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Scientists Discover Solar Powered Hornets
adeelarshad82 writes "The oriental hornet is more active during the day, and tends to become even more active as the temperature rises. And now scientists have discovered the reason: the hornets are solar powered. It turns out that the distinctive yellow stripe on the hornet's abdomen is actually full of tiny protrusions that gather sunlight and harness it for energy. The insect also features a special pigment, called xanthopterin, that helps with the process."
I for one welcome our solar powered insect overlords?
Now in the electric car business, too!?!
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Guess that would make one a "green" hornet...
Sorry, couldn't resist...
Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an oncoming train.
Since xanthopterin converts light directly into electricity, according to the research, what exactly does the wasp do with the electricity produced? Does it directly excite muscles? Is there a tiny capacitor in the abdomen that dumps the energy into pulling the wings down?
John
It's unfortunately paywalled, but in case anyone has access to a library with a subscription, the journal article this news article is about is:
Plotkin et al. (2010). Solar energy harvesting in the epicuticle of the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis). Naturwissenschaften 97(12): 1067-1076.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
It stings with curiosity.
The Oriental hornet has a unique ability to harvest solar energy, scientists have discovered.
Not true. Many marine organisms use Zooanthella to harvest solar energy. This is why a number of corals and anemone are very difficult to keep in marine aquariums - the spectrum and power of artificial light has to be "just right" otherwise the organisms eject their zooantehlla cells and as a result starve to death over the following weeks or months.
Here you go. Appears to be free.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w657861740333733/
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w657861740333733/fulltext.pdf
Go ahead and tear away at it. I know you want to.
so if we get millions of hornets and put them in a giant solar array, we get power out of them ?? do we have to jack their little hornet brain into a computer to see if we can pull a few more watts of out of them.
...which will then be promptly shot down by patent trolls.
One of the things that is most interesting is the nano-structures that are used to make light gathering more efficient. Understanding these structures could improve the efficiency of existing solar power collectors. With current genetic techniques it might even be possible to grow these structures, and perhaps even used grown material in real world applications.
Another point is that the wasp's collection structures are yellow, not green like plant chlorophyll. The green color results from chlorophyll not using green light, but absorbing more blue end light. If the wasps look yellow, that might mean that they are efficient in a different part of the visible light spectrum.
Why is Snark Required?
One thing that puzzles me about this claim is that the light absorbing area is a relatively small part of the abdomen. If one looks at trees, you see that the leaves grow in a way that collects light rather well, with a high surface area for the infrastructure (stem, trunk, roots, etc) involved.
Given that this is Slashdot and we're obligated by the terms of the EULA to speculate obsessively on such things, I have a few guesses. I'll assume here that the research turns out to be true (and that there's some chemical pathway from sunlight to either ATP or energy storing materials like proteins or fats). First, this is a flying insect, so there's a survival trade off between an aerodynamic body and greater light collecting area. Second, there might be heating problems associated with light absorption. Third, it might be a relatively recent evolutionary and hence, the insect hasn't yet evolved an efficient energy gathering apparatus.
I wonder how they would go on Mars? Should we give it a go?
Maybe not. Hard to see what we would send to kill the hornets if they got out of control.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Now that we know how to get power we can mount lasers on hornets!
Soon every suburban house will have its own massive angry hornet array and all our problems will be over.
You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
Terrorize!
*gets modded down*
"Waspinator has a headache in his whole body!"
It's hot as hell here, I could use some solar-powered cells on my skin.
Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
If the wasp gets energy directly from the Sun, does that mean it is technically a plant? (See Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan on Farscape.)
before it got to slashdot ?
that's just lame.
Absolute statements are never true
The little bug uses the electricity to power its microphone, mini camera and micro radio transmitter.
Are any of them made of marble?
Hide under bridges and do not come out in the sun often. Indeed, scientific research (Tolkien, The Hobbit 1937, Effects of solar radiation on Evil Humanoids) suggests that some of their light receptors go into overdrive and turn them into stone under direct sunlight.
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
Karma: Chameleon
To tell you the truth I wonder why doesn't every non-nocturnal anymal do this, it's sounds like something very obvious prone to evolve early in multicelular animals.
But... the future refused to change.
I for one... oh f***, RUN!
My other SIG is a Sauer.
I certainly don't appreciate the off-color and rancid humor bellowing around this thread like a plague.
While I understand the role of levity and humor when contemplating our armageddon, I think a moment of serious discussion is in order here, you slackers.
The real danger here, in my considered opinion, is what happens when the inevitable occurs? A solar powered hornet mates with a shark. I'm sure many of you don't see this, but let me paint the following highly likely scenario:
1. Beach. Picnic. Very little breeze, about noon. Watermelon, ice tea, and some sweets.
2. As the cloud drift overhead, and some gentle music plays, as the light dances on the water a solared powered hornet (SPH) glances towards the water
3. There, in the water, is a shark, flexing his shark muscles and doing shark stuff
4. The hornet, smitten, buzzes over to the shark and there is a long, deep look between the two.
5. After a lovemaking session worthy of any major blockbuster porn flick, they leave, never to see each other again.
Fast forward whatever the gestational period for hornets is and you've got the ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO.
Screw wikileaks, friends - this is the story of the century.
So, we have solar powered hornets? Now all we need: Sharks with lasers!
So how long before we can have this wonderful technology? Would cut down on the food and heating bills.
"In Soviet Russia, bug has computer in it!"
/meh, it's late...
s/[stupid comments]/[intelligent discourse]/gi
I have no idea of the amount of energy these pigments may be harvesting, but it's possible that they are more used as a sensor rather than as an energy source, knowing as we do that bees and wasps use the sun as a reference for navigating.
>The oriental hornet
Are you telling all other hornets and wasps that have that yellow stripe is not solar linked....maybe they just never thought to look close enough, maybe they are all solar linked.
Since xanthopterin converts light directly into electricity, according to the research, what exactly does the wasp do with the electricity produced?
The article speculates that it gives them digging energy. I'm going to be more conservative here, and postulate that it only gives them an innate sense of direction and sun intensity. All bees/wasps need to be good navigators, and since these guys dig, they'll be better off digging when the ground is somewhat dry so they don't get buried in mud tunnel collapses.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Say it isn't so Batman. This would bee terrible news for the Green Hornet. Of course he could become invincable to the Green Lantern if he adopted the yellow alias. He might even consider switching sides.
Slowly waving my hand - "This is not the sig you are looking for."
For a second there, I thought I was the only one who saw this as a link between organism and machine.