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A bizarre worm discovered in California can survive 500 times the lethal dose of arsenic in humans and has "three sexes"
- Creatures is known as an "extremophile" and survives in the worst conditions
- Previously, Mono Lake had only two other animals
- The water is three times saltier than the sea and the arsenic makes it almost inhospitable
Eight new species of nematode worms were found in the ultra-salt lake of Mono, California, in water with an arsenic concentration 500 times higher than the lethal dose for humans.
Creatures are known as "extremophiles" – a phrase that speaks of their ability to thrive in the harshest environments on the planet.
A species, temporarily called Auanema sp., Has three different sexes and carries its young in the interior of its body like a kangaroo.
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Creatures are known as "extremophiles" – a phrase that speaks of their ability to thrive in the harshest environments on the planet. A species, temporarily named Auanema sp. (photo), has three different sexes and carries his baby in his body like a kangaroo
Mono Lake, located in the Eastern Sierras of California, is three times saltier than the ocean and has an alkaline pH of 10.
It is an inhospitable area, with only two other animal species present in the lake, brine shrimp and diving flies.
The work is growing considerably with the discovery of eight species of nematodes.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have published their findings in Current Biology.
"Extremists can tell us a lot about innovative coping strategies," says Pei-Yin Shih, a graduate student, who participated in the research.
"Our study shows that we still have a lot to learn about how these 1,000-celled animals control survival in extreme environments."
The eight species they found are diverse and range from microbrilling parasites to parasites and predators.
But all are resistant to arsenic-laden conditions, but the Aunema species, which has three unidentified sexes, is also perfect under normal conditions and can thrive in laboratory conditions, a rarity among extremophiles.
The researchers hope to study animals to see if there is a genetic cause for arsenic resistance and how it could be used to help humans filter out contaminated water.
The Mono Lake (pictured), located in the eastern sierras of California, is three times saltier than the ocean and its alkaline pH is 10. It's an inhospitable area, with only two other animal species present in the lake, the shrimp dive flies
WHAT IS MONO LAKE?
Mono Lake is in California and is very salty.
The water itself is almost inhospitable and only a small amount of animals can survive there.
The surrounding area, however, serves an important ecological niche and is often visited by migratory birds.
Deep down, it is 158 feet from the bottom of the lake, but the average depth of the water is about 58 feet.
It is about three times as salty as seawater.
It is alkaline, with a pH of 10, which makes it extremely difficult to survive.
Mono Lake is in California and is very salty. The water itself is almost inhospitable and only a small amount of animals can survive there
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