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Can you believe that there is an animal that can survive without oxygen? For a long time, scientists held the seemingly indisputable belief that oxygen is necessary for all multicellular animals to survive. This makes sense, really, as cellular respiration cannot occur without oxygen, and without cellular respiration, an animal creature cannot have enough energy to survive, develop, or procreate.
The discovery of an animal that can survive without oxygen is remarkable because it is well known that both humans and the planet Earth depend on it. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing because it was a multicellular mammal rather than a microbe or something similar. Let’s see what scientists were amazed by.
Henneguya salminicola
This is the name of the article’s main character and the amazing creature that scientists found so fascinating.A little parasite called Henneguya salminicola inhabits some fish species. Because it has fewer than ten cells, cannot move on its own, and must dwell inside another organism to survive, it might not seem like a huge concern at first. It does, however, represent a significant shift in animal biology.
A special animal
Henneguya salminicola is unique in that it lacks mitochondrial genes, which means it has no genetic instructions for using oxygen as an energy source in its cells. The mitochondria in every known mammal are responsible for breaking down oxygen and nutrients to produce this energy, yet the Henneguya salminicola does not.
This animal essentially completes its life cycle without requiring oxygen, which has never been observed previously. Scientists were unable to believe this and have since developed various theories.
Surviving without oxygen
According to what is known, it inhabits the muscles of marine fish, where oxygen is scarce. It is probable that Henneguya salminicola has developed to adapt to its habitat.
As a parasite, it simply absorbs nutrients and energy that the fish’s cells have already absorbed from the organism it inhabits. There is also the hypothesis that this animal has an unidentified mechanism that allows it to generate energy without relying on mitochondria or oxygen.
Importance of this finding
One fundamental tenet of animal biology—that oxygen is necessary for life—is broken by the Henneguya salminicola. Since its DNA verified that it lacks mitochondrial genetic material, this is the first proof that an animal can survive without it.
This demonstrates that it cannot breathe in the conventional manner that we are accustomed to, but it does obtain its energy from other, as yet unidentified, sources.
Is this meaningful for the future?
This discovery causes scientists to reconsider a number of their theories regarding life. The ability of Henneguya salminicola to survive without oxygen indicates that life may adapt to far more diverse environments than previously believed. Thus, this revelation raises a number of new issues, such as whether something like exists. What other life forms possibly survive in harsh environments like the ocean floor?
Astrobiology, the field of study that looks into the possibility of extraterrestrial life, has found this to be pertinent. Animals that live without oxygen on planets with diverse atmospheres are thus the subject of another inquiry. Why would it be impossible for this animal or one like it, which does not require oxygen to survive, to exist in other areas of the universe if there is one on Earth?
Although this may sound absurd, the Henneguya salminicola has already defied scientific principles, demonstrating that life is more adaptable and bizarre than we may have thought. Therefore, we can anticipate nearly anything from scientific studies going forward.
