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Giant one-celled organisms discovered over six miles below the ocean's surface
mongabay.com ^
| October 23, 2011
| Jeremy Hance
Posted on 11/05/2011 2:55:33 PM PDT by neverdem
PDF version
Imagine a one-celled organism the size of a mango. It's not science fiction, but fact: scientists have cataloged dozens of giant one-celled creatures, around 4 inches (10 centimeters), in the deep abysses of the world's oceans. But recent exploration of the Mariana Trench has uncovered the deepest record yet of the one-celled behemoths, known as xenophyophores.
Found at 6.6 miles beneath the ocean's surface, the xenophyophores beats the previous record by nearly two miles. The Mariana Trench xenophyophores were discovered by dropcams, developed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and National Geographic, which are unmanned HD cameras 'dropped' into the deep ocean to record life at the bottom.
|
Xenophyophore in the Galapagos Rift. Photo by: NOAA. |
Previous research has shown that xenophyophores are host to a number of multicellular organisms, meaning that the Mariana Trench could be teeming with life.
"The identification of these gigantic cells in one of the deepest marine environments on the planet opens up a whole new habitat for further study of biodiversity, biotechnological potential and extreme environment adaptation," says Doug Bartlett, the Scripps marine microbiologist who organized the Mariana Trench expedition, in a press release.
Xenophyophores are the largest known single cells, and have been found in great abundance on the sea floor. But given their fragility and deep-water lives, they are incredibly difficult to study and much of their natural history remains mysterious to scientists.
Close-ups of xenophyophores obtained on previous expeditions. Photo credit: Lisa Levin (all except upper right, credit David Checkley) |
|
"As one of very few taxa found exclusively in the deep sea, the xenophyophores are emblematic of what the deep sea offers. They are fascinating giants that are highly adapted to extreme conditions but at the same time are very fragile and poorly studied," explains Lisa Levin, director of the Scripps Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. "These and many other structurally important organisms in the deep sea need our stewardship as human activities move to deeper waters."
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Testing
KEYWORDS: biology; cryptobiology; extremophiles; godsgravesglyphs; marianatrench; oceans; science; sealife; singlecell; xenophyophores
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To: Tax-chick
Some of us, if I recall correctly, can breathe water?
I believe it must be the Irish blood.
21
posted on
11/05/2011 4:00:42 PM PDT
by
Anoreth
(It's not stupid, it's advanced!)
To: neverdem
"These and many other structurally important organisms in the deep sea need our stewardship as human activities move to deeper waters." Translation:
Stop all deep-water drilling now. Save the xenophyophores.
To: Anoreth
No deep-sea diving after drinking whiskey, please. We’d rather have you than your life insurance settlement!
23
posted on
11/05/2011 4:07:45 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
(I'm sure your dog likes you.)
To: Tax-chick
Bill can use it to buy a stupid Ipod to keep his crappy music on.
24
posted on
11/05/2011 4:47:29 PM PDT
by
Anoreth
(It's not stupid, it's advanced!)
Looking For Donors
Click The Pic
Are You One?
25
posted on
11/05/2011 5:13:04 PM PDT
by
DJ MacWoW
(America! The wolves are here! What will you do?)
To: Repeal The 17th
...the size of a mango... - A strange use of comparison.
Would you rather a comparison to an Android?
How big is an Android?
26
posted on
11/05/2011 5:18:31 PM PDT
by
adorno
(<)
To: neverdem
Ok, but do they taste good?
27
posted on
11/05/2011 5:23:04 PM PDT
by
central_va
( I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
To: Bigg Red
28
posted on
11/05/2011 5:36:12 PM PDT
by
Bigg Red
(Maryland girl, born and bred)
To: Jet Jaguar; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
29
posted on
11/05/2011 5:36:20 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: neverdem
“A one-celled organism the size of a mango...” Does an ostrich egg count?
30
posted on
11/05/2011 6:13:27 PM PDT
by
redhead
(Don't START with me...you know how I get.)
To: neverdem
I’m sure the Democrats have just registered it to vote.
31
posted on
11/05/2011 6:25:41 PM PDT
by
Little Ray
(FOR the best Conservative in the Primary; AGAINST Obama in the General.)
To: SunkenCiv
I wonder what it tastes like fried?
32
posted on
11/05/2011 6:51:33 PM PDT
by
Rebelbase
(Yes we Cain!)
To: adorno
How big is an Android?About 5'11".
33
posted on
11/05/2011 6:56:41 PM PDT
by
magslinger
(To properly protect your family you need a Bible, a twelve gauge and a pig.)
To: Rebelbase
It’s bloody seafood. It’s bleedin’ seafood flavor. :’)
34
posted on
11/05/2011 6:58:09 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: Rebelbase
35
posted on
11/05/2011 7:41:10 PM PDT
by
Free Vulcan
(Vote Republican! You can vote Democrat when you're dead.)
To: neverdem
I am willing to bet that they have a higher IQ than the average OWS protester.
36
posted on
11/05/2011 7:48:40 PM PDT
by
SledgeCS
(I will vote for Obama when he says "The F'ing MUSLIMS attacked the USA and are the enemy")
To: neverdem
"I, for one, welcome our new single-celled overlords..."
37
posted on
11/05/2011 7:52:30 PM PDT
by
JRios1968
(I'm guttery and trashy, with a hint of lemon. - Laz)
To: Lady Lucky
It doesn’t actually say in the article, but I imagine this is more like a slime mold. Many slime molds have multiple nuclei but only one common cell membrane. The largest of these get to be well over 100 sq ft.
38
posted on
11/05/2011 9:43:44 PM PDT
by
VanShuyten
("a shadow...draped nobly in the folds of a gorgeous eloquence.")
To: neverdem
How do they know that’s a single cell?
39
posted on
11/05/2011 11:13:13 PM PDT
by
FrogMom
(There is no such thing as an honest democrat!)
To: neverdem
This find of living things in The Mariana Trench is amazing to me
(God sure works in mysterious ways).
At the depth of these things the pressure exerted on them is 15,750 psi or 2,268,000# / Sq Ft. Maybe that's why they're One Celled? A Compound Structure (multi-celled) would be crushed. (this I would spend money for studying)
(the Mariana Trench is one place I'd hate to be dropped into with 'cement shoes'. Though I'd be long dead before reaching bottom the descent wouldn't be pretty.)
40
posted on
11/06/2011 3:44:38 AM PST
by
Condor51
(Yo Hoffa, so you want to 'take out conservatives'. Well okay Jr - I'm your Huckleberry)
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