Skip to comments.
Dung beetles guided by Milky Way
nbcnews.com ^
| Jan. 21, 2013
| Alan Boyle
Posted on 01/24/2013 11:33:39 AM PST by skinkinthegrass
When dung beetles roll their tiny balls of poop across the sands of South Africa on a moonless night, they look to the glow of our Milky Way galaxy as a navigational aid, researchers report.
"Even on clear, moonless nights, many dung beetles still manage to orientate along straight paths," Marie Dacke, a biologist at Sweden's Lund University, said in a news release. "This led us to suspect that the beetles exploit the starry sky for orientation a feat that had, to our knowledge, never before been demonstrated in an insect."
(Excerpt) Read more at cosmiclog.nbcnews.com ...
TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: africa; beetle; dung; dungbeetle; dungbeetles; godsgravesglyphs; milkyway; nbc; news
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-39 last
To: skinkinthegrass
oh poop.
when lost in beetleland , follow the Dung beetle?
To: EveningStar
thanks, for the link.
22
posted on
01/24/2013 12:18:17 PM PST
by
skinkinthegrass
(who'll take tomorrow,spend it all today;who can take your income,tax it all away..0'Bozo man can :-)
To: null and void
23
posted on
01/24/2013 12:21:54 PM PST
by
treetopsandroofs
(Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
To: ZX12R
24
posted on
01/24/2013 12:48:23 PM PST
by
knittnmom
(Save the earth! It's the only planet with chocolate!)
To: skinkinthegrass
I doubt it. The earth’s magnetic field is a more likely source.
To: skinkinthegrass
so dung beetles must have great eyesight!
instead, I’d prolly consider magnetic lay lines, possibly relating to higher concentration of iron in the poop
but then again, I’m not tenured and trying to justify a grant
26
posted on
01/24/2013 1:38:02 PM PST
by
sten
(fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
To: sten
but then again, Im not tenured andand that, how it works...
the people gotta know / understand...
the insects or the grant submissions process..
like global warming/climate change..
27
posted on
01/24/2013 1:48:01 PM PST
by
skinkinthegrass
(who'll take tomorrow,spend it all today;who can take your income,tax it all away..0'Bozo man can :-)
To: sten
but then again, Im not tenured and
trying to justify a grantand that, how it works...
the people gotta know / understand...
the insects or the grant submissions process..
like global warming/climate change..
28
posted on
01/24/2013 1:49:03 PM PST
by
skinkinthegrass
(who'll take tomorrow,spend it all today;who can take your income,tax it all away..0'Bozo man can :-)
To: Smittie
Sorry pal. Design in nature is not evidence for your bloodthirsty boogie man fantasy.
29
posted on
01/24/2013 1:50:08 PM PST
by
Salman
To: Salman
Fascism & communism both relied on the theory of evolution - where else could they foster the belief of a superior race? Together they were responsible for over 100 million deaths in the 20th century. Is this your bloodthirsty boogie man fantasy?
30
posted on
01/24/2013 2:31:03 PM PST
by
Smittie
To: skinkinthegrass
Genesis 1:14-15 (NIV): "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky...and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years..."God cleared the atmosphere from translucent to (often) transparent so He could create animals, and later humans, that needed visual access to the specific locations of the sun, moon, and stars to regulate their behavior. The dung beetle is but another of innumerable examples.
31
posted on
01/24/2013 2:42:15 PM PST
by
Hebrews 11:6
(Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
To: skinkinthegrass
32
posted on
01/25/2013 4:01:07 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
To: Smittie
More blood libel against science. Because the bad guys used science too.
Slander seems to be a characteristic of your religion.
Your so called “God” is a demonic horror fantasy.
33
posted on
01/25/2013 5:25:02 AM PST
by
Salman
To: Salman
If follow the posts I think you started the slander. But if you have any other issues with God talk to him about it.
34
posted on
01/25/2013 7:17:50 AM PST
by
Smittie
To: skinkinthegrass; SunkenCiv
To: skinkinthegrass; SunkenCiv
Wow, the article is interesting. They went to extraordinary lengths to rule out other explanations, even letting the beetles have a go wearing little hats that cut off their view of the sky.
To: colorado tanker
Two dung beetles are munching on the same chunk of dung. One of ‘em farts. The other one yells, “hey, I’m eatin’ here!”
37
posted on
01/26/2013 11:00:07 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
To: SunkenCiv
To: SunkenCiv
"Doris, I must say your cooking tastes like sh#t."
"Why, thank you, dear."
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-39 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson