Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
May 4, 2011 at 5:48am
The Telegraph is running an extraordinary slideshow of bug photographs by Igor Siwanowicz.
Yesterday our member Pootergeek sent me a link to this video, shot by an architectural designer in Istanbul named Ahmet Özkan. "This is the most gripping minute-and-a-half of drama I have watched in months," Pootergeek wrote. "Stick with it to the end; you will not be disappointed."
He was right. Unless they release the footage from that SEAL's helmet, this is where it's at.
Bugs are amazing.
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Aug '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Mmm... bug pinups.
Sep '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
I'm surprised there wasn't a quick 2nd round knockout via front kick to the face, and I believe Eric Holder has already expressed concern that Miranda rights weren't given to the victim. Oh, and I think some unauthorized prayer was happening as well.
May '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Yes--what's with that singing
Yes, what's with amplified chanting we hear in the distance? A call to prayer? What's the significance of that?
Oh, now I get it: it's a pun. "Let us prey."
Aug '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
As long as we're on the subject of removing the stigma of creepy-crawliness from life-forms, and instead appreciating them for the beautiful creatures that they are, may I recommend David Attenborough's "Life in Cold Blood"?
Wonderful documentary on reptiles and amphibians. Includes a chapter on "Sophisticated Serpents" (and hey, that's me!). David Attenborough is hott.
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Fredösphere: Yes--what's with that singing
Yes, what's with amplified chanting we hear in the distance? A call to prayer? What's the significance of that?
Oh, now I get it: it's a pun. "Let us prey." · May 4 at 6:44am
No, it's Istanbul--like the sound of cars crashing, it's normal background noise.
May '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
I've long thought complex camouflage like this is a strong argument for intelligent design. There is simply no way random mutation and natural selection can result in such features.
And though there are plenty of albinos and members of various species born with skin abnormalities, we never witness mutations which demonstrate the organized patterns necessary for complex camoflauge. For example, when in all of human history have we witnessed a member of any non-striped species born with stripes?
May '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Out of curiosity, what do y'all call these? As I recall, they have many different names throughout the country. Here, we call them rolly-pollies.
A while back, I introduced my brother-in-law to sand fleas. They're not bugs, but they look like 'em.
Aug '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Aaron Miller:
And though there are plenty of albinos and members of various species born with skin abnormalities, we never witness mutations which demonstrate the organized patterns necessary for complex camoflauge.
This doesn't exactly meet your requirements, as the species in question lost its spots and then regained them in order to become better-camouflaged, but what about the peppered moth?
Humans breeding plants and animals for striping in order to make them showier happens a lot, doesn't it, though? I can't think, though, off the top of my head of stripes occurring without artificial selection, but I'm also not a biologist.
Maybe a good place to look for an example would be among the lizards of the American southwest? The same species may exhibit many different skin patterns, based on fairly minor changes in location, so maybe someone has observed stripes appearing in a population there.
Aug '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Roly-polies, pillbugs, isopods (because we all had to study them in grade-school science)... Mostly roly-polies though. Heard people call 'em wood lice, too, though it took me a while to figure out what they were talking about.
And I call it a durned fine picture!
May '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
This doesn't exactly meet your requirements, as the species in question lost its spots and then regained them in order to become better-camouflaged, but what about the peppered moth?
I almost mentioned that, actually. It was mentioned in my high school biology class, but only skimmed over. I don't know the details.
From what I do know of it, it seems further evidence of change by design, rather than random mutation. Random mutation means mistakes are made. We should see not only viable mutations but non-complimentary mutations (mutations which do not increase odds of survival).
If camouflage is a result of Darwinian evolution, as opposed to guided evolution, then we should witness individual members of various species which bear colors and patterns that are odd for that species and do not benefit them... like a human with stripes or a "black" bear with yellow fur.
Such spectacles would be so striking that they would have been noted in literature long before the emergence of evolutionary theory, yet we apparently have no record of such events. Random mutation should result in freaks within each species. Where are the freaks?
Feb '11
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Midget Faded Rattlesnake: As long as we're on the subject of removing the stigma of creepy-crawliness from life-forms, and instead appreciating them for the beautiful creatures that they are, may I recommend David Attenborough's "Life in Cold Blood"?
Wonderful documentary on reptiles and amphibians. Includes a chapter on "Sophisticated Serpents" (and hey, that's me!). David Attenborough is hott. · May 4 at 6:59am
I would also recommend Microcosmos, an amazing French movie about bug life in a field. Breathtaking. No sarcasm.
Aug '10
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Mama Toad
I would also recommend Microcosmos, an amazing French movie about bug life in a field. Breathtaking. No sarcasm.
Thanks, Mama Toad! Will check it out. No sarcasm :-)
Re: Aliens Invade Planet Earth, Gripping Feeler-to-Feeler Combat
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Mama Toad
I would also recommend Microcosmos, an amazing French movie about bug life in a field. Breathtaking. No sarcasm.
Thanks, Mama Toad! Will check it out. No sarcasm :-) · May 4 at 4:17pm
That was an amazing movie. Just amazing. Definitely no sarcasm.