Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way to Push Poo
7th February 2013
Most insects have no trouble moving around when the moon is bright, but darker nights can make nighttime navigation a bit more difficult. African dung beetles, however, have apparently found a workaround — the Milky Way. A recent study from researchers in Sweden and South Africa found that on moonless nights, dung beetles use the stars to help orient themselves, a rather surprising tactic for a creature that spends so much time with its nose to the ground. In fact, scientists say these findings are the first evidence of any insect having celestial navigation capabilities.
I’ll bet you didn’t know that.
February 7th, 2013 at 09:48
Bet it was a tough call between News You Can Use and Tenure Doesn’t Grow on Trees for this one.
February 8th, 2013 at 04:41
Although Your Tax Dollars At Work was a strong contender, as well.