Yes, some animals don’t breathe! episode 025

The definition of a living organism is changing. For many years’ scientists believed that in order for life to exist and evolve some conditions shall be met. These conditions were blindly excepted by the majority of scientist and there has been no effort to search for life which doesn’t look the same way we expect. Scientists have discovered an animal that doesn’t breathe. The name of this organism is “Henneguya salminicola”. H. salminicola doesn’t turn oxygen into energy, either. This is the first organism that doesn’t have respiratory genes. The discovery is significant because of two facts in my opinion. (Link) First, all multicellular animals on Earth that have been investigated by scientist and their DNA have been analyzed by DNA sequencing have some respiratory genes. According to a new study that has been published (Feb. 24) in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences, this organism’s genome does not have any respiratory genes.