According to UNESCO, only about 20% of the ocean floor has been mapped. That means there is much more to discover.
Scientists got a glimpse of what that might mean when they encountered a remarkable marine rarity in November, found at previously unimaginable depths.
There could be a whole new world of undiscovered ocean ecosystems — we just need to dive down to meet them.
ocean secrets
Within the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’, where just enough light can reach to sustain life, is a perfectly pristine coral reef stretching nearly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) long.
The reef and its beautiful rose-shaped corals were found off the coast of Tahiti. So far, it has been completely untouched by the climate crisis.
Warming oceans are the cause of widespread coral bleaching, and scientists predict that about 70% to 90% of all living coral will disappear in the next 20 years. Coral reefs are critical to Earth’s biodiversity and serve as a food source and habitat for many ocean animals.
But the discovery of this reef gives hope. While divers spend hours discovering its many wonders, the new reef could hold the secret to saving other endangered habitats under the sea.
other worlds
Flight delays can also occur on other planets.
An unusually strong storm has delayed the 19th flight of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. The small helicopter and its friend, the Perseverance rover, crouched when a regional dust storm overtook their parking lot in Jezero Crater early this year.
The storm has passed and Ingenuity is ready to fly back to the Martian skies on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Curiosity rover made an unexpected find on Mars — and the possible existence of ancient life may be just one possible explanation for the discovery.
Fantastic creatures
If you’re familiar with the fictional character Paddington Bear, then you might know the real-life animal it’s based on – the only one of its kind living in South America.
Rarely captured on camera, the enigmatic spectacled bear is vulnerable and has a dwindling population due to severe drought and deforestation due to climate change.
But conservationists have come up with a way to help these cloud forest creatures, using something they love: honey.
Spectacled bears aren’t the only species researchers are trying to understand. This week, scientific sleuths cracked the code on how giant pandas can remain chubby despite their poor diet.
wild kingdom
A new type of tarantula has been found in Thailand, and the spider has a specific taste about where it prefers to live: exclusively in hollow bamboo stems.
Thai wildlife enthusiast and YouTube star JoCho Sippawat spotted the spider during a forest trip in Mae Tho, a village in the northwest. Completely different from all other tarantulas, it has been named Taksinus bambus in honor of the 18th-century Thai king Taksin the Great.
In other news, scientists have identified a tarantula-killing worm and named it after a very different personality: actor Jeff Daniels. It’s a nod to his role in the cult classic ‘Arachnophobia’, a comedy horror film in which his character saves a city from a spider plague.
A long time ago
Long live the straw, which has apparently been around for at least 5,000 years.
Researchers believe they have finally solved an identity-swap case involving “scepters” recovered from a burial mound in Russia’s North Caucasus.
The comically elongated tubes, each longer than a yardstick, are actually the world’s oldest surviving straws. The beautiful thirst quenchers are made of gold and silver, decorated with figurines and contain pierced metal pieces to filter out impurities.
The straws had a special purpose: to make it possible to drink a dizzying amount of beer together.
Curiosities
Don’t miss these attention grabbers:
— This 80-million-year-old dinosaur was lonely, built like a “living fortress” and hard of hearing.
— Scientists this week shared the time on the Doomsday Clock, metaphorically showing how close humanity is to destroying the world.
— In a cosmic plot twist, astronomers found a black hole that fuels the birth of stars, rather than devouring them for dinner.
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