Biology is the teacher of human beings.

Bee eye camera lens

Bird plane

Butterfly satellite

Bat radar

Seagull seaplane

Egg shell structure

whaler

Leaves-wheels

The shape of submarine-the fusiform shape of fish

Kangaroo SUV

Cannonball-tank

The strategy of ant colony driving and walking may bring enlightenment to human beings.

Ant army is better at traveling.

In modern cities, traffic jam has become a big problem that we have to face when walking on the road every day. Once there is a traffic jam, it will not only delay the time of people from all walks of life, but also increase the irritability of outsiders. How to solve the "stubborn disease" of this city?

After studying ants, British scholars said that maybe human beings can get some enlightenment from small ants. Although ants are small, they are better at "driving and walking" than humans. Researchers say that millions of ants are usually "tolerant of loneliness", and they simply follow a road structure to ensure that the team can reach their destination as soon as possible and will not delay time because of road choice. Compared with human beings, in order to get from A to B, the ant army has explored a set of methods with much higher logic and success rate.

Biologists say that the army of ants is constantly moving and running around day after day, and their travel strategies may inspire people who travel back and forth in the city and reduce their travel pressure. Ant colonies have formed their own effective "traffic network", and they almost certainly follow this route blindly. It is very important that every member of each ant colony can execute the route accurately.

Scientists say that even though their eyesight is not as good as that of human beings, their brains are much smaller than that of human beings, and the behavior rules followed by ant colonies are extremely simple. This method really worked. In fact, the world of ants is also a small society, which has many similarities with humans living in urban jungles. They, like human beings, are faced with problems such as garbage disposal, management institutions and transportation. If we can realize that many problems in nature have been "perfectly" solved, then human beings should do better.

Scientists say the difference is that human beings are selfish. Everyone wants to go to work quickly and won't care about others. If our drivers are more patient, simple traffic rules in the ant world may be useful to human beings.

In India, people often use a special small box to catch monkeys. Put the delicious nuts in the box. There is a small opening on the box, which can just be inserted into the monkey's front paw, but as long as the monkey holds the nut, the paw can't be pulled out. In this way, it either puts down the fruit and continues to be free, or grabs the fruit and waits to be cleaned up. Most monkeys cling to fruit, so they are easily caught by hunters. People often fall into this situation, and those who put good things in the box can control those who take things in the box. But as long as we are willing to give up this interest, we will not be controlled by others.

Spiders and scientists

In the morning, you see a spider web hanging on the eaves, which may not arouse any interest. But you know, this humble insect has attracted the attention of many scientists.

Spiders have no muscles on their legs, but they are very flexible. It turned out that its legs were filled with a liquid. Spiders can adjust the pressure of this liquid at any time to control the movement of their eight legs and advance and retreat freely on the Internet. This method is called hydraulic transmission in physics. Many hydraulic machinery were invented by this inspiration.

We know that the hexagonal honeycomb of bees is the most material-saving architectural design, and the structure of spider webs can win the admiration of mathematicians! Spider web looks like a complicated geometric figure in the shape of gossip, and it is difficult for you to draw it so symmetrically and beautifully with a ruler and compasses. Spiders weave webs according to an advanced geometric curve, which is an infinite curve of "logarithmic spiral" and needs complex formula calculation. Small spiders can easily weave such complex patterns, and the secrets inside have attracted many scientists.

The most attractive thing about spiders is the spinner. It turns out that there is glue in its silk sac, and there is a spinneret behind its abdomen with many small holes on it. The glue passes through the small hole and is pulled by the accessory to become thinner and longer, and condenses into filaments. Spider silk is a combination of many filaments. People were inspired to design man-made fiber and its spinneret, which caused a revolution in the textile industry.

The main purpose of people studying spiders is to ask them for silk. Human sericulture obtains silk and weaves it into beautiful silk. However, it is very hard to raise silkworms, which requires a lot of mulberry leaves, strict requirements on raising temperature and humidity, and also to prevent silkworms from getting sick. It takes more than 5500 cocoons to produce 1kg silk, so silks and satins are expensive. Spiders, on the other hand, are not so delicate and can live anywhere. Many scientists hope to ask spiders for silk directly. French scientist Boone has knitted the world's first pair of "spider silk gloves", which are light and transparent and make a sensation. But the problem is that it is not easy to raise spiders. Spiders eat insects and sometimes kill each other. In addition, spiders don't cocoon, and it's hard to control spinning everywhere. After calculation, it takes 1kg spider silk to produce 1.5 million spiders. So it is really difficult to produce spider silk on a large scale, and we must find another way.

The latest research by biologists brings hope, that is, genetic engineering. Scientists transplant the gene that produces spider silk into bacteria, so that bacteria have the ability to secrete spider sericin, which can be used after mass propagation and culture. This kind of glue has high tensile strength, elasticity, not easy to break, easy to dye and good hand feeling, and it is a kind of "artificial spider silk" with great development prospects. It has also been reported that the spider's silk-forming gene is transplanted into goats, and the goat's milk is turned into spider sericin, so that the obtained glue is faster and more.

"Artificial spider silk" has newer and more important uses, such as weaving into high-strength body armor, which is light and breathable and much stronger than traditional heavy body armor. According to the latest report, scientists have made "electroplated spider silk", and the extremely fine spider silk is coated with a layer of metal to become a "nano-silk" with extremely high strength, with a diameter of only 100nm. The successful research of this kind of wire will lead to a revolution in microelectronic device manufacturing!

Look, the little spider knows so much!

Ice worms are called the only frozen creatures on the earth, and they have the characteristics of alien life that scientists want. Scientists believe that the rare cold-resistant physique of ice worms can prove that there may be cold-resistant organisms similar to ice worms on other planets. They walk freely in the ice, live actively in the polar low temperature, and turn into a sticky mass when the temperature rises slightly. The Seattle Times reported on February 2 1 Sunday that American biologists, together with NASA and National Geographic magazine, will invest huge sums of money to study polar ice insects, hoping to take a big step in the journey of exploring alien life.

Polar ice insects are one of the few creatures active in polar low temperature. They are called the largest invertebrates and the most active creatures in frozen soil by biologists. Polar ice insects live in glaciers with snow all year round. They can be found in glaciers near the polar regions of Alaska, British Columbia and Oregon. They are very small, just like a thin black line in the snow.

They are probably the least afraid of cold in the world. In the biting cold temperature in the glacier area, other animals are almost frozen into popsicles, and even the cells are "giggling" with cold. However, this low temperature is the most comfortable living environment for polar ice insects. Scientists have found that the cell membrane and enzyme metabolism of ice worms are normal at low temperature, and the cell membrane maintains its inherent elasticity.

Ice worms are not only frost-resistant, but also hungry. Scientists once put several ice worms in the refrigerator to study. Two years later, ice worms who don't eat or drink still live tenaciously in the freezer.

But ice worms also have a fatal disadvantage-fear of heat. The ability of ice worms to resist high temperature is extremely fragile. As long as the temperature is higher than four degrees Celsius, the cell membrane of ice worms will melt, and the enzymes in the cells will become a pile of sticky substances like hay.

Mystery of breaking ice: Is there a way to break ice?

Among the many mysteries surrounding ice worms, the most incredible thing is that ice worms can walk freely in solid ice. No one knows how they broke through the ice.

Some scientists say that ice insects may drill out of the ice along the cracks in the ice; It is also speculated that ice worms have the ability to break ice. Many biologists suspect that ice insects may contain deicing substances. Every time they walk through the ice, the cells in the body will release energy, melt the surrounding ice and form a channel, just like "cutting butter with a hot knife".

An expert on snow animals said that among many snow fleas, snow nematodes and snow spiders, ice worms are the most magical animals. The polar bear's thick fur insulates it from the outside low temperature, and it can store energy by itself. Antarctic cod has antifreeze in its blood, which makes it live as usual in the ice and snow. However, what do naked tiny ice bugs rely on to keep warm or even wear ice? Biologist Putzel said, "When the temperature drops, ice insects will immediately generate energy. It's like filling the tank with gasoline. "

Hidden Mystery: Extinction in Winter?

The ice worm's lifestyle is also full of mystery. They always live in the glacier area with snow all year round, and their whereabouts are secret. In summer, large ice bugs will break through the ice and look for food. According to researchers looking for ice bugs, tens of thousands of ice bugs may be trampled to death if they are not careful.

Ice bugs come out at sunset and rest at sunrise. In summer, before the sun rises, ice worms will hide back on the ice. When the sun goes down, ice worms come out of their caves, looking for seaweed, pollen and other digestible residues as food. So their scientific name is "solifugus", which means avoiding the sun.

In winter, most ice insect gathering places are closed by heavy snow. Without seaweed or other food, they are hidden underground. But so far, no one knows how ice worms spend the winter underground. Ice worms seem to disappear in winter. Scientists suspect that they hibernate under the snow. Recently, however, researchers found that if you dig deep enough, you may see ice worms in winter. Two biologists in the United States repeatedly dug ice worms in the snow-covered Renik Mountain. All the ice worms they have found so far are hidden in underground holes below 3 meters.

Uncover the mystery: it is possible to find extraterrestrial life

Ice worms are called the only frozen creatures on the earth, and they have the characteristics of alien life that scientists want. Scientists believe that the rare cold-resistant physique of ice worms can prove that there may be cold-resistant organisms similar to ice worms on other planets.

In 2005, NASA invested $200,000 to support the research project of ice insects. NASA believes that ice worms can survive in such a harsh environment, which proves that Jupiter's ice hockey or other planets may have similar alien creatures.

National Geographic magazine also noticed ice worms and funded researchers to find them. National Geographic magazine believes that the value of ice worms in organ transplantation is far more realistic than the alien life it represents. Ice worm cells can maintain normal metabolism at low temperature. However, transplanted organs consume energy and shrink rapidly during refrigeration. If we can reveal the secret of ice worm metabolism, doctors can use chemicals and drugs to preserve organs for a longer period of time.

1887, Curtis, a famous photographer in Seattle, USA, first discovered the ice worm and named it "Snow Eel". But few people pay attention to it. In recent years, global warming has made polar animals on the verge of extinction, and ice worms have gradually entered the researchers' field of vision. Ben Lee, a biology graduate student at a university in Washington, USA, chose ice worms as the topic of his graduation thesis. Li said: "Ice worms are very hot now, and the research on them is almost blank, but they are wonderful."

interconnection

"Ice Bug" in Literati's Eyes

The literati's imagination is really rich. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, ice worms appeared in writers' brush strokes, and can also be seen in some books and poems. This bug, which is less than 5 cm long and lives under thick ice and snow, has long been a witness of love and life in the eyes of the poet.

The writer Robert Seves mentioned this magical bug many times in his works. In particular, the famous sentence "Trace of 98" in a novel: "In that light blue land, in the snowy day, I am in the infinity of the earth; Polar bears are singing and dancing in the light and shadow of the polar plain; Ah, you are my heart, my life and my soul; I'll see you when polar ice worms return to their nests. "

And Ben Lee is not only looking for and studying the ice worm itself, but also aiming at reciting the 140 poem "Blue Snow Mountain:

When everything becomes clear, you approach shyly and wait and see. The bugs are crowded together, and their noses are blue. In order to prolong life, they look for all the nutrients. They gnawed at each other's tails until they survived tenaciously.

Being so loved by poets may be because they can still survive in such a harsh environment. However, in the next 50 years, due to global warming, the ice and snow on which they depend will gradually disappear. At that time, ice worms will also become an extinct animal, and human beings may only sigh their magic in poetry.