Explorers find Brittlestar City

A team of researchers has discovered millions of slender, sea star-like creatures - called linkurl:brittlestars;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/19856/ - thriving on a submerged oceanic ridge in the icy waters between New Zealand and Antarctica. The researchers, Australians and New Zealanders participating in the linkurl:Macquarie Ridge Expedition,;http://censeam.niwa.co.nz/outreach/censeam_cruises/macridge linkurl:announced;http://www.coml.org/medres/medres77.htm their discovery on

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share
A team of researchers has discovered millions of slender, sea star-like creatures - called linkurl:brittlestars;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/19856/ - thriving on a submerged oceanic ridge in the icy waters between New Zealand and Antarctica. The researchers, Australians and New Zealanders participating in the linkurl:Macquarie Ridge Expedition,;http://censeam.niwa.co.nz/outreach/censeam_cruises/macridge linkurl:announced;http://www.coml.org/medres/medres77.htm their discovery on Sunday (May 18) and said that the colony of brittlestars stretches 100 square kilometers and exists thanks to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which sweeps food particles past the sedentary filter feeders at the swift pace of 4 kilometers per hour. They released several linkurl:photos;http://www.coml.org/medres/censeam/macquarie_ridge_images_public.htm and a linkurl:video;http://www.coml.org/medres/medres77.htm#censeamvid of what they dubbed "Brittlestar City" and said that it was probably the first large aggregation of brittlestars ever found atop a seamount, which are usually dominated by corals or sponges. The team aims to better understand Antarctic current dynamics and seamount ecology especially in the face of linkurl:climate change.;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/daily/54049/ They towed special sleds to collect seamount organisms from late march to late April, and thousands of specimens were gathered from eight seamounts over the month-long mission. Taxonomists from all over the world will identify the specimens, a process that may take years to complete.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Bob Grant

    From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer.
Share
Image of a woman in a microbiology lab whose hair is caught on fire from a Bunsen burner.
April 1, 2025, Issue 1

Bunsen Burners and Bad Hair Days

Lab safety rules dictate that one must tie back long hair. Rosemarie Hansen learned the hard way when an open flame turned her locks into a lesson.

View this Issue
Conceptual image of biochemical laboratory sample preparation showing glassware and chemical formulas in the foreground and a scientist holding a pipette in the background.

Taking the Guesswork Out of Quality Control Standards

sartorius logo
An illustration of PFAS bubbles in front of a blue sky with clouds.

PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

sartorius logo
Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

dna-script-primarylogo-digital
Concept illustration of acoustic waves and ripples.

Comparing Analytical Solutions for High-Throughput Drug Discovery

sciex

Products

Atelerix

Atelerix signs exclusive agreement with MineBio to establish distribution channel for non-cryogenic cell preservation solutions in China

Green Cooling

Thermo Scientific™ Centrifuges with GreenCool Technology

Thermo Fisher Logo
Singleron Avatar

Singleron Biotechnologies and Hamilton Bonaduz AG Announce the Launch of Tensor to Advance Single Cell Sequencing Automation

Zymo Research Logo

Zymo Research Launches Research Grant to Empower Mapping the RNome