Slashdot Mirror
New Snail Species Discovered In Croatia's Deepest Cave
minty3 writes "The new snail species, Zospeum tholussum, has no eyes or pigmentation on its shell and is considered to be a true eutroglobiont or cave-dweller. It was found by a team of cavers and biologists from the Croatian Biospeleological Society. While on an expedition to determine the cave’s depth, they collected animal specimens including one of the previously unidentified snails along with eight of its empty shells."
Bah. Most everyone has support for ANSI escape sequences on their terminals these days.
Ezekiel 23:20
What's his Slashdot UID?
And I bet he never gets first post, either....
Slow news day?
It's not a new species. It just took a LONG time to get down there.
Talk about your slow news day...
But were they tasty?
I'm sorry... there's spelunking. There's caves (trolls! darkness!). There's a brand-new species. It doesn't even have eyes (take that, Beholder!). It's something that makes a neat trace for evolution (eat that, micro-evolutionists!). It shows what is necessary for species to survive - sometimes, that's something completely different from what we expect.
And somehow, that's not news for nerds? Stuff that matters? Go shove your "I need things to cater to myself exclusively" attitude so far up your ass that you'll find your own species of blind, unpigmented species of snails.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
I'm sorry... there's spelunking. There's caves (trolls! darkness!). There's a brand-new species. It doesn't even have eyes (take that, Beholder!)...
Ok, what are the odds of two /. stories containing references to the Beholder? Here is the other comment on the 3D gun art story: Art
What is even more weird is that I just found my box of D&D books in my parents attic. I showed my kids, including the Beholder. Sadly, they were disinterested in the books. Video games makes it way too easy to play RPG.
"No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
Are they tasty with garlic and butter sauce? If not, than seal the cave and scratch them off the "discovered" list.
Lives in dark? No pigment?
i.e. -- mom's basement.
it's not stuff that matters
It matters to the snail!
Awesome! We find a new snail species, collect only known specimen, and then will promptly end up killing it by doing so!
Is there anything in the scientific method about the ethics of species discovery and potential extinction? Have to wonder how much discovery has led to species extinction in the past 100 years
It's science. It's the discovery of a new species. It involves caves and exploration to depths previously unreached. It involves slimy creatures that the mainstream wouldn't love -- tiny little snails with no eyes and translucent shells and bodies that hitch a ride on bigger mammals to cover large distances. Where is your inner child such that you look at those pictures and feel no sense of wonder or joy about it?
If you can't find a single nerdy interest in all of this, and all you have to offer is some redneck nationalism, then I'd say to turn in your geek card, but you probably never had one in the first place.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
That's tautology - "eutroglobiont" means "true cave dwelling organism" - the "eu" prefix means "true".
You tell us how God came to exist and I'll be equally as impressed.
I thought I gave a shit...turns out it was just gas.
> Now, present in specific detail how the transition from asexual to sexual ...
You stop playing D&D in the basement, start showering, get a girlfriend and suddenly it's no longer asexual
Dwelling in the depths in a dark, moist environment? No pigmentation? Only moves a few centimetres every week?
This has Slashdot written all over it.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
It must be (biologically) expensive to grow a shell, so this critter must have them for a pretty good reason. Protection from other snails? To survive dry periods? To be less edible to "a small, slimy creature" with "lamp-like" eyes?
Does this mean that this snail molts, or was that a poorly-written way of saying eight empty shells from the same species?
I gather it was heading downward.
---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
Are they also the slowest species?
And what exactly are they eating to exist?
At that scale I guess you don't need much.
And, had to laugh when the article mentioned their movement around the cave system via water or "hitching a ride" on other animals.
At 2mm per week does the animal wait or was it the survivors on the bottom of spelunkers' boots that got them around?
Zospeum tholussum, has no eyes or pigmentation on its shell
Geekism is your _only_ God!