I spend most of the summer on a small lake in central Massachusetts. The lake empties through a culvert under a road and into a large marsh through which the water flows. The marsh goes under a footbridge, and around a couple of...
Read MoreThe Question: In Michigan in early July, thousands of tiny, clear, oily, bead-like things were scattered all over the beach along the water line. We were wondering if they were a natural occurrence or some kind of pollution....
Read MoreThe Question: I recently I saw an eel-like fish while swimming in the sea in Rockport, MA. It looked around 3 feet (1 meter) long and was white/grey with black stripes (running from nose to tail, not vertically). It moved like...
Read MoreI was snorkeling in shallow water in a small lake in central Massachusetts today, and saw an interesting creature. What caught my eye was that a small section of the sandy gravel on the lake bottom was moving. It scooted forward...
Read More[Are Sharks Immune to
Disease and Cancer?] The
Question: I recently read
that sharks are immune to
all disease. Is this true?
Submitted by: Marion F.,
Somerville, MA The Short
Answer: No, it’s not
true. Sharks get bacterial
infections, viral infections,
and they suffer from
parasites, in short, the
entire suite of infectious
diseases from which all
animals and plants must
protect themselves. Sharks
also get cancer, contrary
to another widely
disseminated myth. More
Info: The claim that sharks
don’t get disease or
suffer from cancer is
mostly spread by
advertisements for dietary
supplements made from
sharks, such as shark
cartilage. These
