2024 MCC France Marine Biology Study Ablog

 The first week of travels were a bit stressful, I will not lie. Learning new social norms, a new language, and making up a new schedule for daily life. The weather has been temperamental like a teenager but has been lovely not matter what, in my opinion. Marine biology class has been one of the highlights through this transitional period. We have dived into the different types of fish and are starting to look more into marine life as the days go on. The class went to a fish section of a local farmers supermarket and saw many types of fish. I was a photographer for a fish dissection and I, myself help dissect cephalopods. Also how cool is the cuttle bone??

  This week we dove into our marine biology lessons. As someone inexperienced with the ocean and unfamiliar with the habitats in it, I learned a lot through the lectures. I was most surprised to learn about the fish is that certain species are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they progressively change genders as they age. This is crazy as a Finding Nemo fan because Nemo could have had his father and mother figure in Marlon. In regards to Nice fish, I enjoyed trying escargot for the first time. Firm, squishy, and a little too salty, it was not bad at all. I look forward to swimming with the fish today.

 During a trip at a fish market in Nice, France, I discovered the fascinating history of the world's first marine station at a local fish market. While chatting with some friends  about marine life, someone mentioned that the first marine station in the world, Station Biologique de Roscoff, was founded in 1872 in France by Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers. Intrigued, I learned that this pioneering station revolutionized marine biology by allowing scientists to study living marine organisms in their natural habitat. This was such an interesting yet weird revelation due to the situation I found that I learned this information. It was cool to found out such a fact in such a place. To be honest, I may not be the most well versed in the sciences and such, but marine biology is genuinely a cool field of study that this experience in the market made me appreciate marine life more.

 This week I have learned a lot about marine biology that I did not know before! From the three main types of fish to the composition of the water in the sea, we have learned so many great new things. So far my favorite of these have been learning about the flat fish. Specifically the vertically flattened ones. These fish are particularly interesting to me because of their outside characteristics. Once these fish reach maturity they lay flat on either their right or left side depending on the species, and the side that is on the bottom loses its color and becomes white. Once they settle their eye on the opposite side also migrates to the upward side via a canal in their singular ocular chamber. Getting to dissect one of these was my favorite part of the week!

 During my stay in Nice, I found it fascinating to discover its history, culture, and gastronomy. Nice is a place full of fascinating attractions, but without a doubt, I have felt most attracted to the landscapes and architecture. I feel excited to delve deeper into marine topics and discover the species that roam the Mediterranean Ocean. I liked seeing how nice locals go to the markets, and get their fresh fruits and meats. I wish we could find the products this way in the US. Nice is a very warm and beautiful place, I can't wait for the upcoming activities.

  In marine biology this week I had a good time learning about the 3 major classes of fish and later going to the fish market to look at and pick up some bony fish for dissection. It was interesting to see that they had all kinds of creatures there like flatfish, squids, and octopi in addition to some of the more common fishes. I knew a little bit about flatfish beforehand, but I found it surprising to learn that as they develop, the way that their skull actually has a channel for the one eye moves to join the other at the top of their head during development is very fascinating. I also find myself seeing a lot of similar life in Nice as there is back home like pigeons of course, but also plant life such as oleander bushes that I previously didn’t know were cultivated all around the world. I’ve also been having fun experiencing French culture by learning the language and trying out different foods!

 This week was very eye opening. I learned a lot about myself a new city. I tried lots of new things like figuring out public transport and dissecting a fish. I’ve always been grossed out by fish but I think it was important for me to try something new, and I found it to be really interesting. I met a ton of new people in the city I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I am in awe of the architecture and the way the city feels at night. I am learning how important art is for people. It’s been all so surreal. This city is a dream and I’m so grateful for this opportunity at such a young age.

 This week we learned about different types of fish and their classification. The different types of major fish group class agntha, chondrichthyes, and osteichthyes. We learned about the differences between all the types of fish groups. We also learned how they swim, eat, digest etc. We dissected a bony fish or class type osteichthyes. When we first opened up the fish we had a bunch of meat. The first thing we saw were the ribs on top. As we dug deeper we found the intestines, stomach lining, and the testes. We knew the fish we had was male because the testes were more white, while females have a more pink lighter color. Under the gonads we found the intestines and other organs. We also found the liver which was a dark brown reddish color. When we cut open the gill cover we found the heart. The fins at the bottom and on the side were the pectoral fins.

 This week in marine biology I learned about the 3 different classes of fishes. There is the class Agnatha, class Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous), and class Osteichthyes (bony). The differences between the three classes is their anatomy. Some anatomy that I learned and got to identify in person with an Osteichthyes fish is the lateral line, the pectoral and dorsal fins. The lateral line helps them to sense water movement. The pectoral fins are adapted for their maneuverability and the dorsal fins are used as rudders to steer and provide stability. I also got to dissect and identify organs such as the heart, liver, and gonads of the fish. I learned the way to Identify the sex of the fish by the color of the gonads, white are male and orangish-pink color is females!

  This first week abroad I have learned quite a bit. I've gotten to explore Nice and learn how to use public transport to get around. It has been a great adventure for me so far as well as learning and getting used to the culture here. This week's biology lessons have also been extremely informative and going to the fish market and doing a dissection, helped to cement the things I've learned a lot better. Besides the dissection being a little icky, it really helped me understand the anatomy of the fish a lot better. Being so close to the beach has been a beautiful experience so far, and getting to live in a place filled with so much history and places and things I've never seen before has genuinely been a magical experience. I can't wait to experience everything else we have planned.

  This week I learned the fundamentals about the 3 main classes of fish and how versatile each one in each subcategory can be, such as the diversity in their fins and scales. It's interesting how each one is shaped differently, which affects their anatomy, which in turn may affect things like how they eat and how they swim, such as flatfish. I liked how flatfish swim like normal fish as juveniles but end up choosing a side later on that makes them more flat and changes the way the move. Additionally, I learned about taking weather conditions into account when studying the ocean. This can help one better prepare for fishing, such as by knowing that upwelling zones call for better fishing zones. 

 Today students got to see what is under the sea when we went snorkelling and scuba diving near Villefranche sur Mer. 

 Over the first week of our study abroad program I have learned a fair bit, mostly concerning the cultural norms of the French, but also about marine biology. We covered a handful of interesting concepts, such as the many different species of fish, their environments, and their evolutionary adaptations, we even got to cut open some fish for first hand biology experience (I couldn't stomach dissecting them). The trip to the open air fish market was exciting, I had never seen anything like it before; although, the tram ride to the market had us packed in like sardines. I've gotten to eat almost as many species of fish as we've studied. Tomorrow we go snorkeling in the Mediterranean, I can't wait. I hope there are no icebergs.  

 Nice (in general): The city itself has been beautiful. The weather is usually nice (pun intended). The food has been delicious. I love that there is so much variety. I also love how there is a mixture of cultures as well. I have been enjoying using public transit. Biology: This week we had our first dissection. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to see what we have been learning about in our lectures and be able to apply it to different fish. I also had fun seeing how the fish differ even though they are categorized similarly. Humanities: This week we had a brief history review. It was nice to revisit some of the kings and the past of France. I have also liked seeing the history through the architecture. During our guided tour, I learned about some more locations in Nice and their significance.

 This week I learned a lot of solid foundational biology. I feel very confident that I will be able to build from that knowledge and put it to practical use during the dissection. I think one of my favorite things to learn about has been the different classes of fish and how diverse they are. For example the Agnatha class are super unique in how they function and the way their biology differs from a normal fish. With class Chondrichthyes they are very similar to class Osteichthyes except for their fins and some internal organs. I can’t wait to learn what type of fish are specifically native to the Mediterranean Sea.

 This week we were taught various pieces of information about marine biology such as, marine fish, fish habitats, physiology and anatomy, and oceans! We learned that marine fish are the most abundant sea creatures on Earth, making them very diverse. With characteristics such as jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes, we grew our knowledge on the anatomy and physiology of the fish. This was very interesting and easy as I had just finished my anatomy class a couple weeks ago and knew most of these terms. The lampreys are definitely the scariest fish we learned about! Lastly we got to know a little more about the ocean. We got to understand the density, solvent, salinity, and tides. This information helped me to understand the temperatures of the water and why we are able to see so clearly through it.

 This week I learned three major fish types and how to identify them. The jawless fishes were definitely my least favorite because they look horrifying. They will definitely be in my nightmares because of there long worm body structure and blood sucking tactics. I also learned bony fish are the largest and most diverse slabs of fish with 20,000 species. The Pyloric caecae are finger- like pouches attached to the intestine which are believed to have digestive and absorption function. I never heard about  Pyloric caecae before and was very intrigued by its operation. Lastly the lateral line was very interesting to me. It is hearing, vision, and balance are controlled by the intersection of the inner ear later-line and swim bladder. This week I had fun learning about the three major fish speeches and can’t wait to learn more!

 Working on the course materials and schedule for our marine biology of the Mediterranean class that starts in a few days!  Some nice (and Nice!) weather and views from our apartment.