We worked out what it would take to wipe out all life on a planet – and it's good news for alien hunters The first exoplanet was spotted in 1988. Since then more than 3,000 planets have been found outside our solar system, and it’s thought that around 20% of Sun-like stars have an Earth-like planet in their habitable zones. We don’t yet know if any of these host life – and we don’t know how life begins. But even if life does begin, would it survive? Earth has undergone at least five mass extinctions in its history. It’s long been thought that an asteroid impact ended the dinosaurs. To establish a benchmark for this, we’ve been studying what is arguably the world’s hardiest species, the tardigrade, also known as the “water bear” for its appearance. Last survivors They live all over the planet but can survive far below the ocean’s surface, around volcanic vents at the bottom of the Mariana Trench happily oblivious to the life and death of surface-dwelling mammals. We wanted to consider what cataclysmic events might be able to finally kill off the hardy tardigrade. Apocalypse never
Colossal squid The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, from Greek mesos (middle), onyx (claw, nail), and teuthis (squid)), sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass & length. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis. It is known from only a few specimens, and current estimates put its maximum size at 12–14 m (39–46 ft) long,[1] based on analysis of smaller and immature specimens, making it the largest known invertebrate. Morphology[edit] The squid exhibits abyssal gigantism. The beak of M. hamiltoni is the largest known of any squid, exceeding that of Architeuthis (giant squid) in size and in robustness. Distribution[edit] The squid's known range extends thousands of kilometres northward from Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the entire circumantarctic Southern Ocean. Ecology and life history[edit]
What can cavefish teach us about the world? During the Age of Enlightenment’s scientific revolution, naturalists went out into the world in large numbers to take a census of the earth’s flora and fauna: collecting different plants and animals, identifying the ones never before seen, and naming and classifying them according to the taxonomy system devised by Carl Linnaeus. Centuries later, Louisiana State University marine biology professor and Senior TED Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty (TED Talk: Clues to prehistoric times, found in blind cavefish) is continuing the search for new species — of marine and freshwater fish, in his case — by traveling to bodies of water and swimming, trawling and diving through them to catch and examine specimens by hand. But thanks to 21st-century technology and knowledge, he’s able to do much more than just name them — he can evaluate a fish right down to its genes and use this information to find its relatives, redraw the Tree of Life, and learn more about our planet’s geological history.
Creatures from the Mariana Trench Deep-Sea Skates Incubate Eggs Near Hydrothermal Vents Jump to Navigation Photos & Video Ship Location San Pedro, USA Deep-Sea Skates Incubate Eggs Near Hydrothermal Vents | Nautilus Live In June 2015, a team of researchers aboard E/V Nautilus made a surprising discovery while exploring the seafloor northwest of the Galapagos Islands. Share this Expedition Partners The Nautilus Exploration Program is funded by these major partners.
- ARKive - Extensive Animal Encyclopedia Wildscreen's Arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the world's biggest encyclopaedia of life on Earth. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. Freely accessible to everyone, over half a million people every month, from over 200 countries, used Arkive to learn and discover the wonders of the natural world. Since 2013 Wildscreen was unable to raise sufficient funds from trusts, foundations, corporates and individual donors to support the year-round costs of keeping Arkive online. As a small conservation charity, Wildscreen eventually reached the point where it could no longer financially sustain the ongoing costs of keeping Arkive free and online or invest in its much needed development. Therefore, a very hard decision was made to take the www.arkive.org website offline in February 2019.
40 Years of Hydrothermal Vent Exploration Jump to Navigation Photos & Video Ship Location San Pedro, USA Hydrothermal Vents Highlights | Nautilus Live Forty years ago, a team of researchers including our founder Dr. Hydrothermal vents are fissures in the Earth's surface that spew superheated, mineral-rich water--like geysers fueled by volcanoes! Join Dr. Share this Expedition Partners The Nautilus Exploration Program is funded by these major partners. 50 Most Beautiful Tree Photos Trees are one of the most important life forms on our planet, as they provide oxygen for the rest of the organisms on Earth through a process called photosynthesis. Although trees come in many varieties, depending on the ecosystem, including pine trees, oak, cedar, redwood, palm trees and more, they all share similar characteristics and are great subjects for photography. Here, you’ll find 50 most beautiful tree photos from the best photographers in the world. Whether it’s a single tree illuminated by a fading sun, or a dense jungle or forest shrouded in mist, these photographs are all incredible in their beauty. So, enjoy the tree photography! If you need more photography inspiration, check out these other posts: Have an inspired day! St. Oak Sunshine by Alex37 Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day by Loren Zemlicka Limetree in Fog by Kregon Timeless Giant by MorbidtheGrim Symphony of Colors by Garry Lost Paradise by Gwarf A Beautiful Day by Valentina Kallias Bittersweet by Ursula Abresch My Mind by emats
Shapeshifting Deepstaria Jelly Jump to Navigation Photos & Video Ship Location San Pedro, USA Low Light Jelly | Nautilus Live During these first ever ROV dives in Revillagigedo Archipelago, the Nautilus team has encountered some truly otherworldly organisms. This close encounter was captured with both our normal ROV Hercules HD camera and a low light camera for bioluminescence designed by Dr. Learn more about the Revillagigedo Archipelago Expedition. Share this Expedition Partners The Nautilus Exploration Program is funded by these major partners. The Fairy Tale Forest By Ildiko Neer | Travel Klix Hungarian photographer Ildiko Neer began operations in 2009. He draws his inspiration from nature, but a special thrill is wood – the sun makes its way through the trees, the sound of leaves and stunning colors of autumn. All this was reflected in the works of photographer. Landscapes, landscapes news, landscapes photos, nature, nature landscapes, nature news, Nature Photos, Photos, travel landscapes, travel nature, Travel News, Travel Photos, Travel Tips
A Burst of Deep Sea Fireworks: Halitrephes Jelly Jump to Navigation Photos & Video Ship Location San Pedro, USA Firework Jelly | Nautilus Live We're starting this year with deep sea fireworks, and a spirit of exploration! The frilled tentacles of the Halitrephes maasi jelly came into view at 1225m in the Revillagigedo Archipelago off Baja California, Mexico. Share this Expedition Partners The Nautilus Exploration Program is funded by these major partners. 3,200 Year Old Tree Never Been Captured In A Single Image... (Distractify) Cloaked in the snows of California’s Sierra Nevada, the 3,200-year-old giant sequoia called the President rises 247 feet. Two other sequoias have wider trunks, but none has a larger crown, say the scientists who climbed it. The figure at top seems taller than the other climbers because he’s standing forward on one of the great limbs. The trunk is 27 feet wide and the his mighty branches hold 2 billion needles, the most of any tree on the planet. On top of that, he still adds one cubic meter of wood per year – making him one of the fastest growing trees in the world. Giant sequoias exist in only one place, where The President and smaller trees that make up his “House” and “Senate”, reside. The team painstakingly put together a set of pulleys and levers to climb the tree. Awesome stuff. Chael Nichols, Ngm staff. Order Large Format Prints at: NationalGeographicCart.com