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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."
"[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.
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.
If science can find a fish living in acid, then the possibility of life on other planets seems more real.
I thought that was pretty cool, too. Although it's not household cleaner-strength acid. According to the article, the pH is 3, which is very close to orange juice, vinegar, and cola. I can only imagine the joy of living in oxygenated cola. MMmm, cola. :-) -- Paul
OpenSource.MathCancer.org: open source comp bio
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.There are archaeobacteria that live in nearly boiling hot sulfuric acid ponds, stuff that has chemical activity more aggressive than batteries, and others that live near underwater volcanic vents that, because of the enormous water pressure and its increase in the boiling point of water, survive quite nicely in water temperatures far above boiling. Many of them have weird long-chain ethers and esters in their cell membranes that keep the membranes from rupturing to the outside world, in a manner similar to rivets keeping an airplane's skin on.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
Ah, much more than fish live near the undersea volcanic vents.
http://venturedeepocean.org/life/index.html
Frex: tubeworms
"Not only can they live under immense pressures deep in the ocean, tubeworms living around volcanoes and vents can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. An individual tubeworm can often experience a range of tens of degrees over the length of its body (or a change in the same place on its body over the course of just a few seconds): from the background chill of most deep water (a few degrees above freezing), to warm fluids drifting out of vents in the seafloor."
"Unlike most other animals, a tubeworm lacks a mouth, gut and anus. Instead, it gets its food from millions of microbes living inside it (a bit like a plant gets its food from the choloroplasts which give it its green color). The tubeworm's body reflects the symbiotic (living together) relationship it has with its microbes"
http://venturedeepocean.org/life/tubeworms.html
How's that for wicked cool?
Not to say that a fish living in acidic water isn't nifty, but it sure isn't high on the list of Extreme Life Conditions.
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?