Fun Facts

[Sideways]

The mantis is the only animal known to have one ear, which is located in the middle of their chest (courtesy of my failed attempt to finish a NYT crossword the other day).

Originally thought to be deaf, they can actually hear ultrasonic frequencies. Which is especially cool.

Although, I still can’t quite get rid of the image of waking up one morning and seeing an ear growing out of the middle of my chest…

 

[notsurewheretoturn]

The mantis is the only animal known to have one ear, which is located in the middle of their chest (courtesy of my failed attempt to finish a NYT crossword the other day).

Originally thought to be deaf, they can actually hear ultrasonic frequencies. Which is especially cool.

Although, I still can’t quite get rid of the image of waking up one morning and seeing an ear growing out of the middle of my chest…

Would that be the wild front ear?

 

[Rose White]

Romantic poet Lord Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace is regarded by many historians to have invented computer programming.

 

[Rose White]

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is currently consuming another galaxy, The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy.

 

[Friday]

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is currently consuming another galaxy, The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy.

Nom nom nom.

 

[Rose White]

Insects can feel chronic pain.

Study Finds Insects Can Experience Chronic Pain

Injured fruit flies still experience nerve pain after healing, a finding that could lead the way to more non-opioid pain medications

www.smithsonianmag.com

Scientists cut off part of one leg on fruit flies and then tested the sensitivity of the flies to heat. The flies with the cut leg (which had healed) left a heated room at lower temperatures than those without the previous injury. The idea is that the fruit flies are hyper-sensitive to pain for the rest of their wee little lives.

The scientists determined that it was due to some pain channels in the ventral nerve cords (analogous to our spinal cords) becoming “left open” by the severed nerve sending non-stop messages of pain.

I mean, to me it makes sense that insects would feel pain because living things need to have a way to interact with the environment in a way that preserves their energy and their very lives.