind - as up to 5,000 flocked to the beach to try to help him back to sea. 

The 65ft whale, whose species is endangered, had been spotted by lifeboatmen at their station at 8am. Then he was alive and spouting water from his blow-hole. 

Michael Hurley, of the Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Station in Ireland, said: 'His tail was in the air waving about. I could see the spume of water being blown up.'

Pictured making their way to the stranded Finn whale on the beach 

are members of the Irish Whale and Dolphin group

An endangered species, the fin whale can grow to 88 feet in length, can dive to 820 feet deep 

and can hold its breath for 10 to 15 minutes

.

But, he added: 'As time moved on, it became obvious he was getting more and more tired as his activity began to slow down. He may have been injured at sea.

'There is a score mark along one of his sides as if he was in collision with a ship.'

As soon as the alarm was raised, rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service began to co-ordinate a rescue operation with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

It was possible that the whale had come in on the tide the previous night 

and been in harbour all night

They hoped to launch a lifeboat and refloat the 15-ton whale by coaxing him out of the bay at high tide. 

As news spread, locals arrived to see if they could help. 

But by 11.30am, when the tide had dropped low enough for rangers to reach him, it was already too late. 

The whale had weakened and died. Simon Berrow, from the IWDG, said: 'Our options were limited. The whale was looking thin and bones were showing. It must have been pretty sick to die in such a short time.' 

Experts believe the male may have been beached off County Cork all night, after seeking shelter. He was among the biggest of 65 sighted in the area. Cranes and slings will be needed to move the carcass. 

The fin whale, second in size only to the blue whale, can grow to 88ft, dive to 820ft and stay underwater for 15 minutes.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1117924/Record-breaking-whale-stranded-Irish-beach-dies-rescuers-struggle-save-it.html#ixzz2KEB2AJHu
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Inside Nature's Giants - The Fin Whale

完整節目

http://www.bmetv.net/video/893/inside-nature-s-giants-the-fin-whale