Latest news with #OceanCensus
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists uncover hundreds of unknown ocean species in historic expedition: 'We are laying the groundwork'
Scientists have discovered 866 new marine species, including a guitar shark, a deep-sea mollusk with cancer treatment potential, and the first octocoral found in the Maldives, Oceanographic Magazine reported. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census looks to change how scientists identify new marine species by speeding up the process. This discovery marks a "significant step" in advancing our understanding of ocean biodiversity. Traditional methods can take up to 14 years, but this international collaborative effort of 800 scientists from over 400 institutions is changing the approach. Many species go extinct before they're documented. The mission's executive director explained that while oceans cover 71% of our planet, only about 10% of marine life has been discovered. By accelerating identification, scientists can better protect these species. Some of these discoveries might directly benefit your health. The newly found deep-sea mollusk produces peptides with potential applications in pain relief and cancer treatment. You can now access this information through the newly launched Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform. The public database was developed with the U.N. Environment Programme and showcases species found at depths ranging from one to nearly 5,000 meters. The mission has conducted 10 global expeditions and has hosted eight Species Discovery Workshops. They've found new species of sharks, sea butterflies, mud dragons, bamboo corals, water bears, shrimp, crabs, reef fish, and many more creatures from dozens of taxonomic groups. "Every new species — whether a shark or a sponge — deepens our understanding of marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide for the planet," said professor Lucy Woodall, head of science at Ocean Census. Oliver Steeds, director of Ocean Census, added: "Our estimates suggest that discovering 100,000 new species could require at least $1 billion. We are laying the groundwork to make large-scale species discovery a reality." The team plans to provide more Species Discovery Awards, undertake 10 new expeditions, and host additional workshops across the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans in the coming year. Should we be harnessing the ocean to power our homes? Absolutely Leave it be It depends I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Euronews
18-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
See magical new deep-sea photos of coral gardens and thermal vents
Scientists on board a deep-sea expedition to the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica have returned with a treasure trove of photos of previously unseen marine life. They found coral gardens, hydrothermal vents and many suspected new species while exploring around the island chain, including in the deepest trench in the Southern Ocean. The same international team, aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor (too), made headlines last month with their world-first footage of a colossal squid. And in January, they were in the right place at the right time to explore the seafloor when a Chicago-sized iceberg broke away from an ice shelf in Antarctica. But there were many more 'magic moments' on the 35-day deep-sea expedition to this extremely biodiverse part of the ocean. 'The 35 days at sea were an exciting rollercoaster of scientific discovery; the implications of which will be felt for many years to come as discoveries filter into management action,' says Dr Michelle Taylor, head of science and expedition principal investigator at the Ocean Census - the world's largest initiative to accelerate the discovery of ocean life. These remarkable photos take us along for the ride. Located in the South Atlantic, the South Sandwich Islands are part of a rich mosaic of geologic features. These include hadal zone trenches (the deepest region of the ocean), underwater volcanoes, and spreading centres - features created by tectonic forces that have supported the evolution of species found nowhere else on the planet. It took eight days for the research vessel to travel to the islands from the port of Punta Arenas, Chile. On board were Ocean Census scientists, who led efforts to discover new species, and researchers from GoSouth, a collaboration between the UK's University of Plymouth, the British Antarctic Survey and Germany's GEOMAR, tasked with investigating the effects of geohazards, including tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The GoSouth team, led by co-chief scientist Dr Jenny Gales, discovered two pockmarks in the mapping data of an underwater caldera - a bowl-shaped depression in the seafloor, left after a volcano erupts. Since pockmarks can indicate hydrothermal activity, the team deployed the vessel's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to map the pockmarks at a higher resolution. The robot confirmed the presence of hydrothermal vents - fissures from which geothermally heated water rises - finding three on the larger pockmark, and one on the smaller one. Located at a depth of 700 metres, they are some of the shallowest hydrothermal vents to have been discovered near the South Sandwich Islands. The tallest vent chimney was four metres - about as tall as a basketball hoop. 'Discovering these hydrothermal vents was a magical moment, as they have never been seen here before,' says Dr Gales, an associate professor in Ocean Exploration at the University of Plymouth. 'It's an incredible discovery that provides valuable insights into the area's tectonic activity. Making such a discovery is rare. It highlights the importance of ocean exploration and seafloor mapping.' Each vent was covered with an array of life dependent on chemosynthesis (producing food using inorganic substances without sunlight), including sea snails and barnacles. Thriving coral gardens and large sponges were also found in close proximity to the vents - an unusual observation, according to Dr Taylor. Meanwhile, Ocean Census scientists uncovered a range of potentially new marine life - including corals, sponges, snails, sea urchins, sea stars and benthic (sea bottom) ctenophores, which have gelatinous bodies. A thriving coral garden located west of Saunders Island at a depth of 120 metres is pictured in one of the most breathtaking photos from the expedition. The exact number of new species will be announced later this year when experts have had time to formally assess and catalogue the findings. But they include a possible new sea cucumber species - marine invertebrates so-named for their soft cylindrical bodies. These creatures play a crucial role in benthic ecosystems by recycling nutrients, and are well-adapted to the cold Antarctic environment. During a dive in the South Sandwich Trench - one of the coldest and most isolated submarine trenches on the planet - the team also spotted snailfish eggs laid on a black coral, a previously unknown behaviour. They also captured the first footage of Akarotaxis aff. gouldae, a species of dragonfish that was discovered only two years ago. And found large pumice blocks, indicating that the South Sandwich Islands are capable of explosive volcanism. Mother Nature threw everything she had at the expedition, says Dr Taylor, including a subsea earthquake, tropical storm force winds with hurricane-level gusts, eight-metre waves, and icebergs to navigate. 'The challenging ocean and weather conditions and the isolated location of the South Sandwich Islands capture the imagination of the boldest explorers - often the closest humans to the vessel were on the International Space Station,' says Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, Dr Jyotika Virmani.
Observer
12-05-2025
- Science
- Observer
It Took a Century to Find This Colossal Squid
In March, Kat Bolstad returned from an Antarctic expedition where she had used a new camera system specially built to search for the elusive colossal squid. No one had captured footage of one of these animals swimming in the deep sea. She didn't spot one on this voyage either. On the day she left the ship, though, Bolstad, a deep sea cephalopod biologist, learned about a recent video taken March 9 from the South Sandwich Islands. A team searching for new marine life and remotely using a Schmidt Ocean Institute submersible, had happened upon a young cephalopod, and people wanted Bolstad's help identifying it. The juvenile was about 30 centimeters long (a little less than a foot), with a transparent body, delicate arms and brown spots. It was a colossal squid. 'Pretty much as soon as I saw the footage, I knew there was a good chance,' said Bolstad, a cephalopod biologist at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. She consults remotely for Schmidt's Antarctic work. It's been 100 years since the colossal squid was formally described in a scientific paper. In its adult form, the animal is larger than the giant squid, or any other invertebrate on Earth, and can grow to 6 or 7 meters long, or up to 23 feet. Scientists' first good look at the species in 1925 was incomplete — just arm fragments from two squid in the belly of a sperm whale. Adults are thought to spend most of their time in the deep ocean. A full-grown colossal squid occasionally appears at the ocean's surface, drawn up to a fishing boat while it's 'chewing on' a hooked fish, Bolstad said. Younger specimens have turned up in trawl nets. Yet until now, humans had not witnessed a colossal squid at home, swimming in the deep Antarctic sea. One reason they're so elusive is the sheer size of that home. Additionally, the squid are probably avoiding us, Bolstad said. 'They're very aware of their surroundings, because any disturbance in the water column around them might mean a predator.' Sperm whales, the squid's main predator, can dive up to 2 kilometers (1.25 miles). Perhaps to help them avoid the whales, colossal squid have evolved the world's largest eyes — bigger than a basketball. They also have 'a unique combination of suckers and hooks on the arms and the tentacles,' Bolstad said, which is how she was able to confirm that the young sea creature in the new footage was a colossal squid. The footage was taken by a remotely operated submersible called SuBastian, which the Schmidt Ocean Institute uses to explore the deep sea. This particular dive was a partnership with Ocean Census, an initiative to discover unknown species. The submersible stopped for a few minutes on descent to film the small, transparent cephalopod. 'I think it's very exciting,' said Christine Huffard, a biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California who wasn't involved in the expedition. Huffard has used other remotely operated submersibles in her research. She said these exploratory missions have 'tremendous value.' For example, her observations of octopuses walking bipedally on the ocean floor — using two arms to stroll, and the other six to possibly camouflage themselves as a clump of algae or a coconut — happened by chance. The findings have been useful to researchers in soft robotics, she said. Capturing footage of rarely seen marine animals like the colossal squid, Huffard said, can also inform decisions about human activities like deep-sea mining. She said it would help to know where these animals spend their time, where they travel to mate or spawn, or how long they live. The young colossal squid in the video was swimming around 600 meters down, Bolstad said, not in the deeper waters where adults likely dwell. Other deep-sea squids spend their early lives in shallower waters, she said. Having a transparent body may help the baby swim undetected by predators before it descends as an opaque, reddish adult to the darker ocean. A submersible's camera can detect the squid — and transmit images instantaneously. Unlike the scientists of a century ago, who had to dig through partly digested carnage in a whale's belly, anyone could watch the Schmidt 'dive-stream' from home to be part of the moment of finding the colossal squid, Bolstad said. 'To be able to participate in these explorations and discoveries, essentially in real time, from anywhere on the planet — that's an amazing thing that humans can do.' She'll continue looking for a full-grown animal. 'I can't wait to see what a live adult colossal squid looks like, at home in the deep sea where it belongs,' she said. But she said she was also glad that the first sighting of the species in the wild was not of the adult version — an enormous, hook-wielding leviathan, but 'this beautiful early life stage that looks like a little glass sculpture.' 'I actually love that this is our first glimpse of what will become a true giant,' Bolstad said. —NYT
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Science
- USA Today
See it: Young colossal squid captured on video in its natural habitat for the first time
See it: Young colossal squid captured on video in its natural habitat for the first time Show Caption Hide Caption Colossal squid seen in natural habitat for first time since discovery A baby colossal squid was seen by researchers in its natural habitat for the first time since the species was discovered. Almost a century after the colossal squid was first discovered, a juvenile was spotted and filmed in its natural habitat last month. Crew members on board a research vessel in the South Atlantic Ocean recorded the video of the world's largest squid species on March 9, Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit organization, which operated the ship said. The 35-day mission was an Ocean Census flagship expedition searching for new marine life. Video footage shared by the Institute shows the nearly one-foot-long juvenile squid floating at a depth of approximately 1968 feet below the waters around the South Sandwich Islands, a volcanic archipelago located between the tip of South America and Antarctica. The footage was captured by the Institute's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, the organization said. Watch the video above to see the footage. A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice Heaviest invertebrate on the planet "This year is the 100-year anniversary of the identification and formal naming of the colossal squid, a member of the glass squid family (cranchiidae)," the Institute said in a news release, highlighting the significance of the sighting. As the name suggests, fully grown colossal squid can be gigantic, growing up to 23 feet in length and weighing as much as 1100 pounds, making them the heaviest invertebrate (animals that don't have a backbone or vertebral column) on the planet, according to Schmidt Ocean Institute. However, given their elusiveness, not much is known about the mysterious sea creature's life cycle, except that they eventually lose their transparency as they age. The Institute said while dying adults have previously been filmed by fishermen, the colossal squid have never been seen alive at depth. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle Exciting discovery "It's exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea that humans exist," Kat Bolstad, a professor and researcher at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, an independent scientific expert the research team consulted to verify the footage, said in a statement. "For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish." The Schmidt Ocean Institute's ROV SuBastian has so far captured the first sightings of four species of squid, including the latest colossal squid sighting, the organization said. In January, the expedition recorded the first confirmed footage of the glacial glass squid, which was spotted in the Bellingshausen Sea near Antarctica. The footage, taken at 2254 feet, showed the transparent glacial glass squid with its arms loosely above its head, similar to the cockatoo pose commonly observed in other glass squids. 'These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,' the institute's executive director Jyotika Virmani said in a statement. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Colossal Squid Finally Captured On Film, 100 Years After Its Discovery
An image from the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid live in its natural ... More habitat. Big news about the colossal squid: Scientists have captured what they say is the first-ever confirmed footage of the elusive creature alive in its natural environment deep below the ocean's surface. The colossal squid, or Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is a member of the glass squid family known for its staggering size. It can grow to be between 23 and 46 feet long and weigh as much as 1,100 pounds, making it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet and proving that its name is no exaggeration. Scientists and crew aboard a Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel captured the footage during an expedition in the South Atlantic Ocean expedition near the South Sandwich Islands about 430 miles southeast of South Georgia. The film's star is a baby who measures nearly a foot long. The world's first intact adult male colossal squid gets hauled aboard a New Zealand fishing boat in ... More 2007 in the Ross Sea near Antarctica. 'It's exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea that humans exist,' Kat Bolstad, an ecology professor at the Auckland University of Technology and one of the independent scientific experts who verified the footage, said in a statement. 'For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish.' Sperm whales are their main predator. The Schmidt Ocean Institute's remote operated vehicle 'Subastian' spotted the deep-sea on March 9 as it descended to the sea floor in search of new marine life, and the institute shared the footage on Tuesday. For the during a 35-day Ocean Census expedition, the Schmidt Ocean Institute collaborated with the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, and GoSouth, a joint project between the U.K.'s University of Plymouth, the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and the British Antarctic Survey. Colossal squid have hooks on the middle of their eight arms and two longer tentacles. In the footage, the hooks are clearly visible on the end of those tentacles as the transparent baby floats in the dark water like something out of a dream. The images mark an exciting step forward in understanding the colossal squid, said Matt Mulrennnan, a marine scientist and founder and CEO of Kolossal, an ocean exploration nonprofit unconnected to the newly released footage. 'The more colossal-sized adults are still out there in the deep waters off Antarctica and will be even more challenging to film, so the hunt continues,' he said in an email interview. During expeditions in Antarctica between 2022 and 2023, Kolossal captured its own glass squid footage, which is still being analyzed to determine whether it represents the first juvenile colossal squid sighting. Kolossal researchers are currently studying the new squid footage in an attempt to confirm whether the 2023 finding was a juvenile colossal squid, or one of two other species of glass squid in Antarctica. 'There are many similarities in color, shape, size and depths, and so far nothing has been ruled out by the experts,' Mulrennnan said. The colossal squid has been known to science since 1925, when researchers described the first specimen based on two tentacles found inside a whale's stomach. This year, therefore, marks 100 years since the identification and formal naming of the colossal squid. The footage is quite an anniversary present.
