Comments on: Horny _and_ sensitive!

Horny _and_ sensitive!

greatgefilte — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:51:29 -0800

The narwhal, often termed "The Unicorn of the Sea," has a really odd tusk. It's long, spiraled, and there's only one of 'em per animal. Its purpose has been disputed for ages, but at long last, it seems that the answer has been found. And it's pretty damn cool.

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:56:13 -0800

Very cool! Thanks for posting this.

By: mr.curmudgeon

mr.curmudgeon — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:57:37 -0800

Awesome. I've always hoped they'd figure it out. I hate mysteries! Up next: Chupacabra!!

By: stumcg

stumcg — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:58:02 -0800

Interesting - nice work on the title too. heheh...

By: Mr_Zero

Mr_Zero — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:59:51 -0800

What can't animals do?

By: painquale

painquale — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:00:07 -0800

Very neat. Many animals have fleshy and delicate sensory organs. These guys just encase theirs in their teeth and thrust them out into the environment. Cool.

By: chupacabra

chupacabra — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:04:12 -0800

wait. what?

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:05:15 -0800

I think it's cool that they finally discovered what the tusk can do. But I'm a little underwhelmed by the actual discovery. It's a sensory organ... that detects temperature, salinity and so forth? I suppose that's pretty neat, but I could have guessed that much. It's not exactly unique in it's purpose or anything. I'm sure I could come up with other uses that would have really been "pretty damn cool".

By: psmealey

psmealey — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:05:29 -0800

Thanks for the informative post. I remember that scene from Elf where the norwhal rose from the deep, in somewhat menacing fashion, only to wish Buddy the Elf well as he was leaving for NYC. I had often wondered: WTF was that thing supposed to be? Now that I know the answer to this question that's been bugging me for the last year, I can focus on my job.

By: grateful

grateful — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:06:39 -0800

Tusk

By: Staggering Jack

Staggering Jack — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:08:25 -0800

I think it's pretty damn cool. Thanks for the post.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:14:12 -0800

Good grief, Witty, were you expecting it to shoot lasers? I know that I sure as heck don't have an organ that detects salinity and temperature in order to lead me to food and shelter in Arctic waters. This really is neat.

By: StickyCarpet

StickyCarpet — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:14:41 -0800

...and there's only one of 'em per animal. Unless there are two.

By: mr.curmudgeon

mr.curmudgeon — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:19:12 -0800

"the tusk, it turns out, forms a sensory organ of exceptional size and sensitivity..." And I bet you the tusks would be longer if the Narwhal didn't live in such cold, arctic waters!

By: shoepal

shoepal — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:19:19 -0800

awesome.

By: Elpoca

Elpoca — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:19:35 -0800

I know that I sure as heck don't have an organ that detects salinity and temperature in order to lead me to food and shelter in Arctic waters. Hey, we don't want to hear about your inadequacies.

By: Elpoca

Elpoca — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:19:56 -0800

And yes, this is very cool!

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:19:57 -0800

Good grief? No I wasn't expecting it to shoot lasers. But that's my point. It's cool... but not THAT cool. Would have been coolER had they discovered it was used for something that no one here would have guessed. That's all. For science, it's AWESOME that they discovered the tusk's purpose. For me, it's only sorta kinda awesome.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:20:28 -0800

Very awesome. I would have totally missed this if not for this post. And, I was kind of depressed this afternoon, and this tusk thing seems to have turned that around. Narwhal tusks: Better than Prozac!

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:26:35 -0800

Witty writes "Would have been coolER had they discovered it was used for something that no one here would have guessed." I'm not getting how you would have "guessed" the tusk's purpose. No one in the field had expected it to function as a sensory organ. A tooth with this kind of functionality is absolutely unique and unprecedented.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:29:52 -0800

I suppose that's pretty neat, but I could have guessed that much. Yeah, sure you could.

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:31:52 -0800

I mean, wouldn't you rather have heard that the purpose of the tusk really was for impaling large arctic prey? Obviously, there was no chance of that. But it would still be "cooler". How about... the whale draws in salt water through the tusk where it is desalinated BECAUSE, unknown to science until now, the narwhal can only survive on fresh water. Or maybe, the tusk helps focus sonar-like impulses into prey-stunning beams... from distances up to a 1/4 mile. Much cooler. on preview: I'm not saying I would have guessed the tusk's purpose because I know better. I'm just saying, if someone asked me/you to make 5 guesses as to it's purpose, I'm sure someone would have come up with "sensory device". I'm not trying to take away from the science and hard work that it took to discover this fact. But I'd be surprised if the hypothesis had eluded science altogether.

By: furiousthought

furiousthought — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:33:44 -0800

The article makes it sound like nobody ever thought to look at a narwhal tusk with an electron microscope before. That can't be true, can it? Or maybe the problem is me, and my inner 10-year-old's belief that scientists have looked at everything with electron microscopes.

By: lapolla

lapolla — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:34:17 -0800

this is so, very cool. and i love that a dentist figured it out. a dentist in the arctic. what'll they discover next - an island of misfit toys?

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:35:31 -0800

Or maybe, the tusk helps focus sonar-like impulses into prey-stunning beams... from distances up to a 1/4 mile. Isnt that another way of saying you expected it to shoot lasers? :)

By: JMOZ

JMOZ — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:36:54 -0800

The scientists say the nerves can detect subtle changes of temperature.... Big deal- my teeth do that, too. As long as you consider the coldness of ice cream to be subtle. Joking aside, this is incredibly cool. But no 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea references? On preview: furiousthought Looking at things with electron microscopes can be quite difficult, depending on 1) the type of electron microscope (transmission or scanning), 2) the sample itself, and 3) what you're looking for.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:38:40 -0800

I would have totally missed this if not for this post Gosh, and to think it's been in the echo chamber for HOURS now... perhaps you need some sort of newstusk...

By: oddman

oddman — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:39:53 -0800

I know scientists that have looked at me with electron microscopes.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:43:18 -0800

This thread is almost an hour old and no one has made a B-52s reference yet?! For shame, people!

By: billysumday

billysumday — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:43:25 -0800

Definitely awesome. Thanks for the posts and the links.

By: marxchivist

marxchivist — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:43:48 -0800

Coolest post ever. Thank you.

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:44:32 -0800

Coolest post ever. Thank you. OK... settle down Beavis.

By: justkevin

justkevin — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:45:29 -0800

I would have guessed it was an ice drill. But a tricorder is even better. Good post. Excellent title.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:46:16 -0800

I didn't know about all the weird unicorn history. People thought unicorn horns had some connection to Christ?

By: gohlkus

gohlkus — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:47:36 -0800

Interesting topic; thanks. (I'm stopping short of "coolest post ever" in favor of "definitely didn't suck.")

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:50:20 -0800

Woah. I've been using mine to get ice out of the trays when I'm drinking. Now I know! Thanks!

By: bluesky43

bluesky43 — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:50:28 -0800

The dentist was on npr this morning and he sounded pretty excited about the whole thing.

By: Larzarus

Larzarus — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:55:06 -0800

Wasn't it common knowledge that unicorn horns detected virginity? So this doesn't seem that far off...

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:59:06 -0800

what, no ID comments?

By: Falconetti

Falconetti — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:59:09 -0800

I love this picture where all the narwhales look like they are either toasting one another or having a boner fight. (middle picture)

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:01:08 -0800

Narwhals are known for their "tusking" behavior, when males rub tusks. Because of the tactile sensory ability of the tusk surface, the whales are likely experiencing a unique sensation. So they're going Oxford style, giving the ol Princeton rub, swordfighting, in the frottage cottage... ...I'll stop now. Nifty post.

By: dickasso

dickasso — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:32:45 -0800

Well my tusk leads me to.. trouble.

By: easternblot

easternblot — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:35:22 -0800

4 out of 5 narwhals recommend Sensodyne.

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:47:49 -0800

These magnificent creatures are ideally suited to save humanity from the results of its own stupidity : With their built in salinity / temperature gauges, Narwhals can be trained to hone in on areas of downwelling in the North Atlantic ocean circulation pattern. We'll train them from birth to have a special concern for maintaining "optimal" salinity in downwelling ocean regions and set them loose with giant salt shakers on their backs - they'll also have been trained to come 'a running to a special signal, for salt recharging and tasty fish treats. These "salt-shaker Narwhals" will hone in on thermohaline downwelling areas at risk for shutdown because of added freshwater from melting Greenland and too much rain - we'll train the whales to dance around vigorously to shake out their salt packs in areas of warm water with lower than optimal salinity. This is a sure bet. What could go wrong. The whales, the whales !

By: billysumday

billysumday — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:49:40 -0800

Pretty funny: Yes, My Tusk Is Actually A Sensory Organ. I'd Still Trade It For Legs, Or An Ipod

By: davelog

davelog — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:51:18 -0800

That's pretty damn cool, but it still doesn't address the TRUE narwhal mystery: do they in fact make that 'EEEE rrrrr EEEE rrrrt' sound like in the B-52's Rock Lobster?

By: pmbuko

pmbuko — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:53:54 -0800

Now they're going to start chopping the tips off so they can't have too much fun with them.

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:12:44 -0800

That's pretty damn cool, but it still doesn't address the TRUE narwhal mystery: do they in fact make that 'EEEE rrrrr EEEE rrrrt' sound like in the B-52's Rock Lobster? That's still a mystery, but it is known that they all have matching towels.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:13:08 -0800

This is really cool. Fills me with wonder at the complexity of the natural world and what natural selection can produce. Too bad all the school children in Kansas are learning that the origin of the narwhal's tusk is that god designed it that way.

By: bshort

bshort — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:13:17 -0800

This is really cool.

By: dty1

dty1 — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:42:48 -0800

Want a tusk? There's two for sale on eBay.. And even a replica...

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:48:26 -0800

The article makes it sound like nobody ever thought to look at a narwhal tusk with an electron microscope before. That can't be true, can it? From my reading, it was the fact that a fresh sample that hadn't been dried or bleached was used.

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:49:49 -0800

So they want almost $10,000 or more for these things and can't even show us a picture?

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:52:30 -0800

Speaking of pictures... Well, awl-right good buddeh. It's possible this guy thinks he's posing for the cover of a metal album or something.

By: metaculpa

metaculpa — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:29:23 -0800

I'm not saying I would have guessed the tusk's purpose because I know better. I'm just saying, if someone asked me/you to make 5 guesses as to it's purpose, I'm sure someone would have come up with "sensory device". I'm not trying to take away from the science and hard work that it took to discover this fact. But I'd be surprised if the hypothesis had eluded science altogether. Not to beat up witty, but no - no-one who's studied these had any inkling that the teeth could be a sensory structure. Teeth just, um, don't do that. Consider all mammals - none do this. Consider all dentate fish - none do this. Consider all arthropods - well, they don't have teeth. But they still don't do it. In mammals, at least, the nerves are more or less vestigial - if you feel them, something's wrong. No, this is pretty stunning. It's not surprising in the sense that bizarre biology is rarely surprising just because it's bizarre (it's ALL bizarre). But it certainly was unexpected.

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:06:27 -0800

My alternate title for this was Yeah, but can Ron Jeremy do this?

By: scarabic

scarabic — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:18:38 -0800

I heard this on NPR this morning and it totally made sense. What could be more sensitive than a big tooth with the pulp on the outside? Teeth are damn sensitive.

By: Witty

Witty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:19:50 -0800

I think everyone is missing my point (at least most anyway). I am not trying to undermine the magnificence of this discovery. In the scientific/dental/biological/etc. world, this discovery is fantastic... and everyone involved has the right to be proud of said discovery. I congratulate them on a job well-done. But for me, it's not that exciting. My tongue can detect salinity. As well as a narwhal's tusk? Probably not. My teeth can detect coldness. As well as a narwhal's tusk? Probably not. Can I even compare what I can do to what a narwhal's tusk can do? Certainly not. But at the end of the day, we're still talking about salinity and temperature detection. Wow. If there was a lemur out there somewhere with a third eye in the back of it's head that had science stumped for generations... then suddenly they figured out that the eye had the ability to see heat unlike any other mammal known to man, that would be neat. But I wouldn't be blown away. Snakes can detect heat too. They don't do it with a third eye, but close enough. This extra-sensory organ(?) helps them get around at night and find prey. Now, if science discovered that the lemur's third eye had X-RAY vision, that would be pretty cool.

By: phyle

phyle — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 16:08:15 -0800

Have they discovered how they dont poke each others eyes out with those things?

By: moonbird

moonbird — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 16:14:07 -0800

Absolutely fabulous post!

By: Joeforking

Joeforking — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 16:36:13 -0800

So what? I've got a tooth that can receive radio signals. As well as the usual Illuminati/Major League Baseball satellite mind-control rays.

By: Sagres

Sagres — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:34:14 -0800

Great stuff. Thanks for posting.

By: BlackLeotardFront

BlackLeotardFront — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 19:49:31 -0800

Filthy!

By: surlycat

surlycat — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 03:43:47 -0800

With that many nerve endings, there has to be a significant amount of brain devoted to processing the input, just like our visual cortex. The article points out that they have small eyes, but I bet their horn-sense is primary for them. Witty's tongue is to their horn as a primitive eye-pit is to a human or bird eye, and we would have a hard time imagining the kind of world they perceive. For another freaky animal that uses what would be its visual cortex to process information from its teeth, check out the naked mole rat. Or even weirder, check out the star-nosed mole.

By: Zinger

Zinger — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 05:42:45 -0800

It's a sensory organ... that detects temperature, salinity and so forth? and With that many nerve endings, there has to be a significant amount of brain devoted to processing the input, just like our visual cortex. So effectively it's a giant tooth permanently stuck out in the ice cold water. Can you just imagine the ice cream headaches this poor critter gets?

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 07:45:15 -0800

I'd like to mention that the term "corpse whale" isn't because they're spotted, but because whales STINK. And apparently - and I know this from someone who has seen Narwhals up close - these particular whales smell like dead bodies. (And wow, this is awesome.)

By: Catfry

Catfry — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 09:17:40 -0800

I think it is important to note that, what is really interesting about this is not so much that it is a sensory organ, it is rather the METHOD in which it works. As said in the last link, no other known animal is sensing a world via a very rigid membrane, like the narwhal tooth. Since the discovery of the nerves is so recent, there hasn't been a lot of opportunities to investigate what exactly they are actually capable of sensing! They talk about pressure, temperature and particle gradients, but at this point there is not certainty about what precisely they are capable of. It could be almost anything!

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 12:45:39 -0800

\ cool /

By: Quietgal

Quietgal — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 19:43:00 -0800

What seems odd to me is why narwhals would need such a long sensor. I mean, skin can assess temperature and a tongue can taste salinity, so why evolve a 2-meter long tooth to measure the same things? I'm guessing that this lengthy sensor evolved to measure gradients, for whatever reason a whale would want that. Maybe if it could tell that the water was a little colder or a little saltier in that direction, the whale would know that food (let's say) was more likely to be found in that direction. Do these guys eat plankton or anything else that rides ocean currents? Maybe gradients would tell the whale which way the current is meandering hereabouts, and they can find food more efficiently that way.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 21:53:57 -0800

But do narwhals nuzzle their saviors (and if they did, would they impale them?)