Tag Archives: methane

Scientists Discover Sea Spiders Thriving in Total Darkness, Feeding on Methane Deep on the Ocean Floor

Scientists Discover Sea Spiders Thriving in Total Darkness, Feeding on Methane Deep on the Ocean Floor

A fascinating study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reveals a groundbreaking discovery about the feeding behavior of sea spiders in methane-rich ecosystems off the coast of Southern California. Marine biologist Shana Goffredi and her team have uncovered a new survival strategy that enables these tiny, translucent arachnids, identified as Sericosura, to thrive in one of …

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Sea spiders discovered on the ocean floor that eat methane gas

Sea spiders discovered on the ocean floor that eat methane gas

A dull stretch of silty seafloor off Southern California hides a surprise that would fit on a pencil eraser. Here, three new sea spiders in the genus Sericosura have learned to live on the greenhouse gas methane, thanks to a cloak of bacteria that carpets their limbs. The work comes from marine biologist Shana Goffredi at Occidental College, whose team …

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Skyscraper-size spikes of methane ice may surround Pluto’s equator

Skyscraper-size spikes of methane ice may surround Pluto’s equator

Skyscraper-size spires of mehtane ice may cover around 60% of Pluto‘s equatorial region — a larger area than scientists previously estimated, new research finds. The study, published July 5 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, was based on data collected by NASA‘s New Horizons spacecraft, which captured the first close-up images of the tiny world a decade ago, on …

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