.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
Species rediscovered nearly five decades after it was last seen
The creature, which resembles a thistle flower, was last recorded in northern France in 1976 and had not been seen in the UK since 1954.
Tourist Neil Roberts discovered the jellyfish in South Uist in June 2023, with experts recently confirming its identity.
The rediscovery has been hailed as a remarkable find by experts, including Guy Freeman of British Wildlife magazine and Allen Collins from the Smithsonian Institution.
This finding prompts hope that the species has repopulated the UK and that more examples may be found on the Scottish island.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
Aether review – dazzling lecture about a medium, a magician and a mathematician
There are known knowns, there are known unknowns and there is Emma Howlett's play, a smart feminist take on the mysteries of the physical universe and the eternal limits of science. If that sounds too weighty a theme for a night out at the fringe, well, Howlett, who also directs, has planned ahead and built a fluid, ever-shifting production that spins her ideas with a dazzling lightness of touch. This is pure ensemble theatre: you cannot put a match between Sophie Kean, Abby McCann, Anna Marks Pryce and Gemma Barnett as they weave five historical stories as a tight unit, breathing as one. Supported by a residency by the Hugo Burge Foundation and written with Summerhall's Anatomy lecture theatre in mind, Howlett's production for TheatreGoose exploits the academic setting by turning the audience into students (pens and whiteboards in hand) and the actors into public speakers, using an overhead projector to put them in the spotlight (neat lighting design by Ed Saunders). Two of the stories are unexpected; not the one about Hypatia, the ancient Egyptian mathematician and astronomer who was murdered by angry Christians; nor the one about Vera Rubin finding evidence of dark matter in the 20th century; and not the modern-day tale about Sophie, a PhD student drawing on data from Cern in the hope of breaking new ground, while her obsessiveness drives her girlfriend away. More surprising are those of Adelaide Herrmann, famed for performing the bullet-catch magic trick in her vaudeville show; and of Florence Cook, a 15-year-old medium, hoodwinking a credulous scientific establishment with her messages from beyond. Howlett is intrigued by fiction as well as fact. Juxtaposed and intercutting, these stories form a collage of truth and illusion, one that embraces the existential fear of always having more to learn about an evasive universe. As concerns go, it is on the esoteric side, but Aether is never less than accomplished. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Aether review – dazzling lecture about a medium, a magician and a mathematician
There are known knowns, there are known unknowns and there is Emma Howlett's play, a smart feminist take on the mysteries of the physical universe and the eternal limits of science. If that sounds too weighty a theme for a night out at the fringe, well, Howlett, who also directs, has planned ahead and built a fluid, ever-shifting production that spins her ideas with a dazzling lightness of touch. This is pure ensemble theatre: you cannot put a match between Sophie Kean, Abby McCann, Anna Marks Pryce and Gemma Barnett as they weave five historical stories as a tight unit, breathing as one. Supported by a residency by the Hugo Burge Foundation and written with Summerhall's Anatomy lecture theatre in mind, Howlett's production for TheatreGoose exploits the academic setting by turning the audience into students (pens and whiteboards in hand) and the actors into public speakers, using an overhead projector to put them in the spotlight (neat lighting design by Ed Saunders). Two of the stories are unexpected; not the one about Hypatia, the ancient Egyptian mathematician and astronomer who was murdered by angry Christians; nor the one about Vera Rubin finding evidence of dark matter in the 20th century; and not the modern-day tale about Sophie, a PhD student drawing on data from Cern in the hope of breaking new ground, while her obsessiveness drives her girlfriend away. More surprising are those of Adelaide Herrmann, famed for performing the bullet-catch magic trick in her vaudeville show; and of Florence Cook, a 15-year-old medium, hoodwinking a credulous scientific establishment with her messages from beyond. Howlett is intrigued by fiction as well as fact. Juxtaposed and intercutting, these stories form a collage of truth and illusion, one that embraces the existential fear of always having more to learn about an evasive universe. As concerns go, it is on the esoteric side, but Aether is never less than accomplished. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Unusually high number of jellyfish arrive in UK seas
An unusually high number of jellyfish have arrived in the UK's seas this summer, experts have said. Jellyfish blooms arrive for their yearly reproduction cycle by following the current of warm water to the coast. Warm sea surface temperatures, which are exacerbated by global heating, create favourable conditions for jellyfish. This contributes to a population bloom and a prolonged stay during the summer season, and experts say the conditions are likely to lead to the arrival of new jellyfish species that prefer warmer waters. With record-high sea surface temperatures in April and May this year, according to the Met Office, a greater number of jellyfish blooms are expected to populate the UK coast. Jellyfish are a foundational element of the aquatic food web, as they are types of plankton that form the bases of many food chains. Compass jellyfish, identified by dark stripes on their bells and long tentacles which cause a painful sting, are a particular favourite source of food for turtles, said Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, a marine conservation specialist at the University of Plymouth. A common but spectacular species that has arrived in great numbers in UK waters this summer is the barrel jellyfish, which can grow to a metre in diameter. It has a thick bell with frilly arms. This species has a relatively mild sting and is eaten by humans in some areas of the world, such as parts of Asia. Other jellyfish species that have been identified this year include moon, lion's mane, blue and mauve stinger species. The number of jellyfish sightings recorded by the Marine Conversation Society in 2024 was 1,432, a 32% increase compared with the previous year. McQuatters-Gollop said some evidence suggests that we are 'more likely to have more jellyfish blooms because of climate change and the water getting warmer.' But the jellyfish will not stay for long as they have a short lifespan, with some being born and dying within the same summer. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion McQuatters-Gollop said that after the summer, some of the jellyfish may follow the current back out into sea, while others may 'live out their days in the UK and die when they use up all their food supply, break apart from a storm, or from old age after they reproduce'. Jellyfish are composed of 90% water, are susceptible to strong currents and can break apart easily. McQuatters-Gollop said that extreme weather conditions that can break apart the fragile bodies of jellyfish are an effect of climate breakdown. She said jellyfish have 'beautiful colours, long tentacles streaming behind them, and look like something that belong in outer space. 'I wanted to encourage people to safely observe jellyfish and fall in love with them, because they are amazing and I feel so lucky when I dive and swim alongside them.'
