Saturday, November 10, 2012

Water Bear, Faucet Face

Only the "water bear" part of the title of this posting is scientifically accurate (well, Paramacrobiotus craterlaki is the true scientific name for this microbial creature). But, really, instead of an actual FACE, which the rest of us larger creatures have, this microbial wonder has, er, a faucet. This creature is only one of a "marine treasure trove" of creatures that are now being studied by scholars at the University of British Columbia (yay, Canada!). "These tiny marine wonders offer a chance to exploit a vast pool of material that could be used to create innovative medicines, industrial solvents, chemical treatments and other processes, scientists say. Researchers have already created new enzymes for treating sewage and chemicals for making soaps from material they have found in ocean organisms," they say. We live in a world of wonders -- many of which we can't even see.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/10/marine-treasure-trove-medicine

No comments:

Post a Comment