Elysia Chlorotica: A Sap-Sucking, Solar-Powered Sea Slug

[gregm2476]

so is this a autotroph or heterotroph? lol im leaning more towards autotroph

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@gregm2476 might be a mixotroph like a protist...just does whatever it feels like. 

[gregm2476]

@ThyrmBloodaxe oh, protists are annoying, do you think it could be in the process of evolution where it mixes its dna with chloroplasts, kind of like how we heterotrophs gained mitochondria and plants have chloroplasts and mitochondria?

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@gregm2476 yes. that is called endosymbiosis. the origin of photosynthesis was recently found in the Cyanophora paradoxa. it was on a recent sciencedaily article

[gregm2476]

@ThyrmBloodaxe that was the word i was looking for! thanks man!

[NYtassu]

0:13, does it look like something humans have?

[TheCrossways]

@NYtassu SEA VAGINA!!

[ripriprippity]

Don't lie to me Rebecca

[Womonthecom]

thats what she said

[NYtassu]

It might be fun if humans could photosynthesize and become all green. XD

[starwars6rulz]

@NYtassu it's called an alien

[Evi1M4chine]

Half plant, half animal. That’s pretty awesome! Imagine the possibilities!

[MultiUniv3rsal]

I only listened to this because she sounds cute.

I wanna eclectoplast her eyes shut.

[whenindoubtdo]

WORST PLASMID EVER!!!

[empemitheos]

@whenindoubtdo ur moms a plasmid!

[yourmomdidsayyourean]

@MajorObvious I was thinking a Honda but if you want to drive a Green Volvo...oh wait you said vulva...never mind.;p

[mrflibblesthecat]

*waits for more Bioshock references*

[geezzerboy]

In 2005, it was discover that chloroplasts use quantum mechanical effects to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbohydrates. Check out Nature Mag if you are intersted. It now seems that many biological processes make use of virtual particles.

[IAmTheCthulhu]

@geezzerboy I wonder if we'll ever use tech like that for fuel? :P Hm?

[Aaberg123]

@geezzerboy

Let's just say I'm more than a little cautious when people throw around the word quantum with regards to things on a macro scale. Do you have an article you can link to?

[geezzerboy]

@Aaberg123 The Journal NATURE will give you the information you seek. I believe they have a web site. There are other quantum effects being intensely studied; the latest Entanglement experiments use a 14 mile long tube, the entangled photons do opposite things at either end. If information is being shared by the two particles, it is traveling at 10,000 times the speed of light.

[AtheistKharm]

Smart girls are sexy.

[freesk8]

How many base pairs are we talking about for the slug DNA that codes for the algae photosynthesis? If it is fewer than 100, then perhaps this could have evolved to be identical, in order to produce the identical proteins. If it is many thousands, then perhaps the DNA migrated there from the algae? That would indeed be weird.

[ddnguyen278]

@freesk8 I suspect there is some sort of mechanism for gene transfer in these slugs which allow them to do this (ie evolve cellular stealing biology) which no other creature has evolved. Give this slug a few 100 million years and who knows how far it's gene stealing biology could take it :)

[MudHut67]

Mindfucked

[DackIsBack]

Scum Sucking Bastard-Slug!

[DackIsBack]

The thumbnail made me think of Caterpie!

[EntinludeX]

Can someone create some patroleum eating algea and dumpTHAT in the gulf already?

[BranVan10k]

ok, but does it have ADAM

[TipoftheSlung]

@BranVan10k

Remember, ADAM is the canvas, plasmids are the paint.

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@BranVan10k rofl, this is exactly what i was thinking about when i heard about it

[7eeeeeees]

1st