Earth is home to 8.7 million species

There are approximately 8.7 million different types of plant and animal on Earth but 90 per cent of them have yet to be discovered, according to new estimates.

Previous guesses had put the total number of different species at anywhere between three million and 100 million, but a new calculation based on the way in which life forms are classified puts the estimate at the lower end of that scale.

The list of known species currently stands at about 1.2 million, but experts said that advances in technology meant that the remainder could be found and classified within the next century.

The study was undertaken by researchers from the Census of Marine Life, a ten-year project involving 2,700 scientists from more than 80 countries aimed at assessing the diversity of life in our seas and oceans which concluded in October 2010.

Since the 18th century species have been officially classified under a pyramidlike system, with each placed in a series of related groups.

For example humans are categorised in the same order as chimpanzees, the same class as dogs and cats and the same overall kingdom as all other animals.

By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8718166/Earth-is-home-to-8.7-million-species.html

Life discovered in deepest layer of Earth’s crust

Just when you thought we had discovered signs of life everywhere possible on Earth, a new expedition has revealed a complete ecosystem existing in the deepest layer of the planet’s crust.


A drilling expedition towards the Earth’s centre would mean digging through sediment, a layer of basalt, and then hit the gabbroic layer, which lies directly above the mantle.

A team led by Stephen Giovannoni of Oregon State University in Corvallis drilled down to 1391 metres, where temperatures reach 102 degrees Celsius. Here, they found communities of bacteria that were sparse but widespread, reports New Scientist.

But the type of organisms they came across was very different.

One key difference was that archaea were absent in the gabbroic layer. Also, genetic analysis revealed that unlike their upstairs neighbours, many of the gabbroic bugs had evolved to feed off hydrocarbons like methane and benzene.

This could mean that the bacteria migrated down from shallower regions rather than evolving inside the crust.

"This deep biosphere is a very important discovery," said Rolf Pedersen of the University of Bergen, Norway.

He added that the reactions that produce oil and gas abiotically inside the crust could occur in the mantle, meaning life may be thriving deeper yet.

The find is published in PLoS ONE.

Life discovered in deepest layer of Earth’s crust

Just when you thought we had discovered signs of life everywhere possible on Earth, a new expedition has revealed a complete ecosystem existing in the deepest layer of the planet’s crust.


A drilling expedition towards the Earth’s centre would mean digging through sediment, a layer of basalt, and then hit the gabbroic layer, which lies directly above the mantle.

A team led by Stephen Giovannoni of Oregon State University in Corvallis drilled down to 1391 metres, where temperatures reach 102 degrees Celsius. Here, they found communities of bacteria that were sparse but widespread, reports New Scientist.

But the type of organisms they came across was very different.

One key difference was that archaea were absent in the gabbroic layer. Also, genetic analysis revealed that unlike their upstairs neighbours, many of the gabbroic bugs had evolved to feed off hydrocarbons like methane and benzene.

This could mean that the bacteria migrated down from shallower regions rather than evolving inside the crust.

"This deep biosphere is a very important discovery," said Rolf Pedersen of the University of Bergen, Norway.

He added that the reactions that produce oil and gas abiotically inside the crust could occur in the mantle, meaning life may be thriving deeper yet.

The find is published in PLoS ONE.

'Humans will need two Earths by 2030'

Humans are overusing the planet's resources and will need two Earths by 2030,a new report warns.


According to the Living Planet Report, human demands on natural resources have doubled in under 50 years and are now outstripping what the Earth can provide by more than half; and humanity carries on as it is in use of resources, globally it will need the capacity of two Earths by 2030.

The report said that wildlife in tropical countries is also under huge pressure, with populations of species falling by 60 per cent in three decades, the'Daily Mail'reported.

And the report, from the WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network, said that British people are still consuming far more than the Earth can cope with.

If everyone lived such a lifestyle, humans would need 2.75 planets to survive, it warned.

The study's authors looked at 8,000 populations of 2,500 species and studied the change in land use and water consumption across the globe.

Britain comes 31st in a list of countries based on their'ecological footprint'- the amount of land and sea each person needs to provide the food, clothes and other products they consume and to absorb the carbon dioxide they emit.

The country has fallen down the league table from having the 15th biggest footprint in the last report two years ago, but WWF attributes this to an increase in other countries'impact rather than a reduction in the UK's use of resources.

'Humans will need two Earths by 2030'

Humans are overusing the planet's resources and will need two Earths by 2030,a new report warns.


According to the Living Planet Report, human demands on natural resources have doubled in under 50 years and are now outstripping what the Earth can provide by more than half; and humanity carries on as it is in use of resources, globally it will need the capacity of two Earths by 2030.

The report said that wildlife in tropical countries is also under huge pressure, with populations of species falling by 60 per cent in three decades, the'Daily Mail'reported.

And the report, from the WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network, said that British people are still consuming far more than the Earth can cope with.

If everyone lived such a lifestyle, humans would need 2.75 planets to survive, it warned.

The study's authors looked at 8,000 populations of 2,500 species and studied the change in land use and water consumption across the globe.

Britain comes 31st in a list of countries based on their'ecological footprint'- the amount of land and sea each person needs to provide the food, clothes and other products they consume and to absorb the carbon dioxide they emit.

The country has fallen down the league table from having the 15th biggest footprint in the last report two years ago, but WWF attributes this to an increase in other countries'impact rather than a reduction in the UK's use of resources.