marine biology Science that deals with the animals and plants of the sea and estuaries and with airborne and terrestrial organisms that depend directly on bodies of saltwater for food and other necessities. Marine biologists study the relations between ocean phenomena and the distri¬ bution and adaptations of organisms. Of particular interest are adaptations to the chemical and physical properties of seawater, the movements and currents of the ocean, the availability of light at various depths, and the composition of the sea floor. Other important areas of study are marine food chains, the distribution of economically important fish and crusta¬ ceans, and the effects of pollution. In the later 19th century, the emphasis was on collecting and cataloging marine organisms, for which special nets, dredges, and trawls were developed. In the 20th century, improved diving equipment, submersible craft, and underwater cameras and televi¬ sion have made direct observation possible.
marine geology or geologic oceanography Scientific disci¬ pline concerned with all geologic aspects of the continental shelves and slopes and the ocean basins. Marine geology originally focused on marine sedimentation and the interpretation of bottom samples. The advent of the concept of seafloor spreading, however, broadened its scope. Many inves¬ tigations of the oceanic ridge system, the magnetism of rocks on the sea¬ floor, geochemical analyses of deep brine pools, and seafloor spreading and continental drift may be considered within the general realm of marine geology.
marine geophysics Subdiscipline of geophysics that is concerned with ocean phenomena. The main techniques and areas of study include heat- flow data, seismic reflection and refraction techniques, geomagnetics, and gravity studies. The principal concepts in marine geophysics are seafloor SPREADING, CONTINENTAL DRIFT, and PLATE tectonics.
marine sediment Any deposit of insoluble material, primarily rock and soil particles, transported from land areas to the ocean by wind, ice, and rivers, as well as the remains of marine organisms, products of sub¬ marine volcanic activity, and chemical precipitates from seawater that accumulate on the seafloor.
Mariner Vmar-o-norf Any of a series of unmanned U.S. space probes sent near Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Mariners 2 (1962) and 5 (1967) passed Venus within 22,000 mi (35,000 km) and 2,500 mi (4,000 km), respectively, and made measurements of temperature and atmospheric density. Mariners 4 (1965), 6 and 7 (1969), and 9 (1971-72) obtained striking photographs of the surface of Mars and analyzed its atmosphere and magnetic field. Mariner 10 is the only spacecraft ever to have visited Mercury (1974-75).
Marinetti X.ma-re-'nat-teV Filippo Tommaso (Emilio) (b. Dec. 22, 1876, Alexandria, Egypt—d. Dec. 2, 1944, Bellagio, Italy) Italian-French writer, the ideological founder of Futurism. In early poetry such as Destruc¬ tion (1904), he showed the vigour and anarchic experimentation with form that would characterize his later work. Futurism officially began with the 1909 publication of his manifesto in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro. His ideas were quickly adopted in Italy, and he later elaborated on his theory in a novel and several dramatic works. Arguing that fascism was Futur¬ ism’s natural extension, he became an active fascist and lost most of his following in the 1920s.
Marini, Marino (b. Feb. 27, 1901, Pistoia, Italy—d. Aug. 6, 1980, Viareggio) Italian sculptor and painter. Working primarily in bronze, he concentrated on two major images: the earthbound woman and the horse and rider. His sensitivity to form and surface owes much to Etruscan and Roman works, but the inner tension of his bold, straining figures reflects an Expressionist sensibility. His portrait busts, as of Igor Stravinsky (1950), capture the spiritual substratum of his subjects. In the 1940s he turned to painting nearly abstract works.
Marinid Vmar-i- l nid\ dynasty Berber dynasty that followed the Almo- had dynasty in North Africa in the 13th—15th centuries. The Marlnids were
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Marino ► Mark I 1197
a tribe of the Zanatah group, which was allied to the Umayyads in Cor¬ doba. In 1248 a Marlnid leader, Abu Yahya, captured Fes and made it the Marinid capital. The capture of Marrakech (1269) made the Marlnids the masters of Morocco. They waged inconclusive war in Spain and Africa that gradually depleted their resources, reducing the realm to anarchy in the 15th century. Sa'di sharifs captured Fes in 1554.
Marino, Dan(iel Constantine), Jr. (b. Sept. 15, 1961, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.) U.S. gridiron football quarterback. Chosen by the Miami Dol¬ phins in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, he set all-time career records for passes completed (4,453 in 7,452 attempts), yards passing (55,416), and touchdown passes (385) and for 21 other categories. In 1984 he became the first quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a single season (5,084) and the first to complete over 40 touchdown passes (48) in a season.
Marino, Giambattista (b. Oct. 18, 1569, Naples—d. March 25, 1625, Naples) Italian poet, founder of the school of Marinism (later secen- tismo), which dominated 17th-century Italian poetry. Trained as a lawyer, Marino chose not to practice and instead found immense success with poetry that he managed to get published despite censorship. His most important work, a labour of 20 years, is Adonis (1623), an enormous poem (45,000 lines) that relates, with many digressions, the love story of Venus and Adonis. His work, praised throughout Europe, far surpassed that of his imitators, who carried his complicated wordplay and elaborate con¬ ceits and metaphors to such extremes that Marinism became a pejorative term.
Mariology \,mar-e-'a-l3-je\ Study of doctrines concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus, or the content of those doctrines. The New Testament contains little information about Mary, though the tradition that she remained a virgin despite giving birth to Jesus was accepted in the early church. Various feast days in her honour were established in both the Eastern and Western liturgical traditions, and she became an especially important figure in Roman Catholicism. Pius IX proclaimed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. Mary is seen as the spiritual mother and heavenly intercessor of every Catholic and as a partner with Jesus in the redemption of human beings. In 1950 Pius XII proclaimed the doctrine that at her death Mary was bodily assumed into heaven.
Marion, Francis known as The Swamp Fox (b. c. 1732, Winyah, S.C.—d. Feb. 26, 1795, Berkeley county, S.C., U.S.) American Revolu¬ tionary commander. He fought the Cherokee (1759) and later served as a member of the provincial assembly (1775). In the American Revolution he commanded troops in South Carolina. After the surrender of Gen. Ben¬ jamin Lincoln to the British at Charleston, S.C. (1780), he slipped away to the swamps, gathered together his band of guerrillas, and began leading bold raids on British positions. For a daring rescue of American troops surrounded by the British at Parkers Ferry, S.C. (1781), he received the thanks of Congress. He was then appointed a brigadier general.
marionette Puppet figure manipulated from above by strings attached to a wooden cross or control. The figure, also called a string puppet, is usually manipulated by nine strings, attached to each leg, hand, shoulder, and ear and at the base of the spine. Additional strings give more sensi¬ tive control of movement, and some marionettes can be made to imitate almost every human and animal action. Early marionettes were controlled by an iron rod instead of strings, a form that survived in Sicily. In the 18th century, marionette operas were extremely popular, and they are still per¬ formed today in Salzburg to Mozart’s music. See also puppetry.
Maris \'mar-3s\, Roger in full Roger Eugene Maris (b. Sept. 10, 1934, Hibbing, Minn., U.S.—d. Dec. 14, 1985, Houston, Texas) U.S. baseball player. Maris’s family moved from Minnesota to North Dakota when he was 10, and there he excelled in high school sports, playing American Legion baseball in Fargo in the summer. An outfielder and left- handed hitter, he played for the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yan¬ kees, and the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1961 his one-season total of 61 home runs broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing record of 60, edging out his Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle. Maris’ s record stood until 1998, when it was broken by Mark McGwire’s 70 and Sammy Sosa’s 66. See also Barry Bonds.