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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Science
Vishwam Sankaran

The people’s mollusc: Scientists name strange deep-sea creature after thousands offer suggestions online

The discovery of a strange deep-sea mollusc sparked a global naming effort online, with researchers finally choosing a species name meaning "of the people”.

Scientists first discovered the deep-sea chiton – a type of marine mollusc – in 2024 in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench of the coast of Japan at a depth of over 5,500 metres (3.4 miles).

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