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Scaring scorpions makes them more venomous
March 14, 2016|Uncategorized

Scaring scorpions makes them more venomous

Although they look all A-team tough on the exterior with armour-plating and a don’t mess with me stinging tail, scorpions can actually be a bunch of scaredy cats. But don’t take this as a weakness because the scarder (yes that is a word, Google said so…) they are, the more potent their venom becomes. No-one has been able to show this in any other venomous animal.

Here’s how it all goes down (or up in this case..) Scorpions have two components to their venom. One for using in defence against furry animals with sharp teeth such as small marsupials and mice who like to eat scorpions and the other to capture prey such as crickets and spiders.

What researches found was that when the scorpion was regularly exposed to predators i.e the highly frightening frankenmouse, the amount of venom for defence increased and the venom for capturing prey decreased.
Which makes perfect sense, you need to try and give anything that is going to eat you as much whoop-ass as possible which comes in the form of a deadly tail fashioned with a venomous sting.

What is even more amazing is that they can do this within 4 weeks! If a venomous snake tried to pull that off, it would take them generations, which makes it super cool for a scorpion to be a super scary cat. The key message here… embrace your vulnerable side it could give you super powers. Don’t take our work for it, check out the video.

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How venom kills – Venom 101
February 16, 2016|Videos

How venom kills – Venom 101

Venom… the word sends chills up your spine at the mere mention of it. And with good reason. Its aim is to incapacitate its victims and boy does it work a treat. What’s really interesting is that not all venoms are equal and not all work the same way. They’re as diverse as the animals that deliver it. From clotting blood, causing paralysis and destroying living cells.

It’s a fascinating world that Assoc. Professor Jamie Seymour knows a thing or ten about, after all that’s his shtick. So given that he’s a fun-loving sharing kind of guy he given us a bit of a lesson, kind a like a venom 101 of his world (which is venomology and toxinology which are tricky words to say let alone spell) showing us how they work on their victims which sometimes include the human-kind, and the results are….. all sorts of awesome! He also sets us straight us straight on the difference venom and poison, which we will now be able to use with so much confidence, the world will think he has been cloned!

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Big Mouth
July 25, 2015|Additional info

Big Mouth

Big Mouth

At first glance the stonefish doesn’t look like a speedster. They’re bulky and just sit there like a… stone. Well their body does anyway. Their mouth is another story. It’s designed to move independently of the rest of the body, which is all a part of its plan.

 

Due to its awesome camouflage and tendency to sit statue still, fish don’t see the stonefish when they swim past until it’s too late. What looks like a harmless rock or a cluster of marine algae can turn into a gaping mouth that comes out of nowhere and sucks them in whole.

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Self fertilising animal
July 19, 2015|Videos

Self fertilising animal

Self fertilising animal

Video teaser

Q. What animal lathers itself in fertiliser to attract plants?

Here’s a clue: It’s the king of camouflage, has an expandable mouth, swallows prey alive, has gills but no scales and sheds its skin, but it’s not a snake.

 

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The Nature of Science (TNOS) showcases scientific research using our warped sense of humour, brains trust and creativity. See behind the microscopes, beakers and re-breathers as we dig a little deeper into the research and discovery of the natural world. If you want to take a walk on the wild side dust off your lab coats and jump on board as our talented team of scientists and world-class cinematographers use time-lapse and high-speed footage sequences to showcase science and nature like never before.
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