Category Science

Marne biologists working on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Okeanos Explorer spotted this beautiful deep-sea jellyfish at Utu Seamount in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Looking like a flying saucer with tentacles, rhopalonematid trachymedusa is primarily found in the deep ocean, and is identifiable by its umbrella-like appearance. The translucent creature’s reproductive organs can be seen in bright yellow, and its digestive system appears in red. The creature’s two unique set of tentacles – one facing up and one facing down – likely help it to catch prey.

Picture Credit : Google

A new spider species discovered by three Mumbai researchers in the Kans forest area of Karnataka has been named after a popular wizard in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series.

Eriovixia gryffindori, ,measuring barely 7 mm in length, has been named after the wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, mainly because it resembles the magical sorting hat worn by the wizard. The spider’s shape allowed it to resemble a dried leaf and protect itself from predators.

Picture Credit : Google

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently launched an unmanned cargo ship bound for the International Space Station (ISS). Along for the ride was the vessel Kounotori 6, which is embedded with a 2300-foot electrodynamic tether (EDT) meant to swat space junk out of orbit.

“To preserve the outer space environment for future generations, it is necessary to remove existing large pieces of space debris,” according to JAXA.

Uses fishnet plaiting technology developed by local fishnet manufacturer Nitto Seimo, the length of the cord is currently about 2,300 feet, but eventually must extend to between 16,400 and 32,800 feet long, “to show down the targeted space junk.”

The idea is that one end of the cord will be attached to debris; the electricity generated by the tether as it swings through Earth’s magnetic field is expected to have a slowing effect on the space junk, which should pull it into a lower and lower orbit. Eventually, the debris will enter Earth’s atmosphere, burning up long before it crashes on land or into the sea.

Picture Credit : Google

An underwater robot has captured a rare glimpse beneath the Antarctic sea ice, revealing a colourful world filled with coconut-shaped sponges, dandelion-like worms, pink algae and spidery starfish.

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) recorded footage on a camera attached to a Remotely Operated Vehicle sent down through a small hole drilled in the ice.

“When you think of the Antarctic coastal marine environment, iconic species such as penguins, seals and whales usually steal the show,” says AAD biologist Gleen Johnstone. “This footage reveals a habitat that is productive, colourful dynamic and full of a wide variety of biodiversity, including sponge, sea cucumbers and sea stars.”

These species live in water that is -1.5 degree Celsius year round and covered in nearly 5 feet of sea ice for ten months of the year.

“Occasionally an iceberg may move around and wipe out an unlucky community, but mostly the sea ice provides protection from the storms that rage above, making it a relatively stable environment in which biodiversity can flourish,” he added.

Picture Credit : Google

Snakebots, modular robots that look like snakes, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, can twist in many directions and move – slithering, swimming – like their namesake animal.

Built by roboticist Howie Choset, a typical snake robot consist of metal containers linked together, each with a motor and electronic parts inside.

The robots have another special feature: they can manoeuvre into tight spaces, a feat that could help save lives. For example, robotic snakes could help find people trapped in collapsed buildings after earthquakes. With a camera-equipped snakebot, rescue workers could search for people in the rubble from a safe distance.

Snakebots also show promise in surgeries, acting as surgical tools that could be navigated through a small incision, moving around corners and behind organs. This could minimize physical trauma, speed up a patient’s recovery and leave minimal scarring. A company called Medrobotics in Boston is now adapting the technology for surgeries.

Choset is exploring the possibility of sending snakebots into archaeological sites that are too small or dangerous to enter. A robot equipped with a camera could show scientists what is inside and perhaps even retrieve artefacts.

Picture Credit : Google

Dragonfly may be only several centimetres long, but with their oversized jaws and rows of fang-like teeth, they can trap and swallow sizable prey. How these small terrors manage to open their mouths so wide has puzzled scientists, until now. In most fish, the skull is fused to the backbone, limiting their gape. But a barbelled dragonfish can open its jaw up to 120 degrees thanks to a soft tissue joint that connects the fish’s head and spine.

Studies of specimens of barbelled dragonfish, show a flexible rod called a notochord, covered by special connective tissue that bridged their vertebrae and skulls. When the mouths are opened, the connective tissues stretched out. The joint provide just enough room for dragonfish to swallow whole crustaceans and lanternfish almost as long as they are.

Picture Credit : Google