Enormous ‘isopod’ found in Mexico

Plus: A blue whale-sized asteroid will zip past Earth at 27 times the speed of sound. Aug 12, 2022 [Blueprint]( Move aside Apple, there’s a new pod in town. …Only this one doesn’t come with white headphones and a fantastic camera. The latest pod addition is in fact a giant isopod, and it’s just been [discovered in the Gulf of Mexico](. Named “Bathynomus yucatanensis” it is a giant isopod subspecies that can grow up to 1.64 feet (49.98 cm) from oblong head to rounded tail. Pretty cool, eh? Scientists say Bathynomus yucatanensis is thinner and shorter than other giant isopod species, but I don’t think we should hold that against it. Before you check it out in all its isopod glory, though, let’s [check out this video]( of a paraglider having a sleep on a bed while he flies over the Mediterranean Sea. It gives a whole new meaning to the word seabed. Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dive in. Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers heard the world’s leading experts talk about whether – and when – we will face another mass extinction. And this week, premium subscribers will be treated to an exclusive interview with one of the scientists behind MIT’sfaster boiling water breakthrough. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+ today]( to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Paraglider sleeps on a bed while flying over the Mediterranean Sea.]( [Paraglider has a sleep.]( He even has a nightstand and a lampshade. I mean, why not? [Must Read]MUST READ [An enormous 'isopod' has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.]( [Giant isopod discovered.]( When seen with the naked eye, isopods look like a grain of rice. They generally hang out on the seafloor, scavenging on the marine snow that all dead things in the ocean eventually become. But [this new guy is pretty big]( compared to your average isopod. In fact, Bathynomus yucatanensis can grow up to 1.64 feet (49.98 cm) from oblong head to rounded tail. Discovered in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists revealed that it is a completely new species after analyzing its anatomy and DNA. Bathynomus yucatanensis is very similar to other giant isopods, but for its slightly thinner and shorter appearance. In fact, giant isopods are all so similar to each other that the scientists who discovered this one said there has been a lot of misidentification of the genus in the past. → Their work is published in the Journal of Natural History, if you want to check it out. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [SCIENCE]SCIENCE [A blue whale-sized asteroid will zip past Earth at 27 times the speed of sound.]( At its closest, the asteroid will be [at a distance of 2.67 million miles]( million km), which is about eight times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. In asteroid terms, that’s quite close. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Science - The ‘[last Neanderthal technology]( shows the species was in trouble before modern humans got to Europe. [premium] - A [first-of-its-kind study]( reveals that migrant insects can travel in perfectly straight flight paths. - [Spiders may dream]( and have REM-like sleep stages, just like humans. [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [A hacker used a $25 custom-built tool to hack into SpaceX's Starlink satellite system.]( A Belgian researcher has demonstrated how he was able to [hack into Elon Musk's Starlink satellite dishes]( at the Black Hat Security Conference, which was held this week in Las Vegas. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - Stanford and NVIDIA [researchers shrink VR headsets]( to regular glasses. - Researchers develop a [bioengineered cornea]( that can restore sight to the blind and visually impaired. [premium] - 3D-printed electrodes [could help cut battery costs]( and increase performance. [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS A new species of giant isopod has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. How many other new giant isopod species do you think are about, but just haven’t been identified yet? [None, this was a one-off]( [Probably a few]( [Potentially hundreds]( [The possibilities are endless]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you what you think China’s up to with its covert space mission, and 45 percent of you said probably surveillance. Suspicious. 45% Probably surveillance 31% Increasing its space presence 13% Something else entirely 11% Testing hypersonic technologies [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “Science is an integral part of culture. It's not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It's one of the glories of human intellectual tradition.” Stephen Jay Gould 1941–2002 American paleontologist: in Independent 24 January 1990. [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [August WiFi Smart Lock]( [image]( [Oklahoma Joe's Charcoal Grill]( [image]( [Bittle Robot Dog]( [image]( [Aurora Crosscut Paper Shredder]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - Rolls-Royce’s first EV is undergoing a [relentless testing phase](. - Why humans have [more voice control]( than any other primates. (Science News) - Shark Tank's Mark Cuban thinks [buying real estate in the Metaverse]( is dumb. - Carbon-reduction plans rely on [tech that doesn’t exist](. (Scientific American) - Elon Musk has sold [$32 billion worth of Tesla stock]( since November. - Five mind-bending numbers that could [reveal the secrets]( of the universe. (New Scientist) - [China surpasses the US]( in scientific research volume and quality, study claims. Prepared by Alice Cooke Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? 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