Long ago, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean was engulfed by the sea, and with it, all its inhabitants. There, the last of the snouters, or Rhinogradentia, a group of animals with large snouts, went extinct. This is what Gerold Steiner told us in his seminal work. But actually, none of this was real, but a giant science prank. Science is not always serious, and the history of science is full of scientists that used some of their time to fool their colleagues. Despite being completely false, the anatomy and lifestyle of the snouters is completely rooted in our understanding of evolution, an exercise known as speculative biology, where imagination and science intersect.
Author: Alejandro Izquierdo
Life on Jupiter: is it possible? The scientific imaginary creatures (II)
It’s 1980. The decade of the 70’s has come to an end, and with it, a time when space travel seemed to be achievable in the near future. Fueled by Apolo’s XI landing in 1969, science fiction had just experienced a sudden rise that had even been promoted to the mainstream media (Star Trek, Star…
The history of the Caminalcules: the scientific imaginary creatures (I)
In On elephants and bacteria we always try to present unconventional theories, unique animals or just basically whatever has caught up our attention. In this new series of articles (we have not forgotten about Strangers in the animal tree….) we are going to look at the “pinnacle of imagination” in biology: the creation of scientific…
Strangers in the animal tree (P2)
We continue our series with some of the most strange and unknown animals on earth. In Strangers in the animal tree (Pt1) we got to known two monotypic phyla with mouth issues: Ciclyophorans, who are only found in the mouth of some common lobsters and Micrognathozoans, which have one of the most complex mandibles on…
Micrognathozoans and Cycliophorans-Strangers in the animal tree (I)
Animal diversity is stunning. Our planet is full of wonders beyond our imagination: animals that survive in the harshest of conditions, parasites that have become ultra-specialized, animals that use the sun for energy… the list has no end. We hardly ever wonder about the incredible diversity of creatures that live between us. It is in…
Greek mythology invades biodiversity!
When scientists create scientific names, they often unleash their creativity and honour people, locations or even gods. We go through the Greek God Pantheon and discover animals named after Greek Mythology, like the fish Zeus or the butterfly Hades.
On elephants and bacteria 