A scientist has solved a mystery that began more than 40 years ago after confirming the discovery of a rare new seaweed species found in the UK's ancient underwater maerl beds.
Professor Christine Maggs first spotted the tiny pink-striped seaweed while studying maerl beds during her PhD research in the 1980s. Believing it could be an unknown species, she spent decades searching for enough material to identify it.
Maerl beds are made up of thousands of pieces of hard, coral-like seaweed that form rich underwater habitats for a wide variety of marine life.
Although Prof Maggs occasionally found small traces of the seaweed over the years, she never collected a large enough sample to confirm its identity.
The breakthrough came two years ago when researchers surveying maerl beds off the coast of Cornwall discovered a specimen they believed matched the mysterious seaweed.
Prof Maggs carefully stored the sample in a wine fridge, using its cool, dark conditions to preserve and grow the seaweed before carrying out DNA testing.
"I just kept hoping that one day I would find out. It's been more than four decades," she told the BBC.
The discovery has now been confirmed, and a sample of the newly identified species has been added to the Natural History Museum's collection.
The seaweed was found during a project led by Natural England to monitor the health of Cornwall's maerl beds.
Scientific diver Lucy May said exploring the underwater habitat is a unique experience.
"It's magical. You feel completely surrounded by nature," she said.
The research team regularly encounters marine creatures such as spider crabs, starfish, king scallops and goby fish during their dives.
Marine biologist Francis Bunker, who collected the crucial samples, said he often examines seaweed closely with a magnifying glass while diving.
He recognised that the tiny pink-banded seaweed could be the species Prof Maggs had been searching for and gathered as many samples as possible before sending them to her.
Because the seaweed was extremely small, Prof Maggs needed to grow it before DNA sequencing could be carried out.
"Getting the genetic information was essential," she said. "That's why solving this mystery has taken 40 years."
Source: BBC