The scientific world was shaken by the discovery of the first multicellular animal that could live without the need for oxygen. This interesting discovery may change both our understanding of life on Earth and our search for life in space. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have revealed how this parasite, called Henneguya salminicola, can live without oxygen.
First multicellular animal to live without using oxygen discovered
Scientists believed that life was dependent on oxygen. However, a parasite called Henneguya salminicola has completely changed this understanding. This small, gelatinous parasite does not use oxygen while surviving in the flesh of salmon fish.
Research has shown that this parasite has lost its mitochondrial genome and lost the ability to perform aerobic respiration.
The research team, led by Dayana Yahalomi of Tel Aviv University, used deep sequencing and fluorescence microscopy to study H. salminicola and its close relative, Myxobolus squamalis.
They discovered that H. salminicola had lost its mitochondrial genome and almost all of its nuclear genes. This allows the parasite to survive without needing oxygen. The evolution of H. salminicola involved its evolution from a free-living jellyfish ancestor to a simple parasite.
The adaptation of H. salminicola to life without oxygen shows that it is not limited to single-celled eukaryotes, but that a multicellular parasitic animal can also make this adaptation. This offers new insights into the evolution of life in an anoxic environment.
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Researchers state that this discovery may also affect fishing strategies. Although H. salminicola is harmless to humans, it is considered an undesirable parasite due to the aesthetic deterioration it causes on salmon.
This discovery shows that life does not depend solely on oxygen and that multicellular organisms can also live in oxygen-free environments. As the first multicellular animal that does not use oxygen, Henneguya salminicola caused great excitement in the scientific world and raised new questions about evolutionary biology. This discovery helps us rethink the oxygen animal concept and understand how flexible evolution can be.