Caribbean seagrass is littered with infected lobsters — but the habitat may save the species

Nov10
by on November 10, 2019 at 9:00 am
Posted In: syndication


The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus is under threat from a deadly virus. Panulirus argus 1 (PaV1) is found throughout the Caribbean, infecting up to 30 percent of lobsters in some areas. Alongside overfishing, it is the biggest danger spiny lobsters are facing today. This is important because the species plays a vital role as both predator and prey in Caribbean seagrass and reef ecosystems. The annual catch of about 40,000 tonnes supports local fisheries and provides a food source for people across the world. The virus replaces blood cells, eventually turning infected lobsters’ blood (referred to as haemolymph) milky…

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NASA found hundreds of exoplanets — and is set to find thousands more

Nov09
by on November 9, 2019 at 9:00 am
Posted In: Space, syndication


Within just 50 light-years from Earth, there are about 1,560 stars, likely orbited by several thousand planets. About a thousand of these extrasolar planets – known as exoplanets – may be rocky and have a composition similar to Earth’s. Some may even harbor life. Over 99 percent of these alien worlds remain undiscovered — but this is about to change. With NASA’s new exoplanet-hunter space telescope TESS, the all-sky search is on for possibly habitable planets close to our solar system. TESS — orbiting Earth every 13.7 days — and ground-based telescopes are poised to find hundreds of planets over…

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