Deep Sea Worm Wears Rembrandt’s favorite toxic color

Life can be pretty Difential in the Ocean’s hydrothermal vents. IT’s Pitch Black, Oxygen is pretty scarce, and it’s full of magma.

In the hottest part of the pacific’s hydrothermal vents, one invertebrate’s survival comes down to using the toxins spending from these vents to their advantage. The Deep Sea Worm Paralvinella hesseleri Reworks the toxin into a less hazardous and colorful material that it uses for protection. These findings are detailed in a study published August 26 in the journey Plos biology,

Meet Paralvinella hasseleri

P. Hesseleri is a deep sea worm that lives in the western pacific ocean. These tiny invertebrates are only About five to 22 millimeters long and are primarily found in the Mariana Back-Arc Basin East of the Philippines, towards the East china sea. The hydrothermal vents P. Hesseleri Calls Home Form When Seawater Meets Magma Within The Earth, Producing Oceanic Hot Springs and Toxic Gasses Over 8,000-duty-Deep.

The fluids that bubble up from underneath the earth here control high levels of the chemical compound sulfide and the element Arsenic. The arsenic sometimes builds up in P. Hesseleri’s Body Tissue So Much that it can make up more than one percent of the worm’s body weight.

“This was my first deep-sea expertition, and I was stunned by what i saw on the rov monitor-the bright yellow Paralvinella hesseleri Worms was unlike anything i had ever seen, standing out vividly against the white biofilm and dark hydrothermal vent landscape, ”Study co-author hao wang said in a statement. Any Animal Cold Survive, Let Alone Thrive, In Such An Extreme and Toxic Environment. “

Just how P. Hesseleri Manages to survive and thrive in such a toxic environment have been a bit of a mystery. However, its bright yellow hue proved to be an important CLUE.

What do Rembrant and a Deep Sea Worm Have In Common?

In the new study, a team from the chinese academy of Science’s institute of Oceanology Investigated How P. Hesseleri Can Tolerate Such High Levels of Arsenic and Sulfide. To better undersrstand the worms’ detoxification process they put samples of P. Hesseleri Under Advanced Microscopes and Analyzed Its DNA and the Proteins and Chemicals Present in its body.

P. Hesseleri Accumulates Particles of Arsenic in its skin cells. The accumulated arsenic then reacts with the sulfide coming up from the hydrothermal vent fluids. The results are small clumps of a toxic yellow mineral dating back to ancient egypt and mesopotamia and used by painters centuries ago Called Orpomen.

Sevenuenthentth century dutch painter Rembrandt Van Rijn (Aka Rembrandt) Likely Used The Toxic Orpiment to Give His Painting The night watch A Unique Golden Hue. Venetian Renaissance Artists Paolo Veronese, Tintoretto, and Giorgione also used the arsenic pigments in their work. However, it was not generated from sea works. INTEAD, Volcanic Rocks are the most likely source.

P. Hesseleri‘S orpomen is less toxic than what is coming out of the hydrothermal vent. According to the team, finding orpant so far and away from the painter’s palette only adds to the discovery’s excitement.

“What makes this finding even fascinating is that orpiment -ups toxic, Golden Mineral Produce by this Worm – WWAS ONCE PRIZED by Medieval and Renaissance Painters,” SAID WAND. “It’s a curious convergence of biology and art history, unfolding in the depths of the ocean.”

[ Related: Newly discovered deep-sea worm moves like a ‘living magic carpet’ ]

Poison Fights Back

P. Hesseleri Is essentially using the orpament created from the vent’s toxins for “Fighting poison with poison.” This adaptation and fighting style allows it to live in such a toxic environment by surrounding itself with a less toxic form than what’s coming out of the vents.

Other Related Worm Species Living in other parts of the world (and some snail specials in the west pacific) also accept high levels of arsenic. According to the team, it is possible that they deploy this same strategy.

While they may live in one of Earth’s most inhospitable zones, P. Hesseleri Has Certainly Risen to the evolutionary challenge.

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