Meet the Blue Planet plankton

A newly discovered species of plankton has been named after the BBC’s wildlife series, Blue Planet. This is the first species to have been named in honour of a television programme. Scientists from Japan, Spain and the UK involved in the discovery named the microbeast Syracosphaera azureaplaneta. The second part of its name, azureaplaneta, means blue planet in Latin. Plankton are tiny floating plants and creatures, and they are incredibly important to marine ecosystems. In fact, they are vital to the health and balance of all of life on Earth. This new species is a single-celled creature, only 10 microns across – that’s seven times smaller than a human hair. Although the scientists first discovered the Blue Planet plankton in the South Atlantic, it actually lives in all the world’s…

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The Week Junior (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 125

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