People may consider biology a science too much down to earth to be exciting. There are admittedly plenty of exciting things in the world of the living, but the one boring thing they have in common is that they exist.
Luckily, there are some biologists who leave all reason behind them and research interesting things that most likely do not exist at all - cryptids.
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoologists study animals that are rumoured to exist, like the yeti and the Loch Ness monster and the gorilla. The gorilla is of course no longer studied by cryptozoologists as its discovery in the real world 1847 proved that it actually existed - to the cryptic community's big disappointment.
Cryptobotany
Cryptobotanists spend their time studying plants that do not exist, like Vampire Vine or Man-eating trees. They also try to find the Balkan raskovnik (Serbian: расковник), which is a magical herb that can uncover anything according to legend. What really makes the raskovnik mysterious to me is that it is supposed to be a grass that looks like a four-leaf clover, which means that it would be both monocot and dicot at the same time. It will be so annoying for Darwin, if they find one.
Future Animals
I recently learnt of a project by the palaeontologist Sébastien Steyer and the paleo-artist Marc Boulay, which is to describe animals that will evolve in the future. It is very possible that they will be right in some of the things they describe, and in less than a few million years, we may be able to tell.
Luckily, there are some biologists who leave all reason behind them and research interesting things that most likely do not exist at all - cryptids.
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoologists study animals that are rumoured to exist, like the yeti and the Loch Ness monster and the gorilla. The gorilla is of course no longer studied by cryptozoologists as its discovery in the real world 1847 proved that it actually existed - to the cryptic community's big disappointment.
Cryptobotany
Cryptobotanists spend their time studying plants that do not exist, like Vampire Vine or Man-eating trees. They also try to find the Balkan raskovnik (Serbian: расковник), which is a magical herb that can uncover anything according to legend. What really makes the raskovnik mysterious to me is that it is supposed to be a grass that looks like a four-leaf clover, which means that it would be both monocot and dicot at the same time. It will be so annoying for Darwin, if they find one.
Future Animals
I recently learnt of a project by the palaeontologist Sébastien Steyer and the paleo-artist Marc Boulay, which is to describe animals that will evolve in the future. It is very possible that they will be right in some of the things they describe, and in less than a few million years, we may be able to tell.
"De Monocerote: figura haec talis est, qualis a pictoribus fere hodie pingitur, de qua certi nihil habeo." - "The unicorn - as it is usually painted. I have no clue myself."
Konrad Genser: ''Historiae animalium'', 1551
Source: Wikipedia
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