1-in-100 million white 'ghost' lobster Casper finds home in Maine, faces gene study

A lobster with a shell so rare that the odds of finding one are estimated at 1 in 100 million has found a new home in Maine, and researchers have given it a name that seems almost made for its unusual appearance, Casper.The rare white lobster, sometimes called a “ghost” lobster, has arrived at the University of New England’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center in Biddeford after being donated by the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay, according to a release published on the university’s official website.Casper is now part of a unique research project examining why some American lobsters develop unusual shell colors and how those traits may be passed from one generation to the next.Why Casper’s white shell is so unusualAmerican lobsters are typically mottled brown, but rare genetic variations can produce striking colors, including blue, orange, yellow, purple, calico and split-colored patterns.White lobsters are considered the rarest…