Squid Mutations

Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
1,169
Heads up folks - Thought this might be interesting...

-John


Radiation and Mutation in Squid Cells
By Osae Tevesh, Cytology Today

From the magazine Cytology Today (April 1, 2005) – Scientists working in the area around the Bikini Islands have made an astounding discovery; apparently some squid in the area, members of the species Rossa pacifica, still carry radiation from the Hydrogen bomb tests of the early 1950’s. And what’s more, mutation is being directly observed at the cellular level.

Captured specimens of mutated R. pacifica have started to show up in fishermen’s nets, though the mutations are not easily observable from observation of the squids’ external bodies. The real findings are the amounts of Caesium-137 and Strontium-90 in the cells, as well as the apparent growth of new, possibly nervous tissue around the crainial nerves of the squid. Dr. Toshi Ogawa of Honshu University reported “This was amazing. What we found was tissue growth similar to vertebrate myelination surrounding the crainial nerves. Also, we have seen a strange pattern of telomere formation at the cellular level, and a lack of telomerase wear which usually occurs with stages of cellular mitosis and helps us to determine the age of the cells.”

Says Dr. Katsuhiko Jinai of Tokyo University’s marine sciences program, “This finding is astounding, mostly because it sheds light on the transmission of radioactive particles in the ecosystem, and how they may affect the cells of squid, in this case Rossa pacifica. Because of the telomerase wear anomaly, we cannot accurately determine the age of the squid.” When asked if this means that these squid may be the same squid that survived the undersea nuclear tests, Jinai laughed and said “Well, right now we can’t count out anything, though I doubt a squid could live for fifty-plus years."

Ogawa adds, “What I’m interested in is how these animals survive with near-lethal doses of radioactive isotopes in their cells and somehow harbor mutations that may be beneficial. Further study must be done.”
 
It reminds me of the Chernobyl mice. An article on the 10 year anniversary of Chernobyl reported that field mice living in the closed zone had undergone the equivalent of 1 million years of genetic drift from mutations during those 10 years, and constituted a new species as they were no longer able to viably breed with mice from outside the site.
 
Okay okay folks... here's the deal: This whole post was an April Fool's gag. I just wanted to pull some tentacles, and I guess I got a little too technical in my writing. I half expected Steve-O to come club me over the head over this rubbish, especially since the "author" of this mess - a certain "Osae Tevesh" (an anagram for 'Steve O'Shea"), was actually me flexing my creative muscle in a more annoying way.

So I'm sorry Tony, and everyone. Truth is, I would like to know more about squid mutations and the like, and I am VERY much concerned about the use of radiological agents in our oceans, but I let this joke get a little weird.

Anyway, I promise my next post will be a bit more thought-provoking, and be TRUE.

Ex Octopus Sapiens,

John Jaramillo
 
:shock:

You positively wretched fellow!!! Got me, hook, line and sinker (was just about to search out 'Cytology Today' - I've never heard of it, but that doesn't mean anything as it's not my area of expertise).
 
:notworth:
Well done!

...especially since April's Fool has been rather sedated around here...unless....*stops and thinks*....*doesn't think too hard because recovering from the previous 'incident" with brain*
...
...
...unless that huge list of "stuff-to-do"(TM) given by :oshea: is an april's Fool...
...
...
For sure, Master O will turn around, yell "Fooled You!" and proceed to belittle me in front of everybody ....
ah well, two out of three ain't bad :lol:

TPOTH
 

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