Life Found that Survives Without Oxygen

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/04/scienceshot-animals-that-live-wi.html?rss=1

 

Scientists have found the first multicellular animals that apparently live entirely without oxygen. The creatures reside deep in one of the harshest environments on earth: the Mediterranean Ocean's L'Atalante basin, which contains salt brine so dense that it doesn't mix with the oxygen-containing waters above. Previous samples taken from the water and sediments in the basin showed that single-celled life was present, but a new study published this week in BMC Biology has identified multi-cellular animals that apparently live and reproduce in the sediments under the salt brine.

 

So, life can exist without oxygen. Does this mean there are far, far more possible places (and planets) that can support life?

[Icefire]

Probably, but I'd like to see how exactly the cells can function without oxygen before going out to find life in the diamond seas of distant worlds.

[Mr Skeptic]

It's still going to need the oxygen in H2O

 

...Oh, you mean an animal that lives without oxygen. Ok, that's much more impressive. (suggest changing the title to say animal instead of life)

[rogerxd45]

i think we need to investigate the oceans a lot more before going out and spending billions on space, i think we have lots to learn about the oceans that will aid in our search for life elsewhere.

[Icefire]

i think we need to investigate the oceans a lot more before going out and spending billions on space, i think we have lots to learn about the oceans that will aid in our search for life elsewhere.

 

Agreed. for all we know there could be a civilization of sentient organisms hiding in the deepest parts.

[jimmydasaint]

Great find. These species seem to be markers for when the Earth evolved from an anoxic to an oxygenated environment more that 2 billion years ago. However, it is seems to be quite common for early embryonic stages of multicellular organisms to undergo anoxic stages:

the earliest multicellular life forms appear to be an ancient achievement in the anoxic Earth. Anaerobic multicellular organisms exist today, but their complexity is limited compared with that of aerobic metazoans. In any case, it is noteworthy that the recapitulation of ancient-life features, such as anaerobic metabolism during early embryogenesis, seems to be essential for the accomplishment of normal ontogenesis even for vertebrates.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1552013/

[toastywombel]

Is an animal not having mitochondrial dna a first as well?