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Scientists Discover Solar Powered Hornets

Posted by samzenpus on from the beware-of-the-electric-bees dept.

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."

31 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Oh no.... by JDeane · · Score: 3, Funny

    I for one welcome our solar powered insect overlords?

    1. Re:Oh no.... by NoSleepDemon · · Score: 4, Funny

      What we know for sure is that we did this to the sky, it was believed at the time that the hornets used solar power as their main energy source...

    2. Re:Oh no.... by zippthorne · · Score: 2

      They get their powers from our yellow sun?

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    3. Re:Oh no.... by MokuMokuRyoushi · · Score: 2

      Quick! Turn off the sun!

      --
      Humans are terrible replicators of Godly things.
  2. Solar powered eh... by mswhippingboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.
    1. Re:Solar powered eh... by MarkRose · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ouch, that one stung.

      --
      Be relentless!
    2. Re:Solar powered eh... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Green" does seem to be a buzzword these days.

    3. Re:Solar powered eh... by lan+O'Nymous · · Score: 2

      Which would explain the popularity of Vespas.

    4. Re:Solar powered eh... by cvnautilus · · Score: 4, Funny

      They couldn't get enough energy from pollen, so they moved to plan bee.

  3. What does the wasp do with it? by plover · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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
    1. Re:What does the wasp do with it? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Brings to mind the Platypus which uses electricity to locate prey. Maybe hornets use electric potentials as a sensory input.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    2. Re:What does the wasp do with it? by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Informative

      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?

      Presumably it would use the electrons generated in a redox reaction which generate ATP which is the basic power supply of the cell.

      Of course, this is all very hypothetical and hand waving at this point. However, if real, it could be a Big Deal - now you have another molecule, aside from the chlorophyll complex that can take photons and use them in cellular reactions. Photosynthesis is quite a bit more efficient that photovoltaic cells - assuming that this really does produce electrons at the end of the reaction and it's similarly efficient, or even just easier to copy / clone / manipulate, we might yet have a decent solar to electricity system.

      One of these days.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    3. Re:What does the wasp do with it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Photosynthesis is quite a bit more efficient that photovoltaic cells

      Uh no. Photosynthesis efficiency varies from 0.1% to 8%. Solar panels go from 6% to 41%. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis#Efficiency .

    4. Re:What does the wasp do with it? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      Brings to mind the Platypus which uses electricity to locate prey.

      You know, every time someone says anything about a platypus, I find myself thinking "WTF?".

      Egg laying mammal, with a bill, fur, a tail like a beaver, poisonous venom in a foot spike ... and now electrolocation.

      I swear, it really is the most bizarre of critters I can imagine. If there is a god, and he did create everything ... the platypus was created immediately after a heavy dose of mescaline or something! It's like a collection of spare parts.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    5. Re:What does the wasp do with it? by Khyber · · Score: 3, Informative

      "Photosynthesis efficiency varies from 0.1% to 8%."

      Only in sunlight driven systems, just FYI, following the stated source. In targeted wavelength systems, this is absolutely nowhere near the case.

      In LED driven systems, photosynthetic efficiency jumps double to nearly quadruple that, tested over and over again in multiple of my systems. We can push it as far as nearly 50% efficiency before we hit maximum saturation if we pulse the light instead of a solid steady output.

      See, what mainly limits efficiency is the rate at which chlorophyll degrades and regenerates. When it processes energy, it rips itself apart and gets rebuilt. This is how light bleaching happens, too much light, too much photosynthesis, the plant can't regenerate chlorophyll as fast as it's producing energy, and it 'burns' out.

      Stop relying upon wikipedia. It's so outdated as of now for my field of research that they might as well delete the entire section from their site.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  4. journal article by Trepidity · · Score: 4, Informative

    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
    1. Re:journal article by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

      The full text works for me and I'm not in a library or anywhere else with a journal subscription.

      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    2. Re:journal article by Xaositecte · · Score: 2

      works for me too, I figured it was because I was on campus though...

      From the 'Results' Section:

      "Previous studies have shown diffusion potential across the
      cuticle, with the inside negative with respect to the outside.
      Digby (1965) has suggested that electrons move through the
      semiconductive cuticular layer. This process creates calcium
      carbonate that precipitates in the cuticle. In conclusion, we
      have presented evidence supporting the hypothesis that the
      Oriental hornet has evolved a cuticle design to harvest solar
      energy. RCWA simulations show that the surface structures
      confer AR and light-trapping properties, enhancing absorption
      by approximately 5% compared to a flat surface. The
      xanthopterin pigment found within the cuticle has been
      proven to be a suitable absorber of light for the harvesting of
      solar energy by a demonstration of its use in an organic solar
      cell, with a conversion efficiency of 0.335%. Future work
      will focus in investigating the complex layered structure
      observed in the cuticle cross-sections, and its possible role in
      solar energy harvesting."

      It seems like this paper was concerned solely with establishing whether the Wasp actually collects solar energy, not where it goes once it's been collected. The reference to "This process creates calcium carbonate that precipitates in the cuticle. " Is about the only thing I could describe as the 'end result' of the process, and doesn't mean a whole lot to me.

      Someone with a better background in chemistry or biology care to comment?

    3. Re:journal article by Trepidity · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Oh, interesting, sorry for the mis-labeling then. It worked for me, but I'm on a campus that subscribes to Springer journals, which are usually paywalled, so I assumed it was paywalled.

      It looks like Naturwissenschaften is part of a "Springer OpenChoice" program where authors can choose to make their paper open-access by paying Springer $3,000, which these authors must've done I guess? I rarely see anyone pay those fees in my field (computer science), but I've heard that in biology grants are more willing to pay such fees.

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
    4. Re:journal article by tsa · · Score: 2

      The scientific literature world is pretty strange. Usually you pay around 90$ per page to get your article published in a paid journal. The journal doesn't have to do much for that. The reviewers work for free so they only have to send some letters around and do the typesetting. To have the article 'in the open' you pay a staggering 3000$ for which they do nothing! Amazing

      --

      -- Cheers!

  5. Not a unique ability by scdeimos · · Score: 4, Interesting
    From TFA:

    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.

    1. Re:Not a unique ability by khallow · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

      It's worth noting here that this is a symbiotic relationship between two species. It appears that the hornets may have a novel mechanism that isn't the result of symbiosis.

    2. Re:Not a unique ability by robi5 · · Score: 2

      There was also a report on a sea snail which had chlorophyll incorporated in its body, giving it a green color and energy source:
      http://www.google.hu/m/search?site=images&source=mog&hl=hu&gl=hu&client=safari&q=sea%20snail%20clorophyll#i=3

  6. How will this influence solar power research? by Required+Snark · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This will clearly have influence on future solar power research. I know that there are research groups trying to use insights from plant photosynthesis for building solar cells, and having another natural system that is not plant (or bacterium) based will inspire a lot of new work.

    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?
    1. Re:How will this influence solar power research? by blai · · Score: 2

      Maximum efficiency of a solar panel is achieved when it is black (harvesting all visible light frequencies, and possibly UV/IR), so I don't see the point of making a yellow panels because we found yellow hornets.

      --
      In soviet Russia, God creates you!
    2. Re:How will this influence solar power research? by c0lo · · Score: 4, Informative
      Ideas, yes (e.g. use of patterned capture surfaces, possible multiple reflections to increase the efficiency of a cell? Maybe not quite new).

      New materials? The full text version of the article (posted by someone above), mentions a measured the conversion efficiency of a xanthopterin-sensitized TiO2 solar cell to 0.335% - clearly some more work needs to be done (e.g. other substate to senzitize?).

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    3. Re:How will this influence solar power research? by tsa · · Score: 2

      They weren't chosen. They turned out to work. Evolution is a random process, remember?

      --

      -- Cheers!

  7. Good news, everyone! Energy crisis solved! by lennier · · Score: 4, Funny

    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
  8. Waspinator by hort_wort · · Score: 3, Funny

    Terrorize!

    *gets modded down*
    "Waspinator has a headache in his whole body!"

  9. Re:Why only a small portion of the abomen? by c0lo · · Score: 2
    TFA is puzzling in this respect:

    Until now, insects were thought to perform metabolism in an organ known as the fat body, which performs a similar function to the human liver.
    Most of the fat body is in an insect's abdomen surrounding the gut, where it can quickly take up absorbed nutrients, though some is scattered elsewhere.
    "We have found that the main metabolic activity in the Oriental hornet is actually in the yellow pigment layer," says Dr Plotkin.

    The full-text article, makes no mention of the "fat body" and doesn't get a hint by what reasoning this conclusion is to be derived? The correlation between sunny conditions and hornet's digging activity is not quite a strong indication to me - I mean: ants are most active when the weather is hot, yet they apparently don't relly on capturing the solar radiation.

    --
    Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  10. Is it possible? by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 2

    >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.