Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Relax: Fascinating clips of jellyfish, especially the “unknown” creatures of the abyss

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So labelled in the first vid below. The reader who sent this clip commented, “As I watched the video in amazement, the thought that those creatures are the result of random Darwinian processes didn’t even cross my mind. Whereas, the thought that God is one incredible artist did cross my mind!”

At times, jellyfish almost seem like they are not part of the same world of life forms as ourselves. Not because they are boneless and brainless but because they just seem so different. It feels easier to understand an ant or a squid, even though they are very different.

See also: Grand evolution theory for complex animals in ruins; fossil is, in fact, a jellyfish

Sponges definitely oldest animals, not “anatomically complex” comb jellies

Sponges vs. jellies: Comb jellies still the “oldest” complex life form, researchers say

Sponges back in the ring with comb jellies for “oldest” title fight

Comb jelly files: Complex features do not each emerge once

Comb jelly DNA sequence offers “unintuitive facts” about evolution…

and

Researchers: The sponge is the oldest animal phylum after all (2015)

 

Comments
A few notes:
Jellyfish proteins used to create polariton laser - August 22, 2016 Excerpt: The researchers note that others have tried to create such lasers with limited success due to the excited particles colliding with one another—severe cooling was the only way to tame them. But the jellyfish proteins came with a built-in solution—each was barrel-shaped with the fluorescent molecules shielded inside, protecting the emitted particles from interfering with one another. (the 'biological' laser operates at room temperature) http://phys.org/news/2016-08-jellyfish-proteins-polariton-laser.html Fish flaunt neon glow - Scientists find extensive evidence of biofluorescence in marine species. - Danielle Venton - 08 January 2014 Excerpt: More than 180 species of fish, from at least 50 taxonomic families, can absorb light and re-emit it as a different color, researchers report today in PLoS ONE1. Caught by cameras fitted with yellow-colored filters, fish such as the flathead (Cociella hutchinsi), found in the tropical Pacific Ocean, become show stoppers. "It's like they have their own little private light show going on," says John Sparks, a curator of ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York who helped to lead the work. "We were surprised to find it in so many.",,, http://www.nature.com/news/fish-flaunt-neon-glow-1.14488
And 'then a miracle occurs',,, 27 times!
Repeated and Widespread Evolution of Bioluminescence in Marine Fishes - June 2016 Abstract Bioluminescence is primarily a marine phenomenon with 80% of metazoan bioluminescent genera occurring in the world’s oceans. Here we show that bioluminescence has evolved repeatedly and is phylogenetically widespread across ray-finned fishes. We recover 27 independent evolutionary events of bioluminescence, all among marine fish lineages. This finding indicates that bioluminescence has evolved many more times than previously hypothesized across fishes and the tree of life. Our exploration of the macroevolutionary patterns of bioluminescent lineages indicates that the present day diversity of some inshore and deep-sea bioluminescent fish lineages that use bioluminescence for communication, feeding, and reproduction exhibit exceptional species richness given clade age. We show that exceptional species richness occurs particularly in deep-sea fishes with intrinsic bioluminescent systems and both shallow water and deep-sea lineages with luminescent systems used for communication. http://www.darwinthenandnow.com/2017/02/origin-of-bioluminescence/
More notes:
10 Unusual Deep Sea Creatures Spotted By NOAA Expedition - video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flBZnJ5aW-A Weird Killer of the Deep | World's Weirdest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUVerZsbYiw The (deep sea) anglerfish uses a shiny lure to bring prey within range of its sharp teeth. Disco Clams Light Up the Ocean Floor - video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_siqfXOSaA Source of disco clams' light show discovered - June 24, 2014 Excerpt: It didn't take long for her to confirm that the flashing was not, as most people assumed, a form of bioluminescence – a chemical reaction inside animals like plankton that produces light similar to that of a glow stick. Instead, she found, the edge of the clam's mantle lip is highly reflective on one side. When the clam unfurls its lip – typically twice a second – the millimeter-wide mirror is revealed and reflects the ambient light, like a disco ball.,,, The inside of the clam's lip is packed with tiny spheres of silica, only 340 nanometers in diameter, that are ideal reflectors, particularly of the blue light that penetrates deeper into seawater than does red light. The outside of the lip contains no silica nanospheres, so when the lip is furled, no light is reflected. By repeatedly unfurling and furling the lip, the clam produces a continual rippling light show. The non-reflective back of the lip strongly absorbs blue light, so it appears dark and makes the contrast between the sides even more striking.,,, She could find no other instance of animals using silica nanospheres as flashing reflectors, though the white color of several insects apparently comes from a layer of silica that reflects white light. http://phys.org/news/2014-06-source-disco-clams.html Fish With Transparent Head Filmed - video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoygy-8PTtU Researchers discover fish with a previously unknown type of eye - March 2014 Excerpt: The University of Tübingen's Institute of Anatomy has discovered a fish with a previously unknown type of eye. The aptly-named glasshead barreleye lives at depths of 800 to 1000 meters. It has a cylindrical eye pointing upwards to see prey, predators or potential mates silhouetted against the gloomy light above. But the eye also has a mirror-like second retina which can detect bioluminescent flashes created by deep-sea denizens to the sides and below,,,(How does it work?) “The light coming from below is focused onto a second retina by a curved mirror composed of many layers of small reflective plates made of guanine crystals, giving the fish a much bigger field of vision." http://phys.org/news/2014-03-fish-previously-unknown-eye.html
bornagain77
February 20, 2018
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