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Indian scientists discover 'mermaid' plant species

 

mermaid species

  • The Indian archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar is home to a new species of plant.
  • Biologists found a marine green algae during a trip to the island in 2019.
  • Scientists spent nearly two years identifying this species for the first time, which is a laborious process.
  • A new algae species was found on the islands for the first time in more than four decades, according to researchers.
  • A species of Acetabularia has been named by scientists from the Central University of Punjab.
  • JALAKANAYA is a goddess of the seas and mermaids in Sanskrit. Hans Christian Anderson's eponymous fairy tale, Little Mermaid, influenced the scientist's research.
  • "The newly discovered species is so stunning. It has caps with intricate designs as if it were umbrellas of a mermaid," said Dr Felix Bast, who led the study.
  • The main feature of the newly discovered species is that the plant is made up of one gigantic cell with a nucleus.
  • The scientists spent more than 18 months sequencing the plant DNA and comparing its form with other plants in the lab.
  • A paper describing this discovery has been accepted in the the journal Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences.
  • The coral reefs of Andaman and Nicobar are among the last remaining healthy coral reefs worldwide. In addition to supporting a diversity of organisms, these reefs also support a wide variety of algae.
  • Scientists say climate change is posing a tremendous stress as temperatures in seawater rise and the oceans become more acidic due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions.
  • According to Dr Bast, rising seawater temperatures decrease oxygen concentration in water, threatening species that depend on oxygen for survival like this one.



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