Yep—and Melville got a lot of his info from #WilliamScoresbyJr, a.k.a. Captain Sleet
January 9, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Yep—and Melville got a lot of his info from #WilliamScoresbyJr, a.k.a. Captain Sleet
I *just* learned about this exhibit about the history of studying whales at MIT’s museum through Jan 5, so I don’t have time to check it out! But I hope #WilliamScoresbyJr makes an appearance
mitmuseum.mit.edu
January 1, 2026 at 1:44 PM
I *just* learned about this exhibit about the history of studying whales at MIT’s museum through Jan 5, so I don’t have time to check it out! But I hope #WilliamScoresbyJr makes an appearance
#WilliamScoresbyJr identified the Arctic food web for the first time in 1816, noting that the largest animals (whales) depend on the smallest (phyto/zooplankton): "And thus we find a dependent chain of existence, one of the smaller links of which being destroyed, the whole must necessarily perish."
As the arctic warms, phytoplankton 🦠 are revising their seasonal schedule 🗓️ ... but other organisms didn't get the memo in time.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
A new study from Courtney Payne and collaborators predicts disruptions in the Arctic Ocean's food web by the end of the century.
Scientists predict a sea change in Arctic ecosystems by the end of the century
A new study, led by INSTAAR’s Courtney Payne, predicts disrupted phytoplankton blooms in the year 2100, leading to knock-on effects throughout the Arctic ecosystem.
www.colorado.edu
November 20, 2025 at 4:13 PM
#WilliamScoresbyJr identified the Arctic food web for the first time in 1816, noting that the largest animals (whales) depend on the smallest (phyto/zooplankton): "And thus we find a dependent chain of existence, one of the smaller links of which being destroyed, the whole must necessarily perish."
John Playfair taught my biography subject #WilliamScoresbyJr in his natural history course at the U of Edinburgh in 1806—the epicenter of the Neptunism vs. Vulcanism geological debate. Scoresby leaned Neptunist! His notebook from Playfair's lectures (yes he misspelled Edinburgh on the cover):
November 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM
John Playfair taught my biography subject #WilliamScoresbyJr in his natural history course at the U of Edinburgh in 1806—the epicenter of the Neptunism vs. Vulcanism geological debate. Scoresby leaned Neptunist! His notebook from Playfair's lectures (yes he misspelled Edinburgh on the cover):
#WilliamScoresbyJr, my biography subject, predicted that bowheads were extremely long-lived due to the length of their baleen back in the 1820s! Now we another clue as to why they’re the longest-lived mammals on Earth
This whale lives for centuries: its secret could help extend human lifespan
A cold-activated protein that mends damaged DNA could play a part in keeping the bowhead whale in tip-top shape.
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
#WilliamScoresbyJr, my biography subject, predicted that bowheads were extremely long-lived due to the length of their baleen back in the 1820s! Now we another clue as to why they’re the longest-lived mammals on Earth