The Salp: Nature's near-perfect little engine just got better

12:52 AM Sun 19 Sep 2010 GMT

'A microscope image of the salp’s filtering mesh, stained with fluorescent stain.' Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) &copy

What if trains, planes, and automobiles all were powered simply by the air through which they move? Moreover, what if their exhaust and byproducts helped the environment? Well, such an energy-efficient, self-propelling mechanism already exists in nature. The salp, a smallish, barrel-shaped organism that resembles a kind of streamlined jellyfish, gets everything it needs from the ocean waters to feed and propel itself. And, scientists believe its waste material may actually help remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the upper ocean and the atmosphere. Now, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and MIT report that the half-inch to 5-inch-long ...

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by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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The Salp: Nature's near-perfect little engine just got better

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