Record-breaking deep-sea snail species discovered 6km underwater
The species, found on hard volcanic rock some 500km southeast of Tokyo, grows to about 4cm long, remarkably large for a snail at such a depth. It has about 80 clearly defined white radial streaks on the shell.
Researchers have named the species Bathylepeta wadatsumi after the god of sea in Japanese mythology and the One Piece manga series character 'Large Monk' Wadatsumi.
'Here, we report a giant Bathylepeta up to a shell length of 40.5mm from 5,922m deep in the northwestern Pacific and name it Bathylepeta wadatsumi,' they wrote in a study detailing the discovery published in Zoosystematics and Evolution.
'We also take this opportunity to salute Eiichiro Oda for continuing to chart the epic voyage of One Piece, which reminds us that the greatest voyages are driven by freedom, camaraderie and an insatiable thirst for discovery.'
The snail grazes on sediment layers over rock, indicating it may be playing a specialised role in processing organic matter in deep-sea ecosystems.
'Members of this genus are notable not only for their very deep habitats but also for their large size considering the depth, with B laevis reaching 30 mm in shell length,' the study said. 'The body size of Bathylepeta is remarkable for the depth and this genus could play an important role in utilising sedimentary carbon deposited on abyssal hard substrata.'
The discovery underlines the usefulness of submersible vehicles in accessing deep habitats, allowing for direct observation and collection of previously overlooked organisms.
Researchers used crewed submersible DSV Shinkai 6500 to make the discovery, marking the first time a member of this genus had been observed and photographed live in its natural habitat rather than after being dredged up using a net.
'Even in an age of sophisticated remotely operated vehicles, there's often an edge to the human eye on the seafloor,' said Chong Chen, lead author of the study.
'Crewed submersibles like Shinkai 6500 let us explore with intention and nuance – spotting lifeforms like Bathylepeta wadatsumi that might otherwise be missed entirely.'
Scientists hope future studies using submersibles will reveal the true diversity and distribution of such snails and other animals living in deep-sea ecosystems.
'Our finding underscores the need for more comprehensive explorations of rocky abyssal habitats using submersibles to reveal the true diversity and distribution of Bathylepeta and other animals relying on such habitats,' they wrote.
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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
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BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
James Lovell, who guided Apollo 13 safely back to Earth, dies aged 97
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"I was very much an airplane boy."But when he was five years old, his father died in a car mother, Blanche, worked all hours - struggling to keep the family in clothes and food. University was well beyond their financial reach. Navy pilot The answer was the US Navy, which was hungry for new pilots after World War II. It wasn't building rockets but at least it involved signed up to a programme that sent him to college at the military's expense while training as a fighter years in, he gambled and switched to the Navy Academy at Annapolis, on Chesapeake Bay, in the hope of working with his beloved was a lucky decision. A few months later, the Korean War broke out and his former fellow apprentice pilots were sent to South East Asia. Many never got to finish their was banned at Annapolis and girlfriends discouraged. The navy did not want its midshipmen wasting their time on such Lovell had a sweetheart. 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He walked past the dozens of reporters camped outside and handed a box to opened the star-patterned tissue paper and pulled out a mink jacket. "Happy Christmas," said the card that came with it, "and love from the Man in the Moon." They went up as astronauts and came down celebrities. The people of the Earth had followed their every move on were ticker tape parades, congressional honours and a place on the cover of Time Magazine. And they hadn't even set foot on the honour went, of course, to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. A year later, Kennedy's dream was posthumously seen to fruition. A small step was taken and mankind took its giant leap. The New Nine had done their job. 'Houston, we've had a problem' In April 1970, it was Jim Lovell's turn. Fortunately, the crew of Apollo 13 did not believe in unlucky Jack Swigert and Fred Haise were men of science - highly trained and determined to follow Armstrong and Aldrin to the lunar surface. But things went badly were 200,000 miles above the Earth and closing in on their target when they spotted low pressure in a hydrogen tank. It needed a stir to stop the super cold gas settling into flicked the switch. It should have been a routine procedure but the command module, Odyssey, shuddered. Oxygen pressure fell and power shut down."I believe we've had a problem here," said Swigert. Lovell had to repeat the message to a stunned Mission Control: "Houston, we've had a problem."It was one of the greatest understatements of all time. The crew were in big trouble - a dramatic explosion had disabled their craft. Haise and Lovell worked frantically to boot up the lunar module, Aquarius. It was not supposed to be used until they got to the Moon. It had no heat shield, so could not be used to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. But it could keep them alive until they got world stopped breathing and watched. For a second time, Jim Lovell had brought the world together as one. The first time it had been for Earthrise, the second would be to witness his fight to survive.'For four days," said Marilyn, "I didn't know if I was a wife or a widow."Temperatures fell to freezing, food and water were rationed. It was days before they limped back to the fringes of Earth's atmosphere. They climbed back aboard the Odyssey and prayed the heat shield had not been radio silence that accompanies re-entry went on far longer than normal. Millions watched on TV, many convinced that all was lost. After six agonising minutes, Jack Swigert's voice cut through the team on the ground held its breath until the parachutes deployed and the crew was safely down. The mission was Nasa's greatest failure and, without question, its finest hour. Lovell retired from the navy in 1973 and opted for a the quiet life, working for the Bay-Houston Towing Company, giving speeches and serving as president of the National Eagle Scout book, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, became the famous 1995 movie, starring Tom Hanks as Jim the film, the director asked him to dress up as an admiral. It was for a cameo scene, shaking hands with Hanks when the crew were rescued from the sea. But the old American hero wasn't having Lovell had been to the Moon twice, witnessed Earthrise and narrowly avoided a cold death in space - and saw no reason to falsely burnish his résumé.He took out his old navy uniform, dusted it down and put it on for the cameo appearance. "I retired as a captain," he insisted, "and a captain I will be."
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Why do the Japanese use umbrellas when it's sunny?
Across much of the world, umbrellas are simply used to shield people from the rain or to shade them from the sun. And while visitors to Japan may see many locals using them for these purposes, parasols also serve a far more powerful role in Japanese culture: they're spiritual vessels. According to Tatsuo Danjyo, Professor Emeritus of humanities at Beppu University in Japan's Ōita prefecture, Japanese tradition holds that certain objects – including umbrellas – can serve as yorishiro (an object that attracts gods or spirits). This belief is deeply rooted in history. Umbrellas first appeared in Japan between the 9th and 11th Centuries, but instead of shielding people from the weather, they served as symbols of spiritual or political power. Early umbrellas, such as the long-handled sashikake-gasa, were reserved for religious and political figures and were held by attendants over the elite. Alamy "The Japanese tend to have an animistic way of thinking," Danjyo told the BBC. "[An umbrella's] circular shape, which resembles the shape of a soul, and the handle, which resembles a pillar… was thought to be an accessible place for a soul to descend."
