[USA] It’s amazing what can be accomplished without a brain. Ask Trichoplax. This tiny multicellular animal — only a millimeter across — has nothing recognizable as muscle or nerve cells. In fact it has no organs at all. And yet it can hunt down, dissolve and consume algae with surprising sophistication, new research shows. Continue reading No organs, no problem: Weird animal hunts algae without nerves or muscles
Category Archives: Phycology
Phycology is the scientific study of algae. Also known as algology, phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany.
Coral gets bailed out by an enemy
[USA] Under attack from hordes of ravenous starfish, Pacific coral is getting help from an unexpected source – seaweed, an arch enemy, researchers said on Wednesday. Continue reading Coral gets bailed out by an enemy
Sea slug found to track seaweed by sniffing its defensive chemicals
[USA] A team of researchers with the Georgia Institute of Technology has found that one species of sea slug (Elysia tuca) uses chemicals produced defensively by one type of seaweed (Halimeda incrassata) to track down the seaweed. Continue reading Sea slug found to track seaweed by sniffing its defensive chemicals
Way to glow! Scientists discover fluorescent rainbow-colored coral deep in the Red Sea
[Israel] With surface water temperatures sizzling at 34° Celsius (93°F) and a 1,240 mile (2,000 km) coastal stretch of sumptuous coral reefs, Continue reading Way to glow! Scientists discover fluorescent rainbow-colored coral deep in the Red Sea
One gene may drive leap from single cell to multicellular life
[USA] The leap from single-celled life to multicellular creatures is easier than we ever thought. And it seems there’s more than one way it can happen.
The mutation of a single gene is enough to transform single-celled brewer’s yeast into a “snowflake” that evolves as a Continue reading One gene may drive leap from single cell to multicellular life
Algae may hold key to origin of the sexes
[USA] A tiny, unassuming little alga may hold the secret to how the sexes evolved. Continue reading Algae may hold key to origin of the sexes
Pond scum gets its moment in the limelight
[USA] University of Texas plant physiologist Jerry Brand has spent the past decade lovingly tending the world’s largest collection of pond scum. Continue reading Pond scum gets its moment in the limelight