Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Sea Monsters: Sticking Like Glue

Technology advances. That is one of those factual statements that will continue to be true until some horrifying apocalypse takes our ability to create technology away. I am not a great believer in horrifying apocalypses (apocalii?) so I simply imagine technology continuing down it's meandering path with each generation of human beings effecting their environment in ways we can't even imagine. Brains are pretty cool things.

So when I read this article from the New York Times I immediately thought of my seafaring ancestors. What would they have thought about making a "glue" that could mend human bones, organs, and skin out of one of the all time banes of their existence:
Freaking barnacles. A careening of a ship's hull was necessary at least once and sometimes two or three times a year (depending on the warmth of the water your ship frequented) to get the nasty, hellish things off. The process was arduous, requiring a secure port and plenty of men to haul the ship up at least partially on shore, crank her on her side and set to the extremely gruesome business of extracting the barnacles. Anyone who has seen the "Buoy Cleaner" episode of Dirty Jobs, where Mike Rowe joins the Coast Guard in San Francisco Bay to scrape buoys, knows where I'm coming from. As Mike called them, dislodged barnacles are like "an omelet form hell". And you were using power tools on metal, Mike. Imagine hand scraping a wooden hull. Horrifying.

But now, here are researchers at more than one University in the U.S. formulating an effective epoxy to use inside the human body. That warm, saline environment that fits inside our skins is so like the ocean we once climbed out of that it only makes sense to look back to the creatures of the sea for more than inspiration. But barnacles? Must we?

Admittedly, the article focuses most closely on Dr. Russell J. Stewart's work with sandcastle worms (shown at the header) and what he is doing is amazing. It is noted, however, that initial research done by Dr. J. Herbert Waite at U.C. Santa Barbara concentrated on mussels and barnacles. Remind me to stay out of Dr. Waite's mad science lab.

I won't go into the details of the chemistry involved but the article is fascinating if for no other reason than it gives us a glimpse into the potential medicine of the future. And the interesting capacities of those little, clinging beasties that still drive seamen crazy.

All that said, I believe I will stick with old fashioned stitches. I'll have the anesthesia first, though, Doc. Trust me, things will go a lot more smoothly that way.

10 comments:

Timmy! said...

Ahoy, Pauline! As SpongeBob would say: "Barnacles!"

That was a pretty cool article, though.

I'll stick with stitches too... for now anyway. And anesthesia. I used to be a hockey player, but I'm not completely crazy yet, Pirate Queen.

Pauline said...

Ahoy, Timmy! "Barnacles!" is right.

Blue Flamingo said...

I thought that article was very interesting too and I love that I can come to your blog and get a variety of information, from pretty pirate (pin-up) pictures, pirate lore and even scientific references. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for all of your research and time!

Pauline said...

Ahoy, Blue Flamingo! Here at Triple P, I like to try to see (sea?) the world from all angles, not just the seafaring perspective.

Thank you for your continued encouragement and support. I can't adequately describe how much I appreciate it so just, thank you.

Daggar said...

For some ships-- at least those of panamax size or smaller-- there's an easier way of de-barnacling the hull: a trip through the Panama Canal. The Canal is all freshwater, and 24 hours or so in freshwater kills all the barnacles on the hull. I've heard that the dead barnacles will fall off before a ship hits, say, a modern-day home of piracy like the Malacca staits.

Pauline said...

Ahoy, Daggar and thankee! I did not know that the Panama Canal could take the barnacles off a ship but that is very handy info. Does the Suez Canal work the same way or is it more saline? Just wondering...

Daggar said...

I haven't heard either way about the Suez, but that is a sea-level canal in an area otherwise known to be pretty arid. I'd be shocked if they were using freshwater in it. So I'm pretty sure it doesn't.

The Panama canal, on the other hand, is basically a series lakes above sea level, connected with channels and locks. There's no shortage of freshwater in the area, either.

Pauline said...

Got it; thanks! "...no shortage of freshwater in that area" Truer words were never written, as Henry Morgan and his buccaneers found out on their way across th Isthmus (little did they know they were lucky to hit the "dry season").

Munin said...

Ho there, Pauline! I'm slowly catching up with all your wonderful posts, but have refrained from commenting as I would be repeating myself endlessly by singing your praise. If only my old history teacher was as entertaining... I might have learned something!

I couldn't help but comment on this one as I have a strange affinity with barnacles ever since I kidnapped some from a jetty at low tide when I was a kid. I put them in a bucket filled with tap water and carted them home as my new pets. Alas, they died! :(

I've been secretly living a guilt trip ever since so this post dredged up (no pun) some harsh memories... haha. Don't be hatin' on da barnacles! :D

Pauline said...

Ahoy, Munin! That is a great story! I can totally see why they would be fascinating but sailors and barnacles have an ancient enmity. Sorry little invertibrates.