David Kirk
Eccentric.
Salamander is world's first photosynthetic vertebrate. Scientists have long believed that only plants, algae, some bacteria, and a few invertebrates were capable of taking advantage of photosynthesis, which converts sunlight directly into energy. But now, for the first time, a photosynthetic vertebrate has been found, according to Nature. The incredible creature is none other than the fairly common spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum).
Ironically, the spotted salamander is not a new species for researchers, and it has long been known that the animal's embryos share a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae. That relationship, however, was always assumed to be an outside one, whereby the algae and the salamander work separately toward a fair exchange of resources. It turns out that researchers just weren't looking closely enough. That color usually indicates the presence of chlorophyll, which is the light-absorbing green pigment that makes photosynthesis possible. Study solves mystery of flavorless airplane food. As a frequent flyer since birth, I've eaten many an economy class airplane meal, and they've been uniformly terrible. And the few times I've had the chance to fly business and first class, I was very disappointed with the meals.
The secret to flying in the other sections of the plane is plenty of free booze, not severely improved food. I always assumed the food was crummy because the airlines were trying to save money, but in these days of bring your own, I've noticed the food I bring from home (fresh salads from Whole Foods that I normally love, or my own home-made sandwiches, which tend towards excellence) taste lackluster at 38,000 feet. Scientists decided to study why this was the case, and hit upon one consistent issue: the noise.
Anyone who has tried to listen to an iPod on a flight knows that you pretty much need to put the volume on the highest level to hear your tunes, whereas on the ground, that volume would be obnoxiously loud. World's smallest orchid discovered with petals only one cell thick. American botanist Lou Jost, one of the world's leading orchid hunters, is responsible for discovering 60 new species of orchid in the last decade alone. But it's his latest discovery that might be the most unique and unusual. "I found it among the roots of another plant that I had collected, another small orchid which I took back to grow in my greenhouse to get it to flower," he said of his latest discovery.
"A few months later I saw that down among the roots was a tiny little plant that I realized was more interesting than the bigger orchid. " As reported by The Independent, the minuscule new orchid is just 2.1 mm wide, and instantly supersedes the species Platystele jungermannioides as the world's smallest. In fact, the petals are so thin that they are just one cell thick and transparent. It was found in the Cerro Candelaria reserve in the Ecuadorian Andes, a remote region made famous as home to most of the world's smallest orchids. Astronomy Picture of the Day. No Arms No Legs No Worries. Play the extinct game.
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