Natures Mysteries

Researchers have discovered microbes living in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.You would be forgiven for thinking that the freezing, dark depths of Lake Vida in Antarctica represented one of the most unlikeliest places on Earth to find living things; yet despite an environment that would seem deadly to any form of life a viable colony of microbes have managed to eke out an existence there. Thediscovery adds weight to the idea that life might exist below the ice on other worlds such as Jupiter"s moon Europa."This work expands our understanding of the types of life that can survive in these isolated, cryoecosystems and how different strategies may be used to exist in such challenging environments," said study co-author Dr.

Alison Murray. Lake Vida, the largest of several unique lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen, ismostly frozen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any natural water body on Earth.  

View: Full article |  Source: Science Daily  

Several beaches in Sydney have been closed by officials as red algae turned the water a deep red.The unusual phenomenon can happen when certain weather conditions result in a more widespread bloom of algae than is usually seen in the region. Due to concerns over the risk to swimmers, authorities took the decision to close the beaches and conduct tests on the water."There aresome possible risks to human health from red algae including skin rashes and eye irritation, and for this reason the beach will remain closed until the algae dissipates," said a spokesman.

"Signage has been installed at Clovelly Beach, and council lifeguards are advising people not to swim." Patches of the red algae, a natural phenomenon that can be exacerbated by certain weather conditions, were sighted between BondiBeach and Maroubra Beach this morning.  

View: Full article |  Source: Perth Now  

A bizarre carnivorous sponge shaped like a candelabra has been found off the coast off California.Known as the "harp sponge", the species lives two miles below the ocean surface and feeds off crustaceans. The sponge"s limbs are covered in Velcro-like hooks which snare unsuspecting prey swept in to it by the currents. Until now the harp sponge had only ever beenseen through a remote-operated deep sea vehicle."No one had ever seen this animal with their own eyes before," said biologist Lonny Lundsten who was one of the first researchers to see the sponges.

"We were just amazed." A new carnivore shaped like a candelabra has been spotted in deep ocean waters off California"s Monterey Bay. The meat-eating species was dubbed the "harp sponge," so-called because itsstructure resembles a harp or lyre turned on its side.  

View: Full article |  Source: MSNBC  

Three scientists believe they"ve determined why some sand dunes produce a strange humming sound.The mystery of the "singing sand dunes" has baffled for centuries. When sand grains shuffle down dunes under certain circumstances they produce a deep groaning sound - something that Marco Polo once attributed to evil spirits. But how exactly are these sounds produced and how do some dunes produce more than one note at a time ?Three scientistsfrom Paris set out to find the answers to these questions.

Deliberately triggering avalanches at sand dunes in Morocco and Oman, the trio noted that each dune seemed to create a sound in a different note. What they discovered is that the sound is caused by a constant stream of collisions between sand particles and that the size of the particles dictate which sound is made. When Marco Polo heard it in China, he suspected evil spirits. When residents of Copiapo, Chile, heard itemanating from a sandy hill, they dubbed the peak El Bramador, for its roars and bellows.  

View: Full article |  Source: National Geographic