Census of Marine Life explorers surprised by diversity, density of Arctic creatures
A historic expedition of Census of Marine Life explorers to the planet's most northern reaches has revealed a surprising density and diversity of Arctic Ocean creatures, some believed new to science. Sheltered for millennia under a lid of ice currently one to 20 meters thick, unexpectedly high numbers and varieties of large Arctic jellies, squid, cod, and other animals have been found thri...Seafloor creatures destroyed by ice action during ice ages
The ice ages made massive changes to the Earth's landscape In the past it has been thought that these...Steep oxygen decline halted first land colonization by Earth's sea creatures
Vertebrate creatures first began moving from the world's oceans to land about 415 million years ago, then all but disappeared by 360 million years ago. The fossil record contains few examples of animals with backbones for the next 15 million years, and then suddenly vertebrates show up again, this time for good. The mysterious lull in vertebrate colonization of land is known as Romer's Gap...Researchers give name to ancient mystery creature
For the first time, researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada have been able to put a name and a description to an ancient mammal that still defies classification. The findings, published recently in the Journal of Paleontology provide the first and only comprehensive account of the creature, named Horolodectes sunae, for the unusual shape of the crowns of the teeth. Hor...Ocean seep mollusks may share evolutionary history with other deep-sea creatures
The unusual mollusks of oceanic cold seeps--strange clams, mussels and sea snails that thrive in the sulfur and methane-rich environments--are on average older than the marine mollusk community as a whole, according to a new report in the 8 September issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society. On average, the first appearance of cold seep mollusk genera...Search For Bigfoot Creature To Be Delayed
An expedition from Singapore in search of 'Bigfoot', an ape-like beast in the Johor forests of Malaysia has been postponed until 21 January 2006. //This has been done on the request of the authorities from Malaysia. This has been revealed by the Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI). The media in Malaysia had reported mysterious bite marks and footprints, which had prompted Singapore t...Brain Regulation Present Even In Spineless Creatures
At a meeting of scientists in Australia, University of Oregon biologist Nathan Tublitz revealed that research on moths, flies and cephalopods showed how brain regulation// is present even in spineless creatures. He also revealed that glutamate and FMRFamide-related peptides are the two brain chemicals that enable cuttlefish (cephalopod) to change skin color or skin patterns in just second...Sea Creature's Toxin Could Lead to Promising Cancer Treatment
A toxin derived from a reclusive sea creature resembling a translucent doughnut has inspired UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers to develop //a related compound that shows promise as a cancer treatment. In a study appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the UT Southwestern scientists detail how the toxin blocks uninhibited reproduction...