As I’ve always said, plants are dirty, rotten liars. But sometimes, we are the blame for their bad behaviour. One of the first documented examples of plants lying to survive was that of a weedy grass that mimicked wheat. Eventually, we put enough selection pressure on it that it became a fine cereal crop, rye.Continue reading “Humans Drive Mimicry in Crop Plants”
Tag Archives: Ptera Hunter
Germs (Pathogens) Pretend to be Part of us
Immunologists and epidemiologists know that disease casusing organisms can make proteins that the body assumes belong to it. They use these forged molecular pass keys on the cellular docking ports that allow hormones and other messengers to regulate body activities. It now looks like their deception has another consequence: the body’s messengers can get caughtContinue reading “Germs (Pathogens) Pretend to be Part of us”
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.”
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