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ScienceQuiet 10d · day 10

Nine new deep-sea sponge species discovered off Alaska

NOAA announces discovery of nine new sponge species in Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands, bringing known total to 232, as their habitat faces threats from mining and trawling.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago6 pieces19 likes & upvotes NewswiresRedditMastodon

What to know

  • NOAA discovered nine new deep-sea sponge species in Alaska's Gulf and Aleutian Islands, raising the known total to 232; scientists estimate hundreds more likely remain undiscovered in deep rocky areas.
  • Sponges function as seafloor habitat-builders critical to commercially important fish and crabs and produce compounds with potential cancer-treatment applications.
  • The newly identified species face growing threats from bottom trawling and Trump's proposed expansion of deep-sea mining for critical minerals like nickel and copper.
  • Scientists used DNA barcoding to identify the species despite technical challenges posed by sponges' filter-feeding nature and foreign DNA in their tissues.

“DNA barcodes provide a quick genetic reference. Sponge DNA can be tricky because they filter-feed, and within their tissues we may find foreign DNA and biochemicals that inhibit testing. But despite the challenges, we successfully developed several new barcodes for Alaskan species.”

Meredith Everett, Biologist at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center · The Guardian ↗

Sean Rooney NOAA fisheries biologist and study co-authorMeredith Everett Biologist at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science CenterCooper Freeman Alaska director of Center for Biological DiversityNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Government agency announcing discovery

Nine new deep-sea sponge species discovered off Alaska
theguardian.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 5 pieces in 3h at Sep 14, 6 AM; 6 pieces over 10 days (4 articles · 2 posts) Sep 14, 6 AM — 5 pieces · 4 articles · 1 post — Newswires 3, Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Sep 14, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 14, 12 PM — quietSep 14, 3 PM — quietSep 14, 6 PM — quietSep 14, 9 PM — quietSep 15, 12 AM — quietSep 15, 3 AM — quietSep 15, 6 AM — quietSep 15, 9 AM — quietSep 15, 12 PM — quietSep 15, 3 PM — quietSep 15, 6 PM — quietSep 15, 9 PM — quietSep 16, 12 AM — quietSep 16, 3 AM — quietSep 16, 6 AM — quietSep 16, 9 AM — quietSep 16, 12 PM — quietSep 16, 3 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 3 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quiet 1–2
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  1. background

    Environmental groups warn Trump's mining expansion threatens new sponge habitat — Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, have opposed Trump's proposals to expand deep-sea mining for critical minerals such as nickel and copper, warning that mining and bottom trawling could damage fragile seafloor ecosystems where the newly discovered sponges live.

  2. 2

    Scientists note Alaska likely holds hundreds more undiscovered sponge species

    NOAA biologist Sean Rooney emphasized that despite identifying 232 sponge species, deep-water rocky places remain largely inaccessible to current survey methods, suggesting hundreds more species likely exist undiscovered in Alaskan waters.

    “There are now more than 232 identified species of sponges in Alaska, and probably hundreds more that we don't know about yet.”
    — Sean Rooney
  3. 1

    NOAA announces discovery of nine new sponge species off Alaska

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the discovery of nine new deep-sea sponge species found in the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Researchers analyzed specimens collected during annual bottom-trawl surveys going back to 2012, describing the species in two recent scientific papers. The findings bring the total known sponge species in Alaska to 232.

    “They aren't plants, but like trees in a forest, they provide complex structure along the seafloor that creates habitat and refuge for commercially important fish and crabs.”
    — Sean Rooney

    1. 3 outlets first by Mastodon, 9d ago · also Guardian Science, Guardian · read ↗