Lucky for the Vital Signs Program, that is!

Thirteen energized middle school teachers from around Maine spent three days this summer sharing their professional experiences and classroom expertise with the Vital Signs development team.

Their input has launched Vital Signs many giant steps forward, and has truly motivated and inspired the Vital Signs team.

They left GMRI ready to launch Vital Signs in their own classrooms this fall or spring. Here’s why they’re enthused about the program, direct from the 13:

“I am excited about being able to take my students into the field, collect meaningful data and share it with the wider scientific community. I am hopeful that the end result will be to increase my students’ environmental awareness so that they become more responsible, global citizens.”

“Great stuff! If good science begins with animate curiosity and intense observation, and healthy classrooms harbor excited teachers, then things are looking up for the science curriculums of thirteen Maine classrooms this fall.”

“I love the idea of doing real science and collecting data for a bigger purpose, along with giving kids the opportunity to develop a sense of ownership for the health of a local ecosystem. What a great opportunity!”

“I found this experience refreshing. I was pleased to be a part of a great group of people working together to improve the quality of science education in Maine. The collaboration between educators, scientists, students and local community should result in a more meaningful experience for our 7th and 8th graders statewide.”

“The most exciting thing about Vital Signs is that we are doing “real” science. Students’ audience will extend far beyond the usual restriction of the classroom walls and into the scientific community. The more students engage in this process the greater the chances are that today’s students will become tomorrow’s concerned citizens who will work to solve environmental problems as they arise.”

“Students will have an opportunity to take a lead in their communities - learning about invasive species and informing their friends and neighbors. Getting outside and exercising all of their senses to collect scientific data will be exciting and rewarding.”

A few months ago, Captain James Jones sent us some underwater video he shot with his underwater robot, a Remotely Operated Vehicle or ROV.  In the video he had captured some footage of a mysterious animal that left funny coils of what appeared to be dirt outside their burrows.  He asked us what we thought it was and our best guess at the time was some kind of worm.

The Mystery of the X-Worm video.

After some research, Captain Jones recently uncovered the Mystery of the X-Worm.  It is called a lugworm and it lives coiled up in a U-shaped tunnel under the mud.  The piles next to the lugworm den, which are called casings, are nothing more than piles of lugworm poop!

Lugworm casings on Ballyholme Beach in Northern Ireland (photo by Nick Veitch).

Here is some news fresh from Curt Brown’s lobster boat in Casco Bay:

A triggerfish being pulled from Curt's lobster trap.

Never knowing what is coming up in the next trap is one of the things that keeps lobstering exciting. Yesterday I caught something I had never seen before…at least not here in Maine. I’m more used to seeing these triggerfish when I’m diving down in the Caribbean so you can imagine how surprised I was when this triggerfish (Balistes carolinensis) came up in my trap. According to Bigelow and Schroeder (a guidebook to Maine fish) these fish are quite rare in the Gulf of Maine. “One was reported from Casco Bay, (Small Point), Maine, in 1949, and one near Boothbay Harbor (Linekin Bay), also in 1949.”

Regardless, a pretty cool looking fish. Check out the colors and the teeth.

Hope all is well,

Curt

Here is a link to a short video about tropical fish moving northward on the Gulf Stream.

Octopuses are masters of disguise. They can change color, pattern and skin texture to blend with their surroundings. And since they have no bones and are basically muscular, water-filled balloons, they can change shape too!

An octopus from the Gulf of Maine blending in with some rocks.

But when they’re startled and need to take off in a hurry, most have to give up their camouflage. Then they must usually reshape themselves so they can jet off in a cloud of ink or scramble away on all eight legs.

But at least two species of tropical cousins to the Gulf of Maine octopus have found a cool way to solve that problem. They’re able to lift six of their arms while walking backward on the other two.

One of them, the coconut octopus (Octopus marginatus), lives off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Since the sandy seafloor where it lives is dotted with lots of waterlogged coconuts, it’s no wonder this little octopus often hides inside them.

But scientists were surprised to discover that it takes the disguise one step further. Instead of dashing away when danger threatens, it pulls six legs over its head and takes on the shape and texture of a coconut. Then it quietly tiptoes away using the tips of its other two legs like little tank treads to slip away unnoticed!

A peregrine falcon was recently born on the understructure of the Casco Bay Bridge in Portland, Maine, right next to GMRI.  Although you cannot see the new family from the bridge, staff who work for the Transit Authority were able to share some video of the parent peregrine falcons feeding their new chick a pigeon.

Thanks to Nicholas Record for sharing this story.