Beyond the blue: Some of the best aquariums worldwide

Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium is among the world’s largest aquariums featuring more than 11 million gallons of water and over 500 different species. The aquarium also offers behind-the-scene tours, animal encounters, and even sleepovers for a truly immersive experience.

S. E. A. Aquarium in Singapore is not only one of the largest but also one of the most impressive aquariums in the world. The aquarium is home to over 100, 000 marine animals, including more than 1, 000 species from different regions across the globe. It has 45 different habitats and 10 different zones, each with a distinct underwater environment that ranges from the tropical coral reefs to the chilly Antarctic Ocean.

Dubai Aquarium &Underwater Zoo is a must-visit when in Dubai. It houses over 140 species of aquatic animals, including the world’s largest collection of sand tiger sharks. The aquarium also features three large ecological zone exhibits, each with unique marine life. However, the highlight of the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is the 48-meter-long aquarium tunnel that takes visitors on a memorizing journey below the aquarium’s surface.

As the largest aquarium in Europe, Oceanográfic in Valencia, Spain offers tourists an unparalleled opportunity to explore the world’s major ecosystems and see unique marine animals up close. As tourists walk through the aquarium, they will witness diverse marine life. The aquarium even has a walk-in see-through shark tunnel, which is one of the best in the world.

One night, as I was driving down the road, I found something was sitting in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, I realized I was looking at a large turtle (海龟). Afraid of it being crashed by cars, so I pulled over, ran across the road and dragged the turtle to safety. But I’d made one big mistake.

I had heard that the best way to pick up a turtle without hurting it was picking it by the tail in order not to get bitten. So I’d made that big mistake. While the turtle turned out OK generally, I was determined to figure out how to move a turtle properly. I needed to find someone who dealt with turtles. I found the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. I talked to Dr. Sue, its Executive and Medical Director.

Dr. Sue told me that the organization dealt with a number of aspects of turtle conservation, including rescue, settlement, birth programs, research, and education. Sue explained that southern Ontario is home to a vast majority of turtles in Canada, but is also one of the vastest road networks of the country.

“Ninety percent of injured turtles brought in are caused by cars. These turtles spend a lot of time on land. And they do travel many kilometers on land for a variety of reasons, to find a nesting spot, or to hang out for the summer or winter. Turtles know where they want to go. So, just keep them going in the direction they want to go and you may have saved a turtle’s life,” Dr. Sue said.

Once an injured turtle arrives at the center, there are medical facilities (设备) ready to go, including an X-ray machine. That’s when the team gets to work with healing injuries, and help their patient.

Researchers recently discovered that mosquitoes who have their sleep interrupted would rather get rest than go looking for their next meal. “It was a bit surprising. Sleep deprived (睡眠不足) or not, a blood meal should appeal to them,” said Oluwaseun Ajayi, the leader of the study.

To study mosquitoes, researchers spent more than a year developing ways to analyze how they sleep, and to show the posture of mosquitoes accurately and count their amount of sleep. It was particularly challenging because of something researchers call the “observer effect”. This is when the act of just observing something can change its outcome. In the case of mosquitoes, they’re able to sense that people are nearby due to their body heat, movement, smells and breath. To deal with those circumstances, researchers set up the experiment in a quiet lab where the mosquitoes were several rooms away from anybody who might pass by. They placed cameras and infrared sensors (红外传感器) in the room so they could record whenever the mosquitoes moved without any risk of disturbing them.

Researchers found that the mosquitoes in the lab slept between 16 and 19 hours each day. When mosquitoes were actually in a sleep-like state, their hind legs are lowered, and they bring in their bodies closer to the surface where they are resting. Then, researchers moved their sound equipment regularly at night or during the day to subject them to sleep deprivation. More than three-quarters of the mosquitoes that got to sleep normally went hunting for a blood meal when they were awake. But less than one-quarter wanted to eat after a sleepless night.

Mosquitoes can spread serious diseases to humans. By understanding the sleep rhythms of insects, researchers hope to find new methods to prevent the spread of infections. “In fruit flies, a link between sleep and immunity (免疫力) has been established. And immunity is an important factor for disease transmission in mosquitoes,” Ajayi says. “Based on this, this research would provide us with an understanding of the role of sleep on the disease transmission in mosquitoes.”