Mad as a Marine Biologist

High-res Yellow Tube Sponge Aplysina fistularis © moralcoral The few species of demosponge that have entirely soft fibrous skeletons with no hard elements have been used by humans over thousands of years for several purposes, including as padding and as cleaning tools. By the 1950s, though, these had been overfished so heavily that the industry almost collapsed, and most sponge-like materials are now synthetic. Sponges and their microscopic endosymbionts are now being researched as possible sources of medicines for treating a wide range of diseases. Dolphins have been observed using sponges as tools while foraging.

Yellow Tube Sponge

Aplysina fistularis

© moralcoral

The few species of demosponge that have entirely soft fibrous skeletons with no hard elements have been used by humans over thousands of years for several purposes, including as padding and as cleaning tools.

By the 1950s, though, these had been overfished so heavily that the industry almost collapsed, and most sponge-like materials are now synthetic.

Sponges and their microscopic endosymbionts are now being researched as possible sources of medicines for treating a wide range of diseases. Dolphins have been observed using sponges as tools while foraging.

Notes

  1. faithtrustpixiedustandwonderland reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
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  7. jennabeanz3 reblogged this from mushroomvision and added:
    My marine bio prof would be so proud
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  28. synories reblogged this from basedgodscat
  29. basedgodscat reblogged this from tomorrows-harvest and added:
    same :c
  30. tomorrows-harvest reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist and added:
    i wish i was a sponge. all they do is sit there on...ocean chilling in warm water bein...
  31. inyourparentsbed reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist and added:
    porifera (sponges)
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