Cute

[n2doc]

New Purple Octopus?
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography

An unidentified purple octopus (pictured) is one of 11 potentially new species found this month during a deep-sea expedition off Canada's Atlantic coast, scientists say.

Still at sea, a team of Canadian and Spanish researchers is using a remotely operated vehicle called ROPOS for dives off Newfoundland with a maximum depth of about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters).

The 20-day expedition aims to uncover relationships between cold-water coral and other bottom-dwelling creatures in a pristine yet "alien" environment, according to the researchers' blog.

"It's been really spectacular," Ellen Kenchington, research scientist with the Fisheries Department of Canada—one of the organizations involved in the project—told Canada's CTV News website.

more

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/photogalleries/100727-science-new-species-canada-deep-sea-newfoundland-pictures/

[MineralMan]

1. Awwww.....

Mira la pulpita hermosa!

[Posteritatis]

2. Yay for the local science crowd

The BEO's just across town from me. This has been in the local news for a couple days, and has been infuriating the local mouthbreather population.

[n2doc]

3. Why would this piss them off? n/t

[sharp_stick]

4. +1 because I want to come back and see the answer n/t

[Posteritatis]

5. Mix of conservatives and the types who think "scientists" are a monolith

The former hate it because there's no immediate consumer applications, or because studying nature is bad, and the latter hate it because they think oceanographers should stop slacking off and cure cancer or something, because all scientists are omnidisciplinary.

It'd be sad if it wasn't so predictable. The latter threw the exact same tantrum when local news mentioned Pluto's "demotion" a few years back.

[tridim]

6. ..until it latches on to your face.

If an octopus had to appear in an kids anime, it would look like that.

[n2doc]

8. yep

[racaulk]

7. Very cool!

I wouldn't want that thing anywhere near me, but it is a beautiful animal! :hi: