Today's Top Science Headline --Jellyfish Have Superpowers --"Surviving of All Five of Earth's Major Extinction Events"
December 12, 2017
Jellyfish, largely unchanged for at least 500 million years, surviving all five major extinction events in the Earth’s past that wiped out 99% of all life, are among the most abundant organisms in the sea. Recent research suggests there are about 38 million ton of them just in the mesopelagic, the upper 200 meters of ocean. What’s more, they are common in all oceans and have colonized the majority of marine habitats including the deep sea.
One reason they are so common, writes author Phillip Lamb, a marine biologist at the University of East Anglia in The Conversation, is that contrary to appearances, a body made from jelly is a very successful strategy. Gelatinous bodies have evolved independently three times and have existed, largely unchanged, for at least 500 million years, surviving all five major extinction events in the Earth’s past that wiped out 99% of all life.
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2017/12/todays-top-science-headline-jellyfish-have-superpowers-surviving-of-all-five-of-earths-major-extinct.html
