Strange Sea Slug Is Part Plant, Part Animal




By Clara Moskowitz
LiveScience


(Jan. 12) -- A green sea slug appears to be part animal, part plant. It's the first critter discovered to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll.

The sneaky slugs seem to have stolen the genes that enable this skill from algae that they've eaten. With their contraband genes, the slugs can carry out photosynthesis - the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy.

"They can make their energy-containing molecules without having to eat anything," said Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Pierce has been studying the unique creatures, officially called Elysia chlorotica, for about 20 years. He presented his most recent findings Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle. The finding was first reported by Science News.

"This is the first time that multicellar animals have been able to produce chlorophyll," Pierce told LiveScience.

The sea slugs live in salt marshes in New England and Canada. In addition to burglarizing the genes needed to make the green pigment chlorophyll, the slugs also steal tiny cell parts called chloroplasts, which they use to conduct photosynthesis. The chloroplasts use the chlorophyl to convert sunlight into energy, just as plants do, eliminating the need to eat food to gain energy.

"We collect them and we keep them in aquaria for months," Pierce said. "As long as we shine a light on them for 12 hours a day, they can survive [without food]."

The researchers used a radioactive tracer to be sure that the slugs are actually producing the chlorophyll themselves, as opposed to just stealing the ready-made pigment from algae. In fact, the slugs incorporate the genetic material so well, they pass it on to further generations of slugs.

The babies of thieving slugs retain the ability to produce their own chlorophyll, though they can't carry out photosynthesis until they've eaten enough algae to steal the necessary chloroplasts, which they can't yet produce on their own.

The slugs accomplishment is quite a feat, and scientists aren't yet sure how the animals actually appropriate the genes they need.

"It certainly is possible that DNA from one species can get into another species, as these slugs have clearly shown," Pierce said. "But the mechanisms are still unknown."

To all who hear the call of Cthulhu. Take heed, for the Old-Ones rize from the infathomable depth's as if to devour us all..... I saw a great movie last night. "Deep Rising". If you havn't seen it you should. The main character(Finnegan)-(Real name _ Treat Williams) A mercenary for hire is so Jack-esque it's creepy. He probably could be Jack if A movie came out. My favorite line in the entire movie " If the money is there, We don't care" His sidekick (pantucci or Joey for short)-(Real name Kevin J. O' Connor--Benny in "The Mummy") is such a great actor. He really makes the movie my all-time favorite. I could see these guys taking on a full grown Mother Rakosh. Win the day, drink a beer, and be home in time to watch the apocalypse. Another Great line from the movie to end with. "Now What?"

How come this show never came on the air in America? I never saw or heard of it on Showtime where its sister series, Masters of Horror played. Was it just in another country?

I was looking for something mindless last night so I picked up Jennifer's Body and it was just what the doctor ordered. It's not bad but it sure isn't great and you won't have to waste much mental energy following it. Megan Fox is not much of an actress IMO, and luckily the movie doesn't ask her to be; she just needs to look seductive which she manages to pull off. The writing is decent, the rest of cast is adequate and the production is good in this scareless horror flick. All in all, a decent popcorn flick.

FYI: http://cgi.ebay.com/F-Paul-Wilson---THE-...14001r4910

I'd love to see a big budget remake of Nuke 'Em High. I loved this when I was a teenager, pre-teen. I don't remember how old I was when I saw it, I don't really remember it well. In truth, I'm probably completely mistaken and this would be a terrible movie to remake. I just have a fondness for this barely remembered flick.

Anyone else see this on HBO? I thought it was going to be a piece of crap, but it is actually one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It's good writing that is made even stronger by the oversimple animation. It wouldn't work as a traditional sitcom and it wouldn't work on network TV.

I hope HBO brings it back.

If anyone is aware of torrent downloads of my SF novels Healer, Wheels Within Wheels, and An Enemy of the State, let me know. I'd like copies.

What an ingeniusly simple concept done well. Gabriel Byrne plays a therapist and each half hour episode has him working with a specific client and then he visits his own therapist(not really accurate but applicable)played by the incredible Diane Wiest. He has four clients: a woman who claims to love him, a pilot responsible for bombing a school, a young female Olympic hopeful in gymnastics and a couple whose marriage is in disarray. Each episode deals almost exclusively with him at work but they are starting to show glimpses of his wife and child. As you can imagine, the show is almost strictly dialogue and the subject matter is as heavy as anything I've seen, but it is brilliantly written and I think offers a most fascinating peek into the world of psychotherapy(it may be called something else but I don't know the distictions between the different fields of psychoanalysis). I've only watched the first 10 episodes(out of 43)but I'm pretty well hooked at this point.

I am a HUGE comic book geek and I recently heard that The Keep had been Comicized. This is what I found.

http://www.amazon.com/Keep-F-Paul-Wilson...095&sr=1-1

That's right! One new available for $1946.64. I am amazed at the price. Not so much at how high it is, but what an odd price! Where did they come up with that price? Does it mean something? Am I obsessing over nothing?

Are there any current plans to turn RJ into a Comic Series?