Loricifera raise questions
Professor Emeritus Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen discovered in 1983 a new series( phylum) of animals, which meant that the zoological books had to be rewritten. The Loricifera was one of the great zoological discoveries, and since then Reinhardt has discovered two more new animal species: the Cycliophora in 1995, and the Micrognathozoa in 2000.
However, the Loricifera continues to surprise. Recently, researchers have found Lorcifera that live completely without having mitochondria. Mitochondria account for the oxygen turnover in animals, and a multi cellular animal without mitochondria has never been seen before.
Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories interviews Professor Emeritus Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen from the Zoological Museum at the University of Copenhagen.
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Science Stories is generously supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.