Dr. Mario Tamburri, an ecologist who studies how animals sense chemicals, and Dr. Kenneth Browne, a chemist, got their nicknames soon after they arrived. They are working here under Dr. Richard Zimmer-Faust, a biology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), who has a grant for this study from the National Geographic Society’s Committee on Research and Exploration.
They are trying to develop chemical attractants for giant squid and other deep-sea carnivores. They take natural bait that attracts squid, such as barracuda, chop it up, liquefy it, and then break it down with enzymes. What is left is a milky liquid containing dissolved peptides and amino acids. |
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