NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'sponges' details

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What is the least symmetrical organism? With the exception of sperm whales' off-centre blow-holes and some crabs' single large claw, all complex organisms I can think of are effectively symmetrical along one plane of their body. What is the least symmetrical organism? Max Maguire, By email, no address supplied
Editorial status: In magazine. (2 votes) average rating:3.5 There are 15 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Jon-Richfield
on 2011-02-05 16:41:30

(no votes)

No prpblem; my pleasure!

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Asked by Moderator
on 2009-09-29 11:28:00

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, symmetry, whale, symmetrical, crab.

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What is the least symmetrical organism? With the exception of sperm whales' off-centre blow-holes and some crabs' single large claw, all complex organisms I can think of are effectively symmetrical along one plane of their body. What is the least symmetrical organism? Max Maguire, By email, no address supplied
Editorial status: In magazine. (2 votes) average rating:3.5 There are 15 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Dryopithecus
on 2011-02-05 13:14:02

(no votes)

Whoops! I was assuming that, because it's known as a bath sponge, therefore it is a sponge!

A bit late to say this, I know, but thanks for pointing this out.

Dry.

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Asked by Moderator
on 2009-09-29 11:28:00

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, symmetry, whale, symmetrical, crab.

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We found thousands of these strange creatures in Coogee Bay in New South Wales. What are they?

While swimming one morning across Coogee Bay in New South Wales, we came across thousands of these strange creatures (see photo) floating at depths down to about 2 metres.

They were hard but also flexible, with water inside and a small hole at one end. Their length varied from about 3 to 30 centimetres and their walls were between 2 and 5 millimetres thick. Their skin was marked with many small protrusions, the size of which varied from one creature to another. Unlike jellyfish they appeared to be completely harmless.

No one I've spoken to from the area has ever come across anything like this. So what were they and why were they there?

Philippe Wilmotte, Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia

Editorial status: In magazine.

(1 vote) average rating:5

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Answered by skip4it
on 2009-12-16 11:58:40

(no votes)

As I was reading your description of the mystery item, I could not help but be reminded of the description of a simple sea sponge I read in my high school biology class workbook many years ago. It has only one orifice at the top through which food drifts in and the remains drift back out. The other end is usually attached to a rock or some other item under water. Possibly a recent storm was enough to dislodge them. Or this might even be a certain stage in there life cycle when they set themselves loose to drift, their only means of locomotion when nearby edible material is hard to come by.

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Asked by Moderator
on 2009-12-09 14:16:15

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Categories: Animals, Unanswered.

Tags: sea, ocean, Australia, NewSouthWales.

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if I add cotton wool into a glass full of water to absorb it, why then is it possible to add extra water into the glass again?
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Asked by gingos
on 2009-10-28 23:21:17

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Categories: Domestic Science.

Tags: water, mass, Glass, bath, sponge.

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What is the least symmetrical organism? With the exception of sperm whales' off-centre blow-holes and some crabs' single large claw, all complex organisms I can think of are effectively symmetrical along one plane of their body. What is the least symmetrical organism? Max Maguire, By email, no address supplied
Editorial status: In magazine. (2 votes) average rating:3.5 There are 15 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Jon-Richfield
on 2009-10-11 14:11:59

(1 vote) average rating:5

FWIW, it is worth avoiding confusion of the loofah and the sponge. The (bath) sponge is the one with a membranous texture. It is the "skeleton" of an animal, while the loofah is a fibrous skeleton of the fruit of a plant related to a cucumber. In fact, young loofahs are eaten as a vegetable before their fibres develop. At least one species of the genus Luffa is grown in parts of North Western South Africa and Namibia. When the fruit has ripened and lost the skin and pulp, it is cleaned of seeds and debris and voila! "To wield the lordly loofah..." as Michael Flanders put it! Anyway, I digress. The loofah is vegetable and therefore does not count. Some small sponges such as Euplectella do have sorts of symmetry (and beautiful biology too, well worth looking up on line!) But Luffa isn't among them! :-) Cheers, Jon

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Asked by Moderator
on 2009-09-29 11:28:00

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, symmetry, whale, symmetrical, crab.

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What is the least symmetrical organism? With the exception of sperm whales' off-centre blow-holes and some crabs' single large claw, all complex organisms I can think of are effectively symmetrical along one plane of their body. What is the least symmetrical organism? Max Maguire, By email, no address supplied
Editorial status: In magazine. (2 votes) average rating:3.5 There are 15 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Dryopithecus
on 2009-10-10 00:42:46

(no votes)

Many sponges do have some degree of symmetry, the loofah or bath sponge, for instance.

Furthermore, a sponge isn't a true multicellular organism, being more like colony of choanoflagellates, each of which has near perfect radial symmetry.

My vote for the least symmetrical group of animals goes to Amoeba and its relatives, most of which have no symmetry at all.

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