When humankind faces a dire situation, we usually turn to our brightest minds for help. Engineers fabricate incredible technologies to save lives in natural disasters, scientists carry out brilliant studies to develop life-saving medicines, and politicians offer guidance.
To solve humanity’s greatest problem, though, we might soon be turning to a fish. Because if we play our cards right, one little alien-faced creature called the monkeyface prickleback may one day save the human race — as long as the robots don’t take over the world first.
Donovan German, a biologist at the University of California, Irvine, was pleased to learn about the monkeyface prickleback, or Cebidichthys violaceus. After all, the fish could answer one of the world’s most pressing questions.
UCI
See, Donovan found that the frowning fish bears a digestive tract similar to a human’s, possessing both small and large intestines and an acidic stomach. This was a big deal — who woulda thunk it.
Luke Ovgard
According to Donovan and the authors of this new study, the monkeyface prickleback makes up just five percent of the 30,000 species of fish that are vegetarian. The bizarre species nibbles on specialized algae in the tide pools it calls home.
And the authors were perplexed at how the frowning fish could live on a food source that possessed such a low level of lipids. Well, the little vegetarian fish has a digestive system that “is excellent at breaking down starch, which we anticipated,” said Donovan.
“We also learned it has adapted to be very efficient at breaking down lipids. It is a compelling example of what we call ‘digestive specialization’ in the genome,” Donovan continued. But what the heck does that mean for us?
UCI
Not only is the monkeyface prickleback funny-looking in appearance, but, according to the researchers, it also has extraordinary survival skills. The fish can survive on dry land for up to a whopping 37 straight hours, as it can breathe above and below water!
Vikram B Baliga
Researchers detailed that the Pacific Ocean native can live up to 18 years, grow up to three feet in length, and weigh up to six pounds. The sad-looking, grey-green fish is what you’d call “tiny but mighty.”
Luke Ovgard
Though your mouth may not water upon staring at the cold-blooded creature, it’s considered a culinary delicacy in other parts of the world, even being deemed “the new white meat.” But what does that have to do with answering life’s great questions?
Fisherman’s Life / YouTube
See, the monkeyface prickleback can be farmed in mass amounts, which could then feed people across the globe. And since raising livestock on a regular ol’ farm has proved to be not so sustainable these days, this could be revolutionary.
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“Using plant-based food ingredients reduces pollution and costs less. However, most aquaculture fish are carnivores and can’t handle plant lipids,” said Dr. Joseph Heras, the lead author of the study, which was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
“Sequencing this genome has provided us a better understanding of what types of genes are necessary for breaking down plant material,” he continued. It turns out that the monkeyface munchkin was a scientific anomaly of sorts.
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@SEBASTESinBLUE / Twitter
“If we scan additional fish genomes, we may find omnivorous fish with the right genes that could provide new candidates for sustainable aquaculture,” he continued. We all might be pescatarians one day!
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Californians love to hang by the tide pools and wait for the ugly, eel-like fish to unveil themselves from beneath the slippery, algae-coated rocks, which taste great in some homemade farro pasta. And though the monkeyface prickleback is not available commercially, this may change.
The Monkeyface News
If you’re still grimacing, or perhaps gagging, at the idea of eating this algae-muncher (hey, some people downright hate sushi), Donovan relayed that “the taste is actually delicate and mild.”
Telangana Today
While certain people may have sophisticated (more like entitled) palates, others are scrounging for anything to provide them with proper nourishment, and would consider the monkeyface prickleback a blessing disguised as a hideous sea creature.
@SEBASTESinBLUE / Twitter
According to The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, it’s estimated that approximately 815 million people of the 7.6 billion people on earth, endured “chronic undernourishment” in 2016, which is the most recent data available to the public.
Andrew Rush / Post-Gazette
Worldhunger.org detailed that the plethora of issues that cause hunger include poverty, conflict, political instability, food and agriculture policy, and climate change. Specifically, climate change and its side effects, such as natural disasters, have increasingly posed problems over the last 30 years.
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CNN
The brainy authors of the study concluded that the “unusual fish … offer new possibilities for humans to obtain dietary protein as climate change imperils traditional sources,” which is a drop of hope in a sea of presumed doom.
@SEBASTESinBLUE / Twitter
Though our future is fuzzy, it’s possible that the radical vegans are right; mass raising cows and pigs may only accelerate heinous climate change. One day, the human race might just worship the ground this strange little fish walks on… or rather the tide pool it swims in.
@SEBASTESinBLUE / Twitter
Meanwhile, a new technology is being developed that could one day have food, auto parts, and even organs all coming from the same place. But the question is: if that steak was produced right next to a pair of human lungs, would you still dig in?
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@dgermanuci / Twitter