A bright green orb-shaped sponge on the seafloor with red laser dots to measure its size
Green Sponge
Image courtesy of Bob Stone/NOAA Fisheries. Download larger version (jpg, 658 KB).

NOAA scientist Bob Stone initially discovered the deep-sea sponge, Latrunculia austini, during a 2005 expedition in Alaska. Biomedical researchers are now showing that the green sponge’s chemical extracts can kill pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells.

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