Dec 06, 2013 01:08 PM EST By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Is it Shark Week or something? At least three new studies about sharks were published in the last two days (not even counting the lemon shark study) on three completely different topics: shark attacks, shark cancer, and a comparison between sharks and humans. University Herald offers a brief summary of all three.

Study 1: Shark Attack. The eyes really are the key to beating (or surviving) a shark attack -- and not just stabbing them with a metal cross like LL Cool J did at the end of "Deep Blue Sea." Researchers from the Shark Research Institute at the University of Western Florida found that sharks possess the ability to distinguish and then attack their prey's blindside, HNGN reported. When scientists dropped (protected) scuba divers in waters with dense populations of reef sharks, the fish tended to swim out of the diver's line of vision. Researchers, however, struggled to pinpoint the exact mechanisms by which sharks understood this basic, yet important hunting concept.  

Study 2: Sharks Versus Mammals. Cornell University researchers deeply examined the mysterious genome of Great White Sharks, which own a body design "so effective that it has barely changed since the time of the dinosaur," and sharks in general, according to Red Orbit. Their most poignant discovery: Sharks share more proteins with humans than they do zebra fish. The findings suggest that the species may be more closely related to mammals than previous evidence would indicate. Scientists are also excited to use the additional information uncovered about shark's genetic makeup to help in conservation efforts. 

"Sharks have many fascinating characteristics," said Michael Stanhope, lead author of the study. "Some give live birth to fully formed young, while some lay eggs. In some species, the embryos eat the remaining eggs or even other embryos while still developing in the uterus. Some can dive very deep, others cannot. Some stay local; others migrate across the entire ocean basins. White sharks dive deep, migrate very long distances and give live birth. We will use what we've learned in this species in a broader comparative study of genes involved in these diverse behaviors."

Study 3: Sharks Get Cancer, Too. The third study clears up two common misconceptions about sharks: that they do get cancer (something scientists have known for over 100 years) and their shark cartilage has not been proven to prevent it. The latter fact could be used to decrease the 100 million or so sharks killed each year by humans, according to Discovery News. Previous to this study, however, scientists had never found tumors in a great white shark; the one they discovered was massive (about a foot long) and grew out from the shark's lower jaw and consumed a few of its teeth.

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