Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Helps Discover New Marine Species

A scientific machine called the Squid has aided in the discovery of new marine species. The Squid is a spinning wheel confocal microscope that uses lasers to scan microscopic details of organisms. This technology allowed researchers to observe cells interacting with each other in real-time on the ship. Typically, such observations would require weeks of preparation. The expedition that utilized the Squid discovered 31 new marine species over a two-week period.