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| The object of our attention. |
I've seen the little bug. I've watched it do the job assigned to it by Mother Nature. I understand its role in Life. What I don't understand is why some scientist would want to put a pair of mittens on one. Why/how would this idea even come up in the crazy world of science. That's the thing about scientists. They are wild and wacky thinkers.
Jochen Smolka, Lund University, Sweden, is studying the
"Smolka
placed dung beetles and their balls in a sandy circular arena, etched
into their
natural
habitat. If he shaded the arena so it was cooler than 50°C, the
beetles rolled
their
balls out without pause. On hotter ground, their front feet can heat
up by as much
as 10°C,
and that triggers them to climb onto their balls. Here’s where the
adorable
green
mitts come in—if Smolka placed these on the beetles, their front
feet didn’t
heat up,
and they were less likely to climb onto their balls."
So we know. I still want to know how he; 1) Made the mittens. 2) Got them on those tiny little feet. No mention was made. What a way to make a living, huh?
