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There’s a widespread assumption that Mother Nature bestowed intellect upon humans and left the strength for the rest of the creatures on Earth (excluding, of course, squirrels). But as it turns out, we may not be as clever as we think. These examples reveal that nature had already pioneered many of our sophisticated gadgets long before we did.
10. Oriental Hornets Harness Solar Energy
Scientists have long been puzzled by the Oriental hornet. Unlike other hornets and wasps, they thrive under the scorching midday sun, which defies the common belief that animals conserve energy and stay inactive during the hottest part of the day to regulate their body temperature.
Through a detailed examination of the hornet's biology, scientists at Tel Aviv University uncovered the reason behind its unique capabilities. The brown stripes on the hornet’s body are grooves that capture light and bend it into two distinct beams, which then pass through small holes in the yellow stripes and combine with the pigment xanthopterin to generate electricity. In essence, the hornet transforms solar radiation into energy, which it utilizes for various tasks, such as burrowing. Even more impressive, some of this electricity is used to power an advanced system of heat pumps inside its body, functioning like a built-in air conditioning system, allowing the hornet to endure the heat longer without overheating.
9. Parasitic Wood Wasps Have Ground-Penetrating Radar
True to its name, the parasitic wood wasp is a fearsome insect. These wasps deposit their eggs inside wood grubs (hence the “parasite” moniker). However, these grubs are often hidden deep within trees, branches, and other wooden structures. To locate them, the wasps have developed a type of ground-penetrating radar.
The wasps use their antennae to tap on the bark, sending a pulse into the wood. When the pulse strikes an object, such as a grub, the signal bounces back and is detected by highly sensitive receptors in the wasp's feet, forming a map of the wood below. This radar is so sensitive that it can detect even a stationary grub. Once the wasp is above the grub, it drills into the wood with its flexible reciprocating drill, then injects its larvae into the grub, where they will consume it from the inside out. And thus, the cycle of life continues.
8. A Tiny Insect Has Miniature Gears In Its Legs
During a high-speed photography study on animal movement at Cambridge University, scientists made an intriguing discovery about the locomotion of the Issus genus: they had gears attached to their legs. This was a groundbreaking finding, marking the first known occurrence of mechanical gears being used by any animal.
These gears serve to synchronize the movements of the Issus' legs, enabling it to leap with astonishing precision at an incredible speed of 13 kilometers per hour (8 mph) in less than two seconds. While this may seem modest to us, for an insect that typically measures only 2.5 millimeters (0.1 in), the acceleration relative to its size is something humans can’t replicate. However, there’s a catch: these gears are only present in the nymph stage of the insect, as they are lost when it matures into an adult.
7. Mycorrhizal Fungi Function Like Anti-Virus Software (For Plants)
Within certain plant communities, their roots are often interconnected by a network of underground mycorrhizal fungi (essentially a fancy term for common fungi). This symbiotic relationship serves two main purposes: First, the plant benefits by receiving additional nutrients from the soil, which it could not acquire on its own; second, the fungi gain carbon from the plant, which is essential for their survival.
Recently, however, a third, lesser-known purpose has been discovered. When a plant in the network faces an attack from disease or aphids, it releases a unique chemical that signals the fungi. The fungi, in turn, transmits this alert to the other plants in the network, allowing them to bolster their defenses so they’re prepared if the attack reaches them.
6. Harvester Ants Operate Like Internet Protocols
Before we dive into the details of how this works, let's first understand how the Internet manages and controls traffic. Internet traffic is regulated by a protocol called TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), which plays a crucial role in preventing network congestion. It does this by tracking the speed at which special signals called 'acks' (short for 'acknowledgments') are received. The faster these signals return, the more bandwidth is available, prompting TCP to increase the speed of data transmission. However, if the 'acks' take longer to return, TCP slows down the data transmission speed to accommodate the reduced bandwidth.
Scientists have found that harvester ants follow a similar process when foraging (minus the computers, of course). The ant colony keeps track of how quickly foragers return to the nest: If the ants come back with food quickly, it indicates plenty of food is available, and the colony sends more ants out to forage. On the other hand, if the ants return slowly, the colony interprets this as a sign of scarce food and sends fewer ants out to search.
5. Slime Mold Can Help Design Public Transport Systems
To create a highly efficient public transportation network, researchers at Hokkaido University turned to an unexpected source for guidance. They placed a lump of slime mold in the center of a large plastic dish to represent Tokyo, and scattered several oat flakes around it to represent the surrounding towns and cities. Over time, they observed that the slime mold formed trails that connected 'Tokyo' to the cities in a pattern that closely resembled the actual railway network in the region.
This wasn’t a random occurrence. The slime mold grew in this pattern because it recognized that this network was the most efficient way to connect the oat flakes. Credit to Japan, the country already had the most efficient transport system, so much so that the mold couldn’t enhance it further. Initially, when placed in the dish, the slime mold sent out numerous exploratory trails. Once these trails encountered the oat flakes, the mold began to 'eliminate' the trails that weren’t connected to them and reinforced the ones that were.
4. Snails and Leaves Use Cellular Automaton to Form Their Patterns
Cellular automaton is a mathematical model used by computers to generate patterns or graphics. Imagine a grid filled with cells: By applying the principles of cellular automaton to these cells, they evolve over time (in this case, by changing color) based on the state of the surrounding cells.
A natural example of this can be seen in seashells, such as those belonging to the Conus and Cymbiola genera. The shells’ intricate patterns are formed through cellular automaton; as time progresses, the patterns constantly change, with each cell in the shell releasing pigment that alters its design based on the behavior of neighboring cells. Similarly, plants employ cellular automaton to regulate the movements of the stoma on their leaves, which function like intake valves for gases necessary to the plant’s survival.
3. Bacteria Form Social Networks to Ensure Survival
When inside an organism, M. xanthus bacteria maintain their connection by forming chain-like membranes, essentially creating a physical social network among themselves.
2. Underground Insects Use Wireless Signals for Communication
In the animal kingdom, food competition can be fierce, and some species of soil-dwelling insects have developed a system of wireless communication (maybe “wi-fly”?) to notify above-ground insects about which plants have already been claimed.
When a soil-dwelling insect takes over a plant, it changes the chemical composition of the leaves, prompting the plant to release signals that indicate it’s been taken. This alert notifies above-ground insects immediately if they’re getting too close. Not only does this preserve the food source for the soil-dwelling insects, but it also benefits the above-ground insects. Some species of above-ground insects are shown to develop slower when they share a plant with soil-dwelling ones. This system also aids parasitic wasps, which lay their eggs in above-ground insects. The signals from soil-dwelling insects indicate areas where there are no suitable hosts, helping the wasps target the right places.
1. Melanophila Beetles Have Infrared Sensors Built Into Their Bodies
In August 1925, a massive fire ravaged an oil depot in Coalinga, California. Amid the destruction, investigators discovered hundreds of melanophila beetles, also known as “charcoal beetles,” an odd finding since this species wasn’t native to the area. Further research revealed that the beetles had traveled all the way from the Sierra Nevada foothills, over 130 kilometers away, where several large forest fires had occurred years before.
This remarkable event highlights the extraordinary infrared sensors naturally present in the melanophila beetle. The beetle’s shell is covered with countless tiny, water-filled spheres, each about 0.02 mm in diameter. When infrared radiation is in the air, the water inside these spheres expands, causing a pressure change that the beetle detects, prompting it to move towards the fire. But why does it have this ability? The answer is simple: this species deposits its larvae in freshly burned trees.
