Reef Central Online Community

Home Forum Here you can view your subscribed threads, work with private messages and edit your profile and preferences View New Posts View Today's Posts

Find other members Frequently Asked Questions Search Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for marine aquarists Support our sponsors and mention Reef Central

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community Archives > General Interest Forums > The Lounge
Reload this Page Scientists discover oldest living animal (a Clam)... and promptly kill it
FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search

 
Page 1 of 3 1 23
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10/29/2007, 05:19 PM
ShootMe ShootMe is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 59
Scientists discover oldest living animal (a Clam)... and promptly kill it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/oct/29/clam

Seems like a sad way to make a discovery
__________________
"I plan to live Forever, so far, so good"
  #2  
Old 10/29/2007, 05:31 PM
kev apsley kev apsley is offline
SPS Kibitzer
  
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,711
What a bunch of morons!
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards
  #3  
Old 10/29/2007, 07:53 PM
SVTour SVTour is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 530
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
What a bunch of morons!
W3rd...let's go out and kill the only known giant squid next
__________________
Joey

I got my kids 529 plan invested right outside my living room wall...red house shows all.
  #4  
Old 10/29/2007, 08:49 PM
BigSkyBart BigSkyBart is offline
On "The List"
  
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: BigSkyCountry
Posts: 377
did the final services include drawn butter or cocktail sauce?
__________________
as scary as it may be, bart and i are very similar in our opinions of this topic
~jpfelix

HEY! I lost it first ~CRP

There is no "Brain" in "Brian." ~Beerguy
  #5  
Old 10/29/2007, 11:06 PM
ACBlinky ACBlinky is offline
Premium Member
  
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada
Posts: 3,804
"The research team believe they may have older clams in their collection that have yet to be dissected."

Good Lord. Killing the oldest and probably most peaceful animals on the planet, simply because "it is possible that an investigation of the tissues of these real life Methuselahs might help us to understand the process of ageing"

How very sad. I'm embarrassed for us as a species right now.
__________________
"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea."
- Isak Dinesen
  #6  
Old 10/30/2007, 11:21 AM
Fat Man Fat Man is offline
in the bathtub
  
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Way out yonder where the west commences
Posts: 528
From the article:

Quote:
The Arctica islandica clam was plucked from 80m-deep water by researchers at Bangor University in Wales, who were dredging the north Iceland shelf for the creatures. By studying their shells, the scientists hope to learn how the marine environment has changed in recent centuries.

The clam was alive when it was brought to the surface, but at that point, the researchers had no idea how old it was. Only after cutting through the shell and counting annual growth rings under a microscope did they date the mollusc to between 405 to 410 years old.

"Its death is an unfortunate aspect of this work, but we hope to derive lots of information from it," said Al Wanamaker, a postdoctoral scientist on the university's Arctica team. "For our work it's a bonus, but it wasn't good for this particular animal."

It wasn't like they knew how old it was before they dissected it.

Read the article people!
__________________
Of course I could be completely mistaken.


Ed: "I hate to tell you this Dr., but there aren't any fish in that river. In fact, there isn't any river."
Dr. Lao: "That's ok. Me no use bait."
  #7  
Old 10/30/2007, 06:10 PM
shouldabenacowboy shouldabenacowboy is offline
Touch me...Love me
  
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Port Huron, MICHIAGN
Posts: 511
Well said fat man

SBC
__________________
i'm gonna sit here all freaking night if i have to just so i can own page 2 of this thread - Nina51

it'll make a turd - Minuteman

This thread is just about to be closed - Anemone
  #8  
Old 10/30/2007, 06:17 PM
Minuteman Minuteman is offline
Stop touching me!!!
  
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Virginia
Posts: 486
Wonder what a 400 year old clam tastes like...
  #9  
Old 10/30/2007, 09:51 PM
BigSkyBart BigSkyBart is offline
On "The List"
  
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: BigSkyCountry
Posts: 377
Quote:
Originally posted by Minuteman
Wonder what a 400 year old clam tastes like...
Depends?

__________________
as scary as it may be, bart and i are very similar in our opinions of this topic
~jpfelix

HEY! I lost it first ~CRP

There is no "Brain" in "Brian." ~Beerguy
  #10  
Old 10/31/2007, 03:52 PM
kev apsley kev apsley is offline
SPS Kibitzer
  
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,711
they're still idiots!
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards
  #11  
Old 10/31/2007, 05:09 PM
Fat Man Fat Man is offline
in the bathtub
  
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Way out yonder where the west commences
Posts: 528
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
they're still idiots!
You say this is because?
__________________
Of course I could be completely mistaken.


Ed: "I hate to tell you this Dr., but there aren't any fish in that river. In fact, there isn't any river."
Dr. Lao: "That's ok. Me no use bait."
  #12  
Old 10/31/2007, 05:16 PM
dinoman dinoman is offline
Dino - Victim of Women
  
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Northern Wyoming
Posts: 986
Quote:
Originally posted by Fat Man
You say this is because?
They forgot to bring butter.
__________________
Support the National Bone Marrow Registry

"And who could have ever guess that Dino is apparently the smartest man on the planet?" - jgoodrich71
  #13  
Old 10/31/2007, 05:16 PM
Fat Man Fat Man is offline
in the bathtub
  
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Way out yonder where the west commences
Posts: 528
Oh how silly of me. Thanks Dino.
__________________
Of course I could be completely mistaken.


Ed: "I hate to tell you this Dr., but there aren't any fish in that river. In fact, there isn't any river."
Dr. Lao: "That's ok. Me no use bait."
  #14  
Old 10/31/2007, 06:06 PM
BeltwayBandit BeltwayBandit is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 185
Kinda reminds me of a quote I once heard: "I wanted to meet interesting people from an old and distinguished culture... and kill them."
  #15  
Old 10/31/2007, 06:44 PM
kev apsley kev apsley is offline
SPS Kibitzer
  
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,711
Quote:
Originally posted by Fat Man
You say this is because?
I say that because they were scientists and should have known that there was the possibility that the clam was very old. One of the reasons they dissected the clam in the first place was to determine its age. You can't tell me that there is no other way to determine the age of a clam. These "allegedly" intelligent scientists killed the oldest living creature known to man. How smart is that?
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards
  #16  
Old 10/31/2007, 11:58 PM
widmer widmer is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 14
LOLOLOLOL @ dinoman

Q: How does a 400 year old clam taste?
dinoman: Depends?

>dont get it? google image search "depends"
  #17  
Old 10/31/2007, 11:59 PM
widmer widmer is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 14
oops i hit reply before the pic loaded...
  #18  
Old 11/01/2007, 03:17 AM
TylerFerretLord TylerFerretLord is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 12
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
I say that because they were scientists and should have known that there was the possibility that the clam was very old. One of the reasons they dissected the clam in the first place was to determine its age. You can't tell me that there is no other way to determine the age of a clam. These "allegedly" intelligent scientists killed the oldest living creature known to man. How smart is that?
Would you prefer we live in trees and eat nuts and berries?
__________________
Everything causes cancer, but only in California.
  #19  
Old 11/01/2007, 05:15 AM
kev apsley kev apsley is offline
SPS Kibitzer
  
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,711
Quote:
Originally posted by TylerFerretLord
Would you prefer we live in trees and eat nuts and berries?
gimme a break..what the hell is that suppose to mean??
__________________
I may not have morals but I definitely have standards
  #20  
Old 11/01/2007, 06:24 AM
Aliie Aliie is offline
Simply Complicated
  
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 605
Quote:
Originally posted by TylerFerretLord
Would you prefer we live in trees and eat nuts and berries?
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
gimme a break..what the hell is that suppose to mean??

Monkey see monkey do.
__________________
That's like rubbing a deer with bacon grease and turning it loose in the lion exhibit at the zoo. ~ Doc Joey
  #21  
Old 11/01/2007, 11:28 AM
Fat Man Fat Man is offline
in the bathtub
  
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Way out yonder where the west commences
Posts: 528
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
I say that because they were scientists and should have known that there was the possibility that the clam was very old.
What we shouldn't study long lived creatures?

Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
One of the reasons they dissected the clam in the first place was to determine its age. You can't tell me that there is no other way to determine the age of a clam.
No I can't tell you if there is another way to determine a clam's age. I'm not a marine biologist specializing in bivalves, are you?

Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
These "allegedly" intelligent scientists killed the oldest living creature known to man. How smart is that?
Once again they didn't know how old it was until the dissection.

Quote:
Originally posted by TylerFerretLord
Would you prefer we live in trees and eat nuts and berries?
That wasn't a very helpful or well thought out statement either.
__________________
Of course I could be completely mistaken.


Ed: "I hate to tell you this Dr., but there aren't any fish in that river. In fact, there isn't any river."
Dr. Lao: "That's ok. Me no use bait."
  #22  
Old 11/01/2007, 12:44 PM
billsreef billsreef is offline
Moderator
10 & Over Club
  
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 12,688
Quote:
Originally posted by kev apsley
You can't tell me that there is no other way to determine the age of a clam.
If there is, it hasn't been found yet. Unfortunately in science, sometimes animals are sacrificed in order to gain the data that is being looked for.
__________________
Bill

"LOL, well I have no brain apparently. " - dc (Debi)
  #23  
Old 11/01/2007, 12:53 PM
oz oz is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
Posts: 1,000
Aww man, not the Giant squid again. You guys had to bring that up didn't you.
  #24  
Old 11/01/2007, 12:57 PM
Jeffrey Porter Jeffrey Porter is offline
Registered Member
  
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bermuda - No!....not in the Caribbean
Posts: 309
at least i know how old i am, and i have the certificate to prove it. i hope.


ohh Nina....................
__________________
Oh there's nothing wrong with it. Just a big hole where the pilots usually sit. 'Airport 1975'

There were plenty of fish in the sea, but i wasn't ready to hang up my tacklebox.
  #25  
Old 11/01/2007, 01:01 PM
dc dc is offline
Moved In
  
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: {Wyoming}
Posts: 11,786
__________________
~Debi~

Powertripping~is that a song or a dance?

RC Lounge~Humor Questionable ~Enter At Own Risk!
 
Page 1 of 3 1 23

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:51 AM.

Contact Us - Reef Central Archives - Archive - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef Central™ Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2009