Unexpected (Positive) Aspects Of Tragic Events

Prior to World War II, known cases of radiation poisoning were so rare that doctors had little to no experience studying or treating it. But with the development of A-bombs underway, scientists with the Manhattan Project began studying the effects of radiation on mice and other animals. You know, so they could treat the people they didn't immediately incinerate like a Sarah Connor nightmare. A doctor named Egon Lorentz found that mice receiving lethal doses of radiation could be saved with a donation of bone marrow from a healthy mouse (And hopefully prevent any possible rodent-Godzillas). Fortunately, with radiation killing off rodent bone marrow and humans' in pretty much the same way, doctors were able to adapt the bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedure for humans.

Today, a transplant of bone marrow stem cells from a healthy donor is still the most effective treatment for diseases like leukemia, multiple myeloma, and certain types of lymphoma. The important (at least for therapeutic reasons) part of bone marrow is that it contains hematopoietic stem cells or "blood stem cells" that can become marrow, platelets, white blood cells, or red blood cells as needed. Even now, researchers are finding ways to use these blood stem cells to treat a growing number of diseases in new and exciting ways. Cool, but just next time maybe don't invent Uncle Bob's Instant Genocide to do it.

Although getting a tea-bagging from Mother Nature really sucks for people, it can actually be a good thing for some species of animals. While infrastructure was getting washed away, shorebirds were basically getting a visit from the Property Brothers. The area's low-lying barrier islands are ideal nesting and nursery areas, but years of beachfront construction had seen these habitats destroyed and the natural geography drastically altered. When Sandy clobbered the barrier islands, she not only opened up new nesting areas for shorebirds but also "recharged" the area with an all-you-can-eat buffet of invertebrates and crustaceans for the birds feed on.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIt is starting to seem like the best residents for the area are the ones who can fly off on a single second's notice.

Sandy's beach remodeling was particularly beneficial to one endangered species of shorebird, the piping plover. Scientists studying the birds determined that the hurricane increased the piping plover habitat anywhere between 9% and 300% at four study sites. Better still, researchers are finding that most of the increased habitat areas are holding steady years after the storm, which has allowed the bird population to stabilize and even begin increasing. Because the birds are on the endangered species list, the Army Corps of Engineers was obliged to work around the birds' newly-expanded habitats when rebuilding beaches following the storm. It's a good thing we have a longstanding Endangered Species Act that helps protect these beautiful creatures. Oh ... wait.

ShutterGlowLook for this photo again next year in "5 Endangered Birds That Almost Recovered."

That doesn't mean we didn't try, mind you. In the months and years that followed, the patch of ocean thought to be the plane's most likely resting place was catapulted into the spotlight and subjected to a search of "unprecedented detail." Today, that 46,000 square mile area off the coast of Australia is one of the most thoroughly mapped regions of Earth's entire ocean floor.

Realistically, if you'd let scientists pick a portion of the ocean on which to conduct the most detailed study in history, not one of them would have picked this spot. Kinda like Cleveland, it's on the world's radar only for its proximity to human tragedy. Still, the library of knowledge the search efforts contributed to science is incredible. Subsea volcanoes and mountains larger than Everest are lurking under that portion of the ocean. The surveys even found hotspots for future sushi, like tuna and alfonsino. The detailed geographical information will help scientists study everything from tsunamis to the ancient movements of tectonic plates-- so while the search didn't turn up the plane, or the 239 people on it, it found pretty much almost everything else short of Aquaman.

In September 2001, two different groups of scientists were studying right whales in the Bay of Fundy. One group was recording whale songs, while the other, smellier, group was collecting whale shit. Despite approaching their work from opposite ends of the animal, they came to the same conclusion: whales were stressed and unhappy. But, when increased security measures led to an abrupt halt of virtually all shipping traffic for a period of several days, scientists discovered that whales' stress levels dropped considerably. Their poop showed lower levels of cortisol, and they actually started singing more songs and for longer periods.

So why were the whales laughing at our pain? Did they just discover power ballads? Nope - the oceans were just peaceful and quiet for once. See, it really, really, sucks to be a whale these days. Thanks to increased shipping, offshore drilling, seismic surveys, underwater air guns, and sonar the oceans are ridiculously loud. For marine life, this constant racket makes life "a living hell," and the noise levels are only increasing. The National Resource Defense Council is one of several groups taking steps to stop seismic surveys, but with more ships crossing (and recrossing) the ocean every single day, the overall volume of our oceans isn't likely to decrease anytime soon. But, at least the whales will always have the happy memories of the day the noise briefly stopped. They'll never forget.

For more, check out 6 Horrifying Videos That Prove Nature Is Trying To Kill Us:

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