Mark Caney's Blog, page 47
July 2, 2012
Victoria Beckham poses with a dolphin
From Metro:Looking relaxed and happy, the fashionista even managed to flash a smile as she posed for the camera in the sunshine.
Mrs Beckham still managed to look totally glamorous with oversized shades, her brown tousled hair over one shoulder and a loose black dress as she rested her hands on the dolphin’s back.
Underneath the candid snap, the Spice Girls member wrote the caption: ‘Such a special day with the children swimming with dolphins!!! They are so beautiful!!!!’.
Full story: Metro
Orcas hunting dolphins on film
Pacific white-sided dolphins are known for seeking safety in numbers, and in the accompanying video captured up in Hyacinthe Bay, British Columbia, Canada, hundreds can be seen racing out of the bay to evade a few hungry killer whales giving chase. The whales do their best to trap these clever dolphins into the small coves found all over Vancouver Island, which is what’s happening right when this clip begins. The clip begins with the dolphins sensing nearby danger, and making a stunning sprint for more open ocean. But some of the slower stragglers get cornered in rocky inlet, and are forced to retreat back into the bay to escape.
Full story: GrindTV
July 1, 2012
Dolphin Way is One Year Old!
Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians was published on 4th July 2011 and so is now one year old! Set entirely amongst the dolphins, the novel takes the reader into a world that is fascinating and believable. This is particularly so because the author has extensively researched these extraordinary creatures and has taken painstaking care to ensure that the details are accurate. In that year there has been a lot of positive feedback about the book:
Some of the comments from the critics included:
“I absolutely loved Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians and read it in three days because I wanted to immerse myself in the fabulous world which Mark Caney created.”
“Before I picked it up, I was a little worried that it would come across as a bit silly as anthropomorphic novels occasionally do. It doesn’t. Not at all. It’s very, very well written.”
“If Sir David Attenborough ever turned his hand to writing a novel this is exactly the sort of book he would come up with.”
Readers have been enthusiastic too. Here are some examples:
“It is wonderful when you find a book that is so magical it transports you away from your everyday routines. I’ve just finished reading Mark Caney’s Dolphin Way and now feel at a loss as I’ve had to say goodbye to the world it took me to.”
“I just finished Dolphin Way and can honestly say I’ve never had a book put me through such a range of emotions. Laughter, then tears a few pages later; anger, then at total peace in a few paragraphs. The author’s experience with not only dolphins, but the aquatic world in general, shines through this wonderfully written novel.”
“Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians was a very captivating story. Hard to set down once I got started. Many emotions ran through me. Kept a box of tissues at hand. The story made an impact on my heart several times when two and two would come together.”
“One of the most enjoyable reads for me in a long, long time. I love the whole dolphin perspective, the characters, the story, the dolphin tradition, the clan, and the deeper message to us to look after out oceans.”
You can buy Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians as a paperback or e-book here or you can download the opening chapters for free. Get it now and see the world through the eyes of the dolphins.
June 28, 2012
Dolphin genome yields evolutionary insights
It seems that being a brainiac is just in a dolphin’s genes. That’s the upshot from a paper published on 27 June in the Proceedings of the Royal Academy B, which reveals insights from the recently sequenced genome of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Researchers say the results should shed light on the evolution of the dolphin nervous system and reveals commonalities with other large-brained mammals.
“Dolphins are a really interesting model to look at because so much of their morphology is modified,” says Mike McGowen, a post doctoral fellow in molecular genetics at Wayne State University (WSU) College of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan and a co-author on the study.
Last fall, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas took the first crack at sequencing the bottlenose dolphin genome, as part of a larger study of several mammalian genomes. Although the resulting sequence has gaps, the WSU team used it to flag some 10,025 genes with counterparts in the genomes of nine other mammals, including the cow, horse, dog, human, and elephant. They found 228 gene sequences that had changed significantly relative to other mammals. About 10% of those relate to the nervous system — a likely driver of the dolphin’s mental prowess.
“It was something we were hoping to find, since studies have shown that they have a large brain and high cognitive ability,” says McGowan.
Full story: NewsBlog
