Booger Bubbles | Lethal Lollipop | Poop Power

This week confronted me with one of the most difficult decisions: favorite animal. I’ve narrowed it down to…

• Octopus

• Axolotl

• Tardigrade

What is your favorite animal? (you can reply to this like a normal email)

-Steve

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Booger Bubbles

Key to staying cool in the Australian outback: boogers. Echidnas blow snot bubbles to regulate their temperature and survive heat over 100°F.

• 124 short-beaked echidnas studied over 1 year

• Cannot sweat, pant, or lick (like kangaroos) to keep cool

• Yet body temps were regularly below ~86°F

Blowing booger bubbles creates a wet surface that evaporates over highly concentrated blood vessels. Infrared cameras captured the echidna’s blood cooling as a result. But every echidna already nose it’s cool.

Achoo

Lethal Lollipop

Some mushrooms hunt nematodes, and now we know how. Scientists discovered what Pleurotus ostreatus do to catch prey.

• P. ostreatus is an oyster mushroom living primarily on dead trees

• It extends filaments covered in lethal lollipops aka “nerve gas” toxocysts

• Passing nematodes are paralyzed by bursting cysts, dying in minutes

Filaments grow into the deceased prey, absorbing dissolved nutrients. This form of grocery shopping is unique among known hunter-shrooms, believed to result from nutrient-deprived housing choices. “Nerve Gas Lollipop”, best band name ever?

Who knew Toad had a dark side?

Poop Power

Farmers can create their own tractor fuel using cow manure. Poop-powered tractors have the same torque as diesel ones, while running on cleaner LNG.

• LNG = liquefied natural gas

• Processed by storing cattle feces in tanks or covered lagoons

• Anaerobic organisms then process the poo into biogas

This can be used as regular natural gas, or compressed to power specialized engines and reduce overall CO2 emissions. Leftover solid waste makes its way back to the circle as fertilizer. Easily the crappiest tractor on the market.

Moo poo

Clickables

• Dr. Evil’s lightning rod, with frickin’ lasers

• Beluga whale playing fetch in open water

• Boston Dynamics’ robot builds its own parkour course

• How WiFi watches us through walls

• Successful living 3D-printed ear transplant

st3v on site

Booger Bubbles

After hanging out with echidnas, st3v learned to blow booger bubbles. Impressive, considering he doesn't have a nose.

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