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Scientists Discover World's Smallest Fish
sckienle writes "Yahoo news is reporting that scientists have found the world's smallest fish in Thailand. It wins the prize by 0.1 mm, being 7.9 mm in length. The fish has other unique qualifications: it lives in acidic water (ph 3), the males have fins that appear to be able to grasp objects, and have a head that is unprotected by a skeleton." From the article: "[Maurice Kottelat] said the record of finding the world's smallest fish was not important, preferring to focus on what he said was "scientifically significant." "What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small," he said."
Babel fish?
"Yeah, it's small. But you should have seen the one that got away!"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
So it's not important that it is the world's smallest fish, but it is important that it is so small?
are they good fried?
""It's tiny, it lives in acid and it has these bizarre grasping fins. "
If science can find a fish living in acid, then the possibility of life on other planets seems more real.
This has been another valuable and informative opinion from:
Catahoula!
Fishy Fishy Fishy.. Has anyone seen the fish?? Where did the fishy go ?
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them.
Looks like the EPA might have to update their pH scale.
I am MuchTall
It's amazing how people struggle to make a joke as soon as a story comes out...
Han shot first.
It wins the prize by..
That's funny, my fish are way smaller than that. Good at swimming upstream too.
Finally a use for my tiny fishing pole!
They're used for archiving documents.
Proverbs 21:19
in related news, Japanese scientists have announced the successful development of the world's smallest hook.
Are we going to see a story on the worlds smallest piece of sushi made from this fish tomarow?
"[Maurice Kottelat] said the record of finding the world's smallest fish was not important, preferring to focus on what he said was "scientifically significant." "What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small," he said."
Are grasping fins not scientifically significant enough to be included in what's important? This guy sounds like a true nerd.
How does it taste?
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
Their theory of its small size, is a lack of minerals in the habitat (Specifically Calcium I guess), that limits the avalible bone making material.
I lived in acid for about 6 years in the 90s
He ia a really funny and witty guy, although he did have a really revoltinh habit of picking his nose and eating the booger at meetings. This really grossed people out. Still a really great guy.
Now no skull, that's cool!
But I see smaller fish every day. The baby cichlids I'm raising are as small as 2 mm. It's funny watching them act just like adults. Defending turf from each other, looking for food, running from 200 mm adults (different species), and so on. I can't help but think how such complex actions are being controlled by so few neurons.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Japanese create world smallest piece of sushi.
From TFA "...exceptionally large muscles that may be used to grasp the females during copulation..."
No wonder I scare the ladies away!
"It's a tarp!" -- Dyslexic Admiral Ackbar
Scientists have discovered the world's smallest fish on record in an acidic peat swamp in Indonesia
Ironically, all his friends just like to call him 'Shrimp'
'with a see-through body and a head that is unprotected by a skeleton'
Which one are you referring to, Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie?
It's tiny, it lives in acid and it has these bizarre grasping fins.
Are you sure you weren't talking about your last 'Phish' concert?
"the males have enlarged pelvic fins and exceptionally large muscles that may be used to grasp the females during copulation"
Does size really matter?
"You don't wake up in the morning and think today we will find the smallest fish in the world,"
Well I guess you haven't been fishing much at my local pond lately.
And finally...
You can never tell any 'fish stories' because this is always going to be the 'one that got away.'
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
...it could be one of those that swims up your organic tube and when snug as a bug.... POOF! Blows up and stays in there.
(/me watches as half the slashdotters in here crosses legs)
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
I have that exact same thought when hearing politicians speak.
JD Stokes is no small fish. JD Stokes is a BIG FISH and he wont take this sort of CRAP from slashdot readers!
Scientists are now seeking a miniature species of potatoes so they can make the world's smallest batch of fish 'n chips.
I suppose they could call it microfiche and microchips...
"What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small,"
How can it have a complete skeleton if it doesn't have a skull? I always feel somewhat incomplete without mine.
When I read the summary, I thought the poster had mis-typed the quote because vertebrae is a plural. When I RTFA'd, I found that the poster was right. Either that's what was said, or the reporter's the one making the mistake.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
I can't help but think how such complex actions are being controlled by so few neurons.
I wonder the same thing about my coworkers every day...
Developers: We can use your help.
I bet you really had to fish around for a joke that bad.
Hey Lookie! Another article with an actual PICTURE!
A picture is worth 1000 words.
...welcome our new acid-swallowing, skeleton-challeneged, bitch-slappin' miniature overlords!
The fish featured in this slashdot article was 7 mm, this one says their fish is 7.9 mm....
Monstar L
I vote: (Tim) Leary Fish.
pH 3 is about like citrus juice
...or was it just found in a really big pond?
"[Maurice Kottelat] said the record of finding the world's smallest fish was not important, preferring to focus on what he said was "scientifically significant." "What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small," he said."
Whats really scientifically interesting is the fact that if you put it in your ear, you can instantly understand any language spoken.
To fit in my ear canal and swim in a bit.
Babelfish, anyone?
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
The report comes from Thailand. The fish comes from Sumatra.
How are we supposed to cook it?
Oh.
Not every argument requires reduction to absurdity.
Once the Japanese find out about them, they're history. They're still trying to find new ways to eat whale, even if they must fry it.
I hope we'll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.
Wow. The obliteration of an entire species spoken about so matter-of-factly that it scares the hell out of me.It was found in a Sumatran swamp, though the story was filed in Thailand. Obviously the submitter didn't get as far as reading the first sentence of TFA :p
So, One small fish reported about the other?
They won't serve them at a Sushi bar, but you might be able to get one at an h-bar.
Ok, that was bad. Hope I don't have to walk the plank.
The Candiru is the fish that swims up your pee-pee hole and lodges itself there! OUCH! That fish is small........
The news was reported from Thailand, but the fish was found in Indonesia......
"Yeah, it's small. But we _couldn't_ have seen the one that got away!"
What is going on? Looking back on the last few stories in Science, all the interesting, insightful, informative, ... posts seems to have disappeared. I come here to hear other scientists views on the news concerning their speciality, filtered out with an excellent moderation system. The moderating hasn't been copied yet by other sites, but everyone seems to have left.
Only funny posts bubble up from the depths of -1, these days.
Without posts, there is not much to mod up, is there?
Paris is probably more clever than we like to admit. And Nicole is fairly plump, if not fat.
Don't let your nerdism bias you.
...but one of scale.
Of course, if this is a hoax, a lot of folks will get taken, hook, line and sinker...
I, for one, welcome our new, tiny, prehensile-finned overlords.
"According to the researchers, the fish live in dark, tea-colored water with an acidity of ph 3, at least 100 times more acidic than rainwater."
rainwater should be neutral as it is distilled water, how can water be 100 times as acidic as neutral?
if they are referring to acid rain, which acid rain
They found Nemo!
I'm sure the Japanese will figure out a way to get us gaijin to pay $400/oz for sushi.
If you cast a net with a 7.9mm mesh then your concept of fish will only include things that are 7.9mm or larger.
Scientists Hold World's Smallest Fish Fry
Actually, the word vertebra is plural, the singular is vertebrum. If vertebra had been the singular, then vertebrae would be correct, but unfortunately it's not. I avoid the confusion by just referring to vertebral bodies.
The fish were found in Indonesia, not Thailand. Sumatra is in Indonesia. I guess the submiter missed the first line of the article.
... can it be outfitted with a freakin' laser on its head?
'Q' is for Dr. Tran
It worries me that these could become extinct. It would be a true shame if such a miracle were to perish permanently. The world is a continually interesting place.
f ish-jokes]
[must-resist-small-fish-jokes][must-resist-small-
What the heck: Now [your brand of fast food restaurant] can cut costs by making their fish sandwiches with even less content!
A Passionate Independent Musician
How well would our new tiniest-fish-in-the-world friend do in a battle to the death with a Sea-Monkey ?
"This is all the more serious because the habitat of this fish is disappearing very fast, and the fate of the species is now in doubt."
Nothing like having your fate in doubt the moment you're discovered!
A picture is worth 1000 words. - I think in this case a 1000 words maybe more visible.
You can't handle the truth.
Fry a couple hundred of those bad boys up and lets see how they taste with some tartar sauce.
The nerd, Maurice Kottelat, got the Artedi Award last year handed over by The Swedish Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm also known to elect Nobel Laureates. The motivation read: "...for particularly extraordinary and world leading contributions to the knowledge of the being, relationship, and distribution of fishes.". And that motivation was written before this article.
From the summary:
scientists have found the world's smallest fish.
This is not necessarily true. It may be the smallest fish that have been discovered and recorded by man, but it doesn't mean that it's the world's smallest fish. There is most likely an even smaller fish that has yet to be discovered.
Anyone notice it says Bangkok, Thailand and then says that the fish was discovered in Indonesia? So erm where the hell was the fish actually discovered?
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000001664.asp
* * * * * *
"I don't know...must be something in the water."
--Achaan Buddhadasa
Would that be a babel fish?
Hey Lookie! Another article with an actual PICTURE!
The second picture of the fish shows that it is partially transparent.
So not only has it evolved and survived because it is so small, but also because it is almost invisible.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small," he said.
Obviously, what is NOT important is plurality-matching...
I lived on acid for 9 years in the 60's!
How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
Tomorrow's headline: world's smallest fish found to be a hoax
Do you think the biologist who discovered the "second smallest" fish is pissed now?
Ok, I'm going to be persnickity here and point out that the fish actually lives on the island of SUMATRA in Indonesia. BBC is also running the article. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4645708 .stm)
Swisssushi - When the going gets tough, get some tenderizer
What could these fish possibly be large enough to grasp?
"When he's under water, does he get wet or does the water get him instead?" They Might Be Giants
The Power to Serve
On a different world, under different atmospheric pressure, light spectrum and intensity and different chemical make-up of environment you could find life.
This is a common misconception, advocated by old Star Trek episodes and the like.
First, the activation energy required for molecular formation corresponds to a temperature of ~100 to ~1000 K. Any less and individual atoms can't get over the hump, any more and they come apart. Of course there are some reactions with low or no activation energy, and these often occur in interstellar space given the proper catalyst, and pressure plays a large role as planets form. But evidence increasingly shows that many of the molecules we find in ourselves show up in outer space, so under most conditions temperatures will have to be roughly in that range for the proper (read: any) molecules to form.
Second, the light spectrum we have is pretty handy, too. Ultra-violet rays aren't only dangerous to humans. A single UV photon, in fact, can knock a hydrogen molecule apart.
Third, while Si does have a lot of the chemical properties C uses to create the hydrocarbons we're all based on, it's also very rare in comparison. There's a reason we're C-based. The rate of Si-formation (much less Si-including molecular formation) is extraordinarily low. Consult any list of interstellar molecules for confirmation.
So you can laugh all you want to...
...or does it come with micro-chips?
Sorry....
AskOxford says:
tomorrow adverb and noun
Spell tomorrow with a single m and a double r.
Tip: tomorrow morning, rise refreshed.
Sorry this mnemonic doesn't cover your a.
Don't worry, I hate me too.
I know of fish that live in Jersey!
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
But does it run Linux?
Left out of the article:
Scientists know that it is indeed the world's smallest fish, and no smaller one could possibly exist, because "Look at it! It's REALLY small! Smaller even than the now not-quite-smallest fish! That's tiny!"
-- I prefer the term "karma escort."
Well, Chris Squire's gonna have to get busy and write a new song about the smallest known fish.
They finally found Nemo
I can imagine these guys bragging to their coworkers..
"...and we caught a fish THIS big!!"
Some say nature; others say science, wow wow hold on! That beast is a creation of FSM for sure.
RAmen.