Mystery of deep-sea 'purple sock' solved

[n2doc]

The mystery of a deep-sea creature that resembles a discarded purple sock has been solved, scientists report.

The animal, called Xenoturbella, is so bizarre that for 60 years researchers could not work out what it was - or where it fitted into the family tree.

But the discovery of four new species in the Pacific has enabled scientists to conclude that this animal belongs to one of the earliest branches of life.

The study is published in the journal Nature.

more

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35482467

[merrily]

1. Purple sock. Hmmm. Xenoturbella, you say? Haven't seen that screen name yet.

I'll be on the lookout for it, though.

[Mbrow]

2. mmmmmm churros

"And also Xenoturbella churro: named after the sweet, fried Spanish pastry, which it resembles - in an admittedly less appetizing way."


sorry I could not help myself.

[shenmue]

3. There were 11 of them in the back of the dryer

[Yo_Mama]

4. Actually, socks are a larval form of these critters.

They're slow growing.

The reason why sometimes you take one fewer socks out of the washer than you put in is that the critter has reached its proto-adult stage, following the instinct to swim down the drain and migrate to the ocean to mate with others of its kind.

[A Simple Game]

6. OK I'll give you that one, but what about all the socks of other colors? Riddle me that Joker! n/t

[Yo_Mama]

7. There is some theory that new hybrid species are being bred. Researchers have

recently noted the appearance of some mutated forms:
http://www.shutterstock.com/s/dirty+socks/search.html?page=1&inline=182358728

In their larval form, these slow-moving, almost sessile carnivores were believed to ingest primarily mites and skin flakes. Now there is fear that some have become more active carnivores. If you walk into your bedroom and see your discarded socks leering at you, be wary:
http://flickrhivemind.net/blackmagic.cgi?id=5517164117&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflickrhivemind.net%2Fflickr_hvmnd.cgi%3Fmethod%3DGET%3Bpage%3D2%3Bphoto_number%3D50%3Btag_mode%3Dall%3Bsearch_type%3DTags%3Boriginput%3Ddirty%252Csocks%3Bsorting%3DInterestingness%3Bphoto_type%3D250%3Bnoform%3Dt%3Bsearch_domain%3DTags%3Bsort%3DInterestingness%3Btextinput%3Ddirty%252Csocks%23pic5517164117&user=&flickrurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/48893985@N02/5517164117

[A Simple Game]

8. I hadn't realized there was so much research into the subject, there may be hope yet. n/t

[passiveporcupine]

5. Xenoturbella

Any new DU members signing up under this moniker...well, you know they are sock puppets!

[Odin2005]

9. Shitty science reporting, what is the actual phylogeny, here?

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. xenocoelomorpha appear to be a sister group to nephrozoa

(nephrozoa are all the other bilateral animals - pretty much anything more complicated than a jellyfish)

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v530/n7588/full/nature16520.html

rather than being a clade inside Deuterostomia (which would have made them closer relatives to us than arthropods, molluscs etc. are).

[Odin2005]

11. Thanks!

I know Xenoturbella was traditionally said to be a deuterstome, which is why I was wondering about the phylogeny.