Deep-sea creature — with feather-like body — is new ocean species. Take a look
Now, armed with a remote controlled vehicle, researchers in the South China Sea have discovered another.
During surveys from the Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers explored a cold seep in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, according to a study published June 12 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
Cold seeps are cracks in the seafloor where chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and methane leak into the water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These chemically-rich areas are only habitable for specially adapted animals.
Researchers operating the deep-sea submersible FaXian (meaning discovery in Chinese) found a 'rotten piece of wood' about 2,700 feet below the surface, according to the study.
Sticking out of the wood and flowing in the water were two 'unusual,' feather-like creatures attached to the rotting material by thick stalks, researchers said.
Genetic testing confirmed the stalked creatures belong to a new species of crinoid, also known as sea lilies or feather stars, according to NOAA.
Endoxocrinus kexuei, or the Kexue crinoid, was named after the ocean vessel 'Kexue' from the Chinese Academy of Science for its 'significant contribution to the biological research in the South China Sea,' researchers said.
The crinoid has between 20 and 22 arms that can reach up to 5.5 inches long, according to the study.
The animal's stalk is shorter than its arms, about 2.5 inches long, researchers said.
The crinoids are 'pale yellow-pink in fresh samples,' then white in preservation, according to the study.
Crinoids appear plant-like but are animals with digestive and nervous systems, according to NOAA. Their bodies are made of small calcium carbonate plates held together by ligaments and muscles.
Some crinoids have as few as five arms, while others can have as many as 180, NOAA says.
'All crinoids are suspension feeders, subsisting on the smorgasbord of small plankton and detritus that drifts past their outstretched arms,' NOAA says.Tube feet ('the same structures that line the undersides of sea star arms but without the sucker tips,' NOAA says) help get the food to the creature's mouth, 'conveyor-belt style.'
The new species comes from a family primarily found in tropical waters in the northeastern Atlantic, northern Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific Ocean, according to the study.
The new species was found in the South China Sea, a contested body of water in southeastern Asia that borders Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The research team includes Shao'e Sun, Zijie Mei and Zhongli Sha.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Washington Post
The future of home-building is here. And we're behind.
Andrés Clarens is a professor of engineering at the University of Virginia and a former assistant director for industrial decarbonization in the White House Office of Science and Technology. Every home starts with basic components: concrete for foundations, steel or wood for framing, glass for windows and chemicals for insulation and finishes. These can account for half of total construction cost, making them a major driver of housing affordability and availability. And just as the United States needs to build millions of new homes, we are leaving it to Chinese laboratories to design the materials for them. These core ingredients are an often overlooked aspect of our housing shortage. They are expensive, energy-intensive and traded internationally much more than they were a generation ago. We need better, faster and cheaper domestic production of construction materials. A collection of 24 projects supported by the Energy Department's Industrial Demonstrations Program were developing technologies to enable that. In May, the Trump administration revoked funding for them, citing a lack of alignment with its priorities. The U.S. materials innovation ecosystem is among the best in the world, but it lags at commercializing discoveries. Two years ago, the demonstrations program was expanded to recover that gap by giving companies grant support to deploy and scale its first-of-a-kind technology. The canceled grants supported projects that were on track to reshape their respective industries, including Sublime Systems, which is developing cement production methods that circumvent the sector's reliance on coal, reducing costs while eliminating cement's carbon pollution problem. Chemical company Eastman's molecular recycling facility is transforming plastic waste into resins for siding, insulation and piping at lower costs. American Ductile Iron Pipe was developing cheaper ways to make ductile iron pipe to address aging water infrastructure in American homes. Technip and LanzaTech are focused on producing ethylene from industrial waste gas, enabling production of coatings, insulation and plumbing components. The reversal of grant funding for these innovations strikes at an inopportune time. Demand remains high: By some estimates, a single family home requires 50 tons of concrete, 10 tons of steel and 2 tons of chemical products. But in the past two decades, the United States has lost much of its domestic production capacity. Almost all domestic aluminum production has migrated to China's subsidized electricity. Cement, which used to be produced near most American cities, is increasingly imported. Glass production has consolidated around lower-cost international competitors. This exodus leaves American home builders dependent on imported materials subject to price volatility, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions. While American policymakers implement shortsighted funding cuts, China focuses on technological leadership in new materials through its $300 billion 'Made in China 2025' industrial plan. Chinese companies already produce over half of the world's cement and are set to become the leading producer of bio-based chemicals. The country controls over half of global aluminum production, most rare earth elements used in advanced materials and growing market shares in specialized construction chemicals. Meanwhile, American alternatives remain trapped in laboratory settings without the ability to demonstrate their viability at scale. The productivity crisis in construction labor compounds these material challenges. Construction worker productivity has been steadily dropping for nearly 50 years while other industries have seen dramatic gains through automation and improved processes. The construction industry's resistance to technological adoption, fragmented structure and reliance on traditional methods has put us well behind China and the European Union in construction labor productivity. That's why our housing shortage cannot be solved with incremental improvement to existing materials and methods. Advanced materials that simplify assembly processes and reduce the specialized skills required for installation could help reverse this productivity decline. Imagine concrete that can also store energy and eliminates your power bill. Structural materials that are stronger than steel but lighter than aluminum, enabling faster assembly with smaller crews. Building systems that integrate recycled insulation, structure and finish materials into single components that dramatically reduce construction complexity. These innovations are emerging from research laboratories around the world, including many American institutions. While some might succeed without government support, the retreat in Industrial Demonstrations Program funding makes it less likely that homegrown ideas will make it to market. Supporting basic research only to allow the technology to be commercialized overseas is a poor investment of taxpayer dollars. Despite the loss of grant funding, the window to establish American leadership in materials development has not closed. Congress, for instance, could redirect canceled demonstration funding toward a comprehensive materials innovation initiative focused on housing construction. To be most effective, investments should prioritize technologies that can simultaneously achieve three objectives: reduce construction costs and pollution, accelerate building timelines, and improve housing quality. This moment represents a strategic inflection point. Global materials markets are already shifting away from traditional materials. America can either lead this transformation, or we could license the technologies from China.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Northern Lights Are Expected Over 15 U.S. States Tonight—Here's Where to Look
A geomagnetic storm could bring a rare aurora borealis display to skies from Alaska to Iowa—here's when and how to see it. Tonight into tomorrow, the night sky may put on a colorful show for skywatchers in several lucky states. On Aug. 18 and Aug. 19, a fast-moving stream of solar wind could spark a geomagnetic storm, potentially lighting up the sky with Northern Lights across 15 U.S. states, according to forecasters from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the U.K. Met Office. 'There is an increasing possibility during Monday of minor geomagnetic enhancement due to an arriving fast wind, with the possibility of a Coronal Mass Ejection glance Tuesday into Wednesday,' the UK Met Office stated. Alaska has the highest probability of seeing the northern lights tonight. Other states with a chance to spot the aurora, listed in order of likeliness, include: Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho, Washington, New York, Wyoming, and Iowa. 'Late on 18 Aug, conditions are likely to increase to active levels followed by G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels on 19 Aug. Active conditions are likely on 20 Aug,' NOAA predicts on its website. The aurora is expected to peak between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. from the night of Aug. 18 through the morning of Aug. 19, with the Kp index—which measures geomagnetic activity on a scale of 0 to 9—projected to reach Kp 5 tonight. Currently, a large coronal hole, or open region in the sun's magnetic field, is facing the Earth. This has led to the ejection of a high-speed stream of solar wind toward our planet. When this solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field, it increases the likelihood of geomagnetic storms and the possibility of auroral displays. 'Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise. The aurora is not visible during daylight hours. The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right,' NOAA's website explains. For those in the potential viewing zones, try to find a north-facing spot with clear view of the horizon and minimal light pollution. There are also several mobile apps that can help track aurora forecasts in real time for the best chance of catching the show. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
World's first robot ‘could give birth to human baby'
The world's first humanoid robot surrogate could give birth to a live baby, scientists have claimed. Experts are developing technology that will mimic a pregnancy from conception to delivery, with the infant growing inside an artificial womb and receiving nutrients through a tube. After nine months, a live baby will be born, according to Dr Zhang Qifeng, who founded the company Kaiwa Technology, in the city of Guangzhou. Dr Zhang, a PHD graduate from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has claimed the technology is already in a 'mature stage'. He added: 'Now it needs to be implanted in the robot's abdomen so that a real person and the robot can interact to achieve pregnancy, allowing the fetus to grow inside'. A prototype of the humanoid is set to be sold for around £10,000 (100,000 yuan) next year. Reports in the Chinese media said that the humanoid has been designed to mimic the entire process of pregnancy, from the moment of conception to birth. However, the specifics on exactly how the egg and sperm are fertilised are currently unclear. For the entire gestation period, the infant will live inside the robot's body, although experts have not yet stated how the foetus will be implanted in the tech womb. The developing babies will be surrounded by artificial amniotic fluid to create a womb-like environment. Dr Zhang said the technology is not an entirely new concept, as scientists in the past have successfully kept premature lambs alive inside a 'biobag' for weeks. The innovation has already prompted a legal and ethical debate. Dr Zhang said he had already been in talks with Guangdong Province authorities to prepare drafts for policy and legislation. If successful, the science could revolutionise medical science and our notions of family and fertility. The humanoid could be seen as a tool to tackle rising rates of infertility in China, which has gone up from 11.9 per cent in 2007 to 18 per cent in 2020. 'Problematic' technology But some critics have condemned the 'problematic' technology, arguing that depriving a foetus of maternal connection is unethical and cruel. Chinese News outlet The Standard reported that some medical experts are sceptical over the technology's ability to replicate human gestation. The experts have allegedly stated that complex biological processes, such as maternal hormone secretion, cannot be duplicated by science. Andrea Dworkin, the radical feminist writer, has previously hit out at artificial womb technology for fears that it would result in 'the end of women'. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia published an article in 2022 in which they said that such technology might 'pathologise' pregnancy. However, some argue that artificial wombs could liberate women from pregnancy risks so that they would no longer have to endure the physical burden of carrying a baby. Solve the daily Crossword
