I’m often fascinated by natural camouflage, and even included a bit about it in the book:
Nature is also the true master of camouflage. From the almost invisible stone flounder and octopus to the snow fox, leafy sea dragon, and praying mantis, stealth is the difference between life and death. Unless mating, nature’s creatures do not like […]
My wife, Francesca sent me a link to this fascinating video about how certain cephalopods—squid, cuttlefish, and octopus, —employe camouflage. As a scuba diver and snorkeler, I knew a bit about this but admit was surprised at the extent of their abilities, particularly their use of pigments called chromatophores:
Most cephalopods possess chromatophores – that is, colored pigments – which they can use in a […]
A little something to go with breakfast …
It seems that whenever humans create technology to solve a problem, we end up causing detrimental side effects. We created the internal combustion engine, which is less than 30 percent energy efficient, and gave rise to asbestos, chromium, lead, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) contamination of air, lakes, and aquifers, and escalating asthma rates […]
Across the bay from where I live in the Bay area is a strange structure, sometimes called “the world’s safest house.” Designed by architect Eugene Tsui, this peculiar-looking and very sturdy […]
Nature apparently admires adherence—I say this because there are so many different types of natural adhesives. From gecko’s feet, and their use of van der Waals forces to attach themselves to walls and ceilings, to the amazing mussel adhesive proteins (or MAPs) that have fascinated scientists and led to the development of MAP adhesive products for scientific products, medical applications—even […]
