An Animal That Lives Without Oxygen

Julie188 writes "Scientists have found the first multicellular animals that apparently live entirely without oxygen. The creatures reside deep in one of the harshest environments on earth: the Mediterranean Ocean's L'Atalante basin, which contains salt brine so dense that it doesn't mix with the oxygen-containing waters above."

Comments

Strange

[Pojut]

I find it odd that the article mentions absolutely NOTHING about the implications of this discovery as it pertains to life on other planets.

Re:Strange

[Anonymous Coward]

I find it odd that TFA is only about twice as long as the summary.

If it is under 300 words, it's not a real article and I can admit I read it right?

Re:Strange

[AndGodSed]

Also, the rule of "Pictures or it didn't happen" should apply... right?

Re:Strange

[publiclurker]

Great, now I can't read this article without doing it in Zoidberg's voice.

Re:Strange

[Sulphur]

Global oxygenation killed it.

The naivety of mankind

[assemblerex]

To think that all life needs oxygen or even a sun to exist goes back to our belief that the earth is the center of the universe.In reality we are a blip on the map.

Re:Been there...done that!

[milgram]

I think this might be more in line with an organism that doesn't use O2, rather than one that does but can exist for periods of time without it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanogen

Re:Unsurprising

[ElectricTurtle]

This has interesting implications for biosphere models during and before the Oxygen Catastrophe of the Siderian period. It also reveals an alternative evolutionary path which with these exceptions was otherwise prevented by those events. It fundamentally changes the possibilities of pre-Siderian life.

Re:Been there...done that!

[ElectricTurtle]

You're ignoring the huge, huge chasm between unicellular and multicellular organisms, one which was not bridged by evolutionary processes for over 3 billion years by most estimates. It was previously thought that multicellular life without an oxygen-based metabolism was impossible, because previous models of microorganism evolution pegged multicellular development to a point after the Oxygen Catastrophe of the Siderian period. This discovery may lead to wholesale revision of models of microorganism evolution over geologic time.

Not really accurate

[johno.ie]

Water is 89% oxygen by weight.

Re:It is an entrenched thought

[ElectricTurtle]

I grew up in very religious conservative circles with very homophobic parents. I've taken the path of least resistance, dating women and even marrying (to a wonderful woman who accepts everything about my sexuality, luckily). I haven't given myself much of an opportunity to express my homo side, but I don't live in denial. I get off to gay, straight, and transgender pr0n. If I'm attracted to a guy I'll probably comment on him to my wife, though we never seem to agree on which guys are hot (or girls for that matter).

I think that being forthright about these things really separates valuable, tolerant people from the assholes. People who are bigoted, or the sort you talk about that think men are stereotypically unrestrained, sex-crazed pigs who can't be trusted (or that being bi just means you haven't "made up your mind" and are likely to change horses midstream and leave them), need to be culled from any sort of pool of serious relationships anyway. They are essentially insulting and demeaning by their very opinions, as though who you are and what you like automatically makes you untrustworthy, disloyal, and otherwise deficient of character. I don't associate with such people.