Have you ever wondered how many heartbeats an average person has in their lifetime? What about for cats or dogs or other animals? Turns out because of metabolic rates and size of different species, each animal gets around a billion beats. More »
It’s been said that we know more about space than we do about our own ocean, and now a group of scientists have quantified what sea creatures we may still not know of. After compiling an open access, online database of known marine species with the help of more than 270 experts, researchers estimate that the briny depths may be home to a total of one million species, with one third of them potentially remaining entirely unknown. Of the grand total, humans have described roughly 226,000 — more than 20,00 of which in the past decade — with another 65,000 tucked away in collections awaiting a write-up. Since previous estimates have been based on rates of species identification and other factors, these latest figures are considered more accurate. The effort’s researchers hope that this data will be used as a reference for extinction rates and conservation. Hit the first source link below to dig through the compendium, aptly-named the World Register of Marine Species, for yourself.
[Image credit: NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Flickr]
Continue reading Scientists estimate at least one third of marine species remain unknown to humans
Scientists estimate at least one third of marine species remain unknown to humans originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Entomologist Shaun Winterton has discovered a new species of Malaysian Lacewing from the comfort of his computer. Idly browsing Flickr, he came across Guek “Kurt” Hock Ping’s snap of an insect taken while hiking in the Malaysian jungle, which bore an unfamiliar black-and-blue pattern along its wings. When his colleagues couldn’t identify the markings, he realized he was staring at a new species and hurriedly emailed the photographer — who, a year later, had captured one of the elusive creatures. Sent to Simon Brooks at the Natural History Museum, the suspicion was confirmed. The armchair explorer named it Semachrysa jade after his daughter and promptly used Google Docs to co-author the paper with Guek and Brooks on opposite ends of the world. If your mom complains that you’re spending too much time on your computer, you can tell her you’re searching for strange life-forms and old civilizations with a straight face.
[Image Credit: Guek “Kurt” Hock Ping, Flickr]
Armchair Darwinians discover new insect species on Flickr originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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