A Totally, Unabashedly Incomplete Book About Bugs (by P. Hunter) – Page 2

The Diversity of Invertebrates

We have a natural bias when we classify the animals around us. Humans believe that animals with backbones are the rule rather than the exception. Nature has found many ways to solve the problems of life.

The Light Benders

Insects produce their amazing array of colours in two different ways. The first is through chemical pigments. The other, and I think more interesting way, is through bending light. These colours result from light interacting with the physical structure of the surface. These structures absorb or scatter light and allow the insects to create aContinue reading “The Light Benders”

Dragonflies give hints for the design of better video games, weather forecasting, and missile guidance systems.

Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) are masters of flight. Their ability to capture nimble, fast prey on the fly is amazing. It is estimated that they catch 95% of their prey, making them one of humankind’s greatest allies in our battles against mosquitoes and other small biting insects. Harmless to humans, these allies are now revealingContinue reading “Dragonflies give hints for the design of better video games, weather forecasting, and missile guidance systems.”