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46% of getS.E.T.go! readers think that the most important benefit of South Africa’s recent participation in the Shanghai Expo, will be the raising of our country’s science & technology profile on the global stage. |
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38% opted for “sharing of international best practices in maths & science education”; and 15% for “building an international network of contacts”. |
Almost 21 000 learners from around South Africa and SADC countries participated in the Science Olympiad this year.
A new species of squid has been discovered by scientists analysing the 7 000 samples gathered during last year’s IUCN-led Seamounts cruise in the southern Indian Ocean.
The new species was identified by D. Vladimir Laptikhovsky, a fishery scientist from the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department. Dr Laptikhovsky was part of the group of 21 scientists and students from seven different countries, who gathered in Grahamstown at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in November to identify the samples collected during the cruise.
The species is 70cm long and is a large member of the chiroteuthid family. Squids from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey. So far, more than 70 species of squid have been identified from the Seamounts cruise, representing more than 20% of the global squid biodiversity.
The IUCN-led Seamounts Project started more than a year ago when a team of the world’s leading marine experts ventured into a six-week research expedition above seamounts (underwater mountains of volcanic and tectonic origin) in the Indian Ocean. The cruise represented the first-ever comprehensive biological survey of seamount ecosystems, and aimed to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean and to help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area.
“The new discoveries will not only satiate the appetite of scientists working in the field, but they will also help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean resources and the future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Programme.
For more information, visit the IUCN website