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BOB HIRSHON (host):
Introducing the latest in organisms. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
With countless species going extinct every day, scientists are racing to find as many new organisms as they can, before it’s too late. Recently, scientists in Ecuador found a new variety of yeast. While not exactly a glamour species, yeasts are extremely important in fermentation for uses ranging from baking to creating biofuels.
And at Arizona State University, the International Institute for Species Exploration has announced their picks for the most interesting species discovered in 2008. The list includes a tiny seahorse just a half-inch long, and a stick insect that stretches nearly two feet. There is also the first ever caffeine-free coffee tree and—proving that you never know where you’ll find an exotic new creature– a tiny bacterium living in hairspray. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.