fish
Latest
Researchers create a swimming robot that can 'heal' itself
Researchers at UC San Diego created a tiny robot shaped like a fish that could reassemble itself when broken apart.
Alphabet's next moonshot: protect the ocean
Alphabet's moonshot factory is turning its attention back toward the ocean. But whereas Project Foghorn looked to turn seawater into a carbon-neutral fuel, the newly-announced Tidal has a broader mission to protect the sea and its aquatic inhabitants. "This is a critical issue," Neil Davé, general manager for Tidal said in a blog post. "Humanity is pushing the ocean past its breaking point, but we can't protect what we don't understand." The team, which operates under the company's "X" lab for now, is starting with a camera system that can help fish farmers monitor and, hopefully, better understand every living creature inside their pens.
Study says climate change is starving the oceans of oxygen
The effect of climate change on oceans is likely more extensive than you think. A study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicated that climate change and the ensuing hotter water reduced the amount of oxygen dissolved into oceans by 2 percent between 1960 and 2010. While that may seem like only a modest amount, oxygen levels in some tropical regions dropped by up to 40 percent. Moreover, scientists warned that even a slight dip could be particularly troublesome for big, energy-dependent fish like marlin, sharks and tuna. Lower oxygen levels drive them to shallower water, putting them at greater risk of overfishing.
Scientists make a lifelike robotic fish using multipurpose 'blood'
There's no question that robots have come a long way since their cold, clunky, cumbersome inception. Nowadays they're smart, agile and responsive -- but they're still missing the tactile, multipurpose elements that make living creatures flexible and autonomous. Until now. In a bid to make robots more lifelike, scientists have created a soft robotic lionfish and have pumped it full of life-giving "blood."
FDA removes restrictions on genetically modified salmon
Genetically modified fish are about to become more of a practical reality in the US. The Food and Drug Administration has lifted an import alert on AquaBounty's genetically modified AquAdvantage salmon eggs, allowing the fish to reach the US over three years after they received initial approval. Congress told the FDA in 2016 to block modified salmon until it issued labeling guidelines, and the Administration believes Congress' newly-enacted National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard meets that criteria.
Spear-toting robot can guard coral reefs against invasive lionfish
Lionfish are threats to not only fragile coral reef ecosystems, but the divers who keep them in check. They not only take advantage of unsuspecting fish populations, but carry poisonous spines that make them challenging to catch. Student researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute may have a solution: robotic guardians. They've crafted an autonomous robot (below) that can hunt lionfish without requiring a tethered operator that could harm the reefs.
Researchers create robotic fish that can swim underwater on its own
Observing fish in their natural ocean habitats goes a long way toward understanding their behaviors and interactions with the surrounding environment. But doing so isn't easy. Using underwater vehicles to get a look at these species is one option, but they often come with a slew of limitations. Some are loud and use propellers or jet-propulsion that disturb fish and their surroundings. And many are designed in a way that doesn't allow them to blend in with the marine environment. Controlling such vehicles is also a challenge and in many cases, they have to be tethered to a boat. But researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have come up with a potential solution -- a soft robot that can swim on its own underwater.
‘Sustainable seafood’ grows in a lab instead of the ocean
Taking a whiff of a tray of multiplied cells, made from the stem cells scraped off a dead fish, all I could detect was a faint aroma of something smelling 'off.' Fishy, even. The co-founders of Finless Foods are working every holiday and weekend to 'feed' the cells so they divide and grow well enough to construct a fish fillet of edible meat within a few months. The biotechnology startup is pinning all of its hopes on consumers choosing lab-made meat over the potentially overfished or antibiotic-laden pieces of fish they might be purchasing now.
3D zebrafish can replace real animals in the lab
A few years ago, zebrafish became the new lab rat because of their genetic similarity to humans. So, when a team of researchers from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering decided to develop a virtual alternative for lab animals, they chose the tropical freshwater minnows. The team used real-life data to develop a platform that simulates zebrafish swimming in three dimensions, which is accurate enough to replace the animals in experiments.
How about a drone to help you catch fish?
If you're looking to improve the quality of your catch, or just terrorize the local fish, you should check out AguaDrone. As the name implies, it's a drone that's been specifically designed to operate on water for those fishy and outdoorsy types in your friend circle. As well as being fully waterproof, the device can land on and take off from bodies of both fresh and salt water. But AguaDrone's real strength is that it can carries a series of swappable pods that'll enable you to hunt down, film and catch those prized fish who aren't so easy to find.
Nano-sized metal fish deliver targeted drugs to your body
Doctors have long dreamed of delivering drugs to specific parts of your body, and they may soon have a clever way to do it: fish. UC San Diego researchers have developed nanoscale metallic fish (they're just 800 nanometers long) that could carry medicine into the deeper reaches of your bloodstream. Each critter has a gold head and tailfin, as well as a nickel body joined by silver hinges. You only have to subject them to an oscillating magnetic field to make them swim -- there's no need for propellers or a passive (read: slow) delivery system. That, in turn, could make the drug carriers smaller even as they move quickly.
Scientists track fish health by 'finding Nemo'
While a Fitbit isn't much use to a flounder, a team at the University of Liverpool has figured out the next best thing. Dr Lynne Sneddon's team created a system that non-invasively monitors the welfare of our sub-aquatic friends. Two cameras monitor how healthy fish swim in three dimensions, while software picks out any critters showing irregular patterns. Any real-life Nemos get given a health score, alerting carers to which animals might need attention.
The US wants you to track endangered wildlife with your phone
The next time you go fishing, make sure to bring your smartphone... it might just help you protect an endangered species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with the developers of mobile app FishBrain to crowdsource conservation data. A new feature in the free software lets you catalog as many as 50 threatened species (aquatic or otherwise) during a trip, helping conservationists find out both where these critters live and why their populations are dropping. It seems paradoxical to ask anglers for help saving coastal life, but it makes sense when you think about it -- they're the most likely to see these rare animals, and they're often well aware that extinction has dire consequences. The big challenge will simply be getting enough people using the app to provide meaningful input. [Image credit: AP Photo/John Flesher]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: fish domes and 3D-printed bridges
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. We've seen 3D-printed clothing, cars and houses -- and now Amsterdam is building an entire bridge from 3D-printed steel! Designed by MX3D and Joris Laarman, the revolutionary pedestrian bridge will be constructed by multi-axis industrial robots. In other architecture news, Dubai has given the green light for a fleet of floating luxury islands to be built in The World archipelago. One World Trade Center opened late last year -- and now it looks like New York City's tallest building is about to get a new neighbor. Last week, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) unveiled a set of architectural renderings for Two World Trade Center, a 1,340-foot tower that will consist of a series of stacked boxes.
Chill out with this 'holographic' virtual aquarium
There's something inexplicably tranquil about gazing at fish in an aquarium as they swim back and forth, darting about rocks or that tacky plastic treasure chest sitting in the corner. But what if you could have one on your desk, without all the water changes, filter cleaning and general maintenance? That's probably a ways off, but Memukhin Oleg's "Fishing Day" explores such a (not entirely virtual) reality. As you'll see in the video below from The Creators Project, he's used a handful of different 3D modeling techniques to bring artificial fishies to life. They react to a handheld submarine, schooling and separating as they might in the real world, flitting through a gaudy shipwreck you'd find at a pet store's aquarium aisle. It's all really, really impressive and there's even a breakdown of how the effects shot came together. The only bad part? The video's a bit on the short side.
Handheld device knows when your high-end seafood dish is a little fishy
As much as we love the idea of fish police, stoically patrolling high-end restaurants, scanning plates of food and shouting "That is NOT real fugu, good sir," that's (sadly) not how this device works. Yes, this handheld machine called QuadPyre made by University of South Florida researchers can detect if someone's trying to pass off inferior fish as their more expensive counterparts. But at the moment, it can only detect if shady sellers are trying to pass off riffraff as grouper fish. See, local fishermen are apparently not capable of keeping up with grouper demand in the country, so the US has been importing metric tons from abroad.
Watch a four-finned robot fish swim in any direction
There's now at least a few robots that swim like fish, but they have their limits: they still take time to turn around, and they're not exactly precision instruments. Researchers at ETH Zurich are well on their way to solving those problems with their Sepios robot, though. As you'll see in the video below, the cuttlefish-inspired creation undulates its four fins in tandem to move in any direction, even through obstacles (such as seagrass and metal frames) that would trip up other animal-like automatons. It's quiet, too, so it can float near real fish without immediately causing a panic.
Watch two fish duke it out in 'Street Fighter' on a live internet stream
The bar has been raised for fish-controlled video games. Not content with the solo action of Fish Plays Pokemon, Andrew Hill has launched FishPlayStreetFighter, a Twitch stream that lets you watch two fish (Aquarius and Robert the Bruce) square off in Capcom's classic Street Fighter II. It's mapping movement around the tank like before, but it's using a significantly more advanced control scheme to liven things up. Color detection makes the two-player mode possible, and the fish can string together input combos based on where they're swimming -- watch for long enough and you'll see a goldfish throw its opponent across the room. The best part is that the matches actually move along pretty quickly. While you'll sometimes see the fighters wasting time, one fish usually gets a knockout before time is up. The feed doesn't run at all hours (usually between 7:30AM and 10PM Eastern), but it should easily keep you distracted while you're at work.
Watch this fish play 'Pokemon' live on the internet (currently in betta)
The world record holder for longest consecutive Pokemon gameplay might just be a fish. Grayson Hopper, a bright orange betta, has been "playing" the game for 135 hours and counting, with the event broadcast live on the internet from a "tiny dorm room." Before you get too excited, the aquatic creature's owner mapped out a video feed of an otherwise ordinary bowl, and, to the best of our knowledge, Grayson's entirely unaware that he's become the latest Twitch sensation. As of the last update, the fish had defeated his first opponent and even managed to acquire a Pokemon. Mr. Hopper has paused to rest throughout the experiment, so he should be in good shape to continue until his owner relocates the rig later this summer.
Fish plays Pokemon instead of making Fez 2
Well, this is just rude. First Phil Fish cancels the brilliant, beautiful idea that was Fez 2, and now he's showing off how much free time he has by playing Pokemon Red live on Twitch. Half of the time he's not even moving! He just sits there at the top of his bowl, taunting us all. That said, considering Fish's current pace through Pokemon, it's a miracle he made Fez in just five years. [Images: FishPlaysPokemon]
