Census of Marine Life & the Yeti Crab
July 2, 2008
This new species of crab was discovered off the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge in the South Pacific Ocean.
It was named Kiwa hirsuta kiwa, after the goddess of shellfish in Polynesian mythology, but has become known as the “yeti crab” because of its hairy appearance.
With 120,000 species now on-line, the Census of Marine Life considers itself half-way to its goal of checking and validating the 230,000 marine species currently known to science. Once completed, the World Register of Marine Species, called WoRMS, will be the first source for descriptions on all marine life.
The World Register of Marine Life finds itself in good company. In fact both the Register and the Census of Marine Life are working with similar projects like Species2000, The Encyclopedia of Life, and ZooBank to create places for researchers and educators to find authenticated and up-to-date information on the globe’s total species.
From Mongabay.com: Read more
See also:
www.marinespecies.org
www.coml.org
Gallery: Rich life under the sea
June 14, 2008
Gorgeous photographs of Gelatinous Zooplankton, Pelagic Molluscs, Crustacea, Eukrohnia, Tompteris, Colonial radiolarians and Globigerinoides ruber (pink variety)…
Census of Marine Life (2006) scientists trawled rarely explored tropical ocean depths between the southeast U.S. coast and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, revealing a newfound variety of zooplankton and other small creatures.
OK, its a bit technical but anyway, they look cool.
From Livescience.com, an original content site that chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology.
Hot life found a mile under seafloor
May 26, 2008
Life-forms have been found thriving a mile (1.6 kilometers) beneath the seafloor in hot sediments, a new study says.
The finding doubles the maximum known depth for organisms under the ocean bottom—and may be an encouraging sign for the search for life on other planets.
At 140 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (60 to 100 degrees Celsius), the microscopic life forms are probably also the hottest life-forms yet found in seafloor sediments, according to study co-author R. John Parkes, a microbiologist at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.
The scientists examined core samples of sediments in the North Atlantic Ocean and found microbes known as prokaryotes.
“There are [nonbiological] sources that can produce methane [and related chemicals], therefore there might be a biosphere on other planets that may not require the ability to harness sunlight on a planet’s surface for energy”.
From National Geographic - Read more
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