casualSTEM
Posts
Armored Nests | Brain Beats | Beetle Backpack

Armored Nests | Brain Beats | Beetle Backpack

Issue #119

Steve Burgess
September 23, 2023

Happy birthday! Monday is my birthday and I’m sharing it with you by launching…

A referral program! Refer friends to unlock the coolest shades money can’t buy (oOoOo exclusive 😎).

How it works

Refer friends using the button below
Earn sunglasses
Look cooler (I told the scientists you’re already at max cool, but these shades break the laws of coolness)

Birthday party promo: First 50 readers to 5 referrals get sunglasses. After that we’ll bump up the required count.

Oh, and for this week’s content we’re revisiting 3 of my recent favorites. Plus new Clickables!

-Steve

Get the weekly email that explains science in sweatpants. Stay smart for free.

photo by T. Liu

Nest Armor

Birds are copying humans when it comes to self-defense. Crows and magpies are using…checks notes…anti-bird spikes to build nests.

Spikes face outwards to protect eggs and chicks
Other defenses include thorns and barbed wire
Example nest: 61 strips, 604 spikes

Known for their above average smarts, both species are also at war, with crow attacks necessitating spikey domed magpie nests. However, builders are sometimes caught in their own traps. Meanwhile, bird-spike designers.

Bird-construction consulting

Quick! (poll)

What would you focus on when building your nest?

Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below

Brain Tunes

Brains can play music, too. Researchers assessed brain activity from people listening to Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”.

2,668 electrodes measured 29 listener brains
Algorithms generated a cover song from the data
Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG) responded most to rhythm

Removing STG electrodes lead to failed music reproduction, further implying its role in the band. Understanding how our brains process music will help develop prosthetics for people with hearing limitations. New music genre: brain-pop.

Another brain in the wall

Beetle Backpack

New rove beetle species is changing the backpack game just in time for “back to school”. But instead of fitting in with the cool kids, they’re blending with termites.

Beetle abdomen = realistic termite replica
Almost completely hides the beetle
Blind termites sense the replica and feed it

Meanwhile our sneaky beetle slurps up everything that falls from its backpack’s lack of a mouth. Being satisfied with leftovers means it never threatens colony survival and freeloads forever as a “termite”. BRB, making a backpack resembling a vending machine.

Aussie termite backpacks are SO in right now