48 votes

This is the first animal ever found that doesn't need oxygen to survive

7 comments

  1. [7]
    ACEmat
    Link
    Aside from the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, I really remember nothing about microbiology. So perhaps I didn't understand the rest of the article, or maybe the answer is "We don't...

    Aside from the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, I really remember nothing about microbiology. So perhaps I didn't understand the rest of the article, or maybe the answer is "We don't know yet," but if "adenosine triphosphate" is used for "cell processes" and this organism doesn't produce it from oxygen, where does it get it? Or does it not need "adenosine triphosphate"?

    5 votes
    1. [6]
      sparksbet
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Based on the article it seems that what's noteworthy about this organism is that it's multicellular and anaerobic, since there's plenty of known single-celled organisms who can survive in (or even...

      Based on the article it seems that what's noteworthy about this organism is that it's multicellular and anaerobic, since there's plenty of known single-celled organisms who can survive in (or even require) an environment without oxygen. Single-celled anaerobic organisms produce ATP through fermentation or anaerobic respiration (each of which has several variations). In all cases, they're using chemical reactions other than aerobic respiration (the process done in the mitochondria using oxygen) to create ATP.

      The wikipedia article on anaerobic organisms has a section on multicellular life, which mentions Henneguya zschokkei, another name for the animal that's the subject of this article, as well as three species of miniscule sediment-dwelling animals in the genus Loricifera that live in an anoxic environment in the Mediterranean sea. (Incidentally, this means the title of the article is inaccurate, since these species of Loricifera were discovered back in 2010.) Apparently it's difficult to study Henneguya zschokkei's anaerobic pathway because it's difficult to culture them, but we do know that the Loricifera species use hydrogenosomes to produce ATP from hydrogen.

      24 votes
      1. [5]
        redbearsam
        Link Parent
        Casual headline takedown buried inside parentheses deep in the second paragraph. Very good sleuthing. More of that from you please.

        Casual headline takedown buried inside parentheses deep in the second paragraph. Very good sleuthing. More of that from you please.

        10 votes
        1. [4]
          sparksbet
          Link Parent
          Haha I'll try, but the quality of my sleuthing is directly proportional to the importance of the thing I'm procrastinating on irl, so I can't make any promises. This comment was written while I...

          Haha I'll try, but the quality of my sleuthing is directly proportional to the importance of the thing I'm procrastinating on irl, so I can't make any promises. This comment was written while I was putting off leaving for the airport 😅

          13 votes
          1. [2]
            redbearsam
            Link Parent
            Jesus sparksbet get off Tildes you numpty. Go go go

            Jesus sparksbet get off Tildes you numpty. Go go go

            12 votes
            1. sparksbet
              Link Parent
              lol it's okay I'm now safely waiting at my gate

              lol it's okay I'm now safely waiting at my gate

              9 votes
          2. Hobofarmer
            Link Parent
            If that isn't the damn truth, all of my best work comes from my attempts to procrastinate on something else. I will write an essay on the most mundane subject if it means I can put off working on...

            If that isn't the damn truth, all of my best work comes from my attempts to procrastinate on something else. I will write an essay on the most mundane subject if it means I can put off working on something else!

            /noise

            3 votes