This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Scientists have revealed a bizarre microscopic creature that reproduces in a way reminiscent of the horror film" Alien." The microbe grows one or more new cells inside its own body before the outer "mother" cell ruptures to release them, a reproductive strategy never before seen in its group of organisms. Researchers believe it could help improve the production of valuable omega-3 oils and provide a natural source of the pink food colors called carotenoids.
Both are used in dietary supplements, infant formula and animal and fish farming. The cells are also approximately 50% protein. The discovery was reported in the journal Protist by a long-standing consortium of scientists from Heriot-Watt University, the HWU spinout company Strameno, the Center for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) Weymouth and the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University.
The new microbe is named Caledochytrium aldermaii, after Scotland (Caledonia), where it was found three times, and in honor of the CEFAS scientist, Dr. David Alderman, without whom the early cultures would not have survived. It belongs to a little-known group of marine microorganisms called Labyrinthulomycetes, which act as some of nature's recyclers by breaking down dead organic matter in seas and other salty waters.
Professor Peter Morris, a plant biologist in Heriot-Watt University's School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, said, "Instead of dividing into two, as we would expect, the mature cells develop a large internal chamber in which entirely new daughter cells grow. "Some of those daughters already have another developing generation inside them before they are released when the mother cell breaks open. "So, these microbes can be pregnant grandmothers, in the same way as some species of greenfly are born already pregnant." "Understanding how this species reproduces is key to understanding how it could be used in commercial settings, like aquaculture." Dr.
Jane Polglase has studied the microbes for almost 50 years and founded spinout company Strameno with Alderman and Dr. Lydia Brown to explore their commercial potential. Scientists have become increasingly interested in Labyrinthulomycetes because they naturally produce high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA, the same nutrient found in oily fish.
Polglase said, "We've been investigating this particular group of microbes for decades because of their products and role in the environment, but when we captured the reproduction using an electron microscope, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. "While lots of scientists now focus on the DNA of any creature, we've taken an old-fashioned approach, also observing the microbe's behavior and describing its morphology fully. "If we had not done that, we never would have captured this peculiar reproductive process on camera." Polglase said, "The marine environment swarms with microbes about which we generally know very little.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
