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Japan Scientists Study Oyster 'Language'
Scientists in Japan have begun studying the "language" of oysters in an effort to find out what they are saying about their environment.Other than "Eat me! Eat me!"
Okay, men. Toss a few pounds of red tide in the tank. See how they react to that. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! Using a device they have nicknamed the "kai-lingual", a play on the Japanese word "kai" or shellfish, scientists from Kagawa University want to see if they can decode oyster movements that might warn of possible problems. The "kai-lingual" uses a series of sensors and magnets to send information on the opening and closing of shells in response to environmental changes. The technique has never before been used on oysters farmed for food, but has been employed by pearl oyster farmers. "With kai-lingual, we can hear the 'screams', like 'we are in pain because of insufficient oxygen'," said Tsuneo Honjo, director of the Seto Inland Sea Regional Research Center at the university. We usually hear this from them right around dinner time here at the Center... Pearl oysters have been placed among their food-farmed cousins where they have acted as "interpreters", alerting growers to ocean changes, he said. Yo, fish food! Smarten up! Da perfesser's talkin to yas! SMACK... "We have firmly established conversations with pearl oysters through years of research. They should translate into the reactions of the farmed oysters for us in this project," he said. Hiroshi...is she buying it? The research started in October and will last until the harvest in March, Honjo said. ...or until the grant money runs out. "So far, oysters are talking in a healthy fashion," he said. Better take his word for it. He's a scientist... Posted by: Fred 2011-12-07 |
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