Dung beetles guided by Milky Way

nbcnews.com ^ | Jan. 21, 2013 | Alan Boyle

[skinkinthegrass]

When dung beetles roll their tiny balls of poop across the sands of South Africa on a moonless night, they look to the glow of our Milky Way galaxy as a navigational aid, researchers report.

"Even on clear, moonless nights, many dung beetles still manage to orientate along straight paths," Marie Dacke, a biologist at Sweden's Lund University, said in a news release. "This led us to suspect that the beetles exploit the starry sky for orientation — a feat that had, to our knowledge, never before been demonstrated in an insect."

[NormsRevenge]

oh poop.

when lost in beetleland , follow the Dung beetle?

[skinkinthegrass]

thanks, for the link.

[treetopsandroofs]

Good tune by Church.

[knittnmom]

Why not? Bees are aliens from the Medusa Cascade. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205437/quotes

[I want the USA back]

I doubt it. The earth’s magnetic field is a more likely source.

[sten]

so dung beetles must have great eyesight!

instead, I’d prolly consider magnetic lay lines, possibly relating to higher concentration of iron in the poop

but then again, I’m not tenured and trying to justify a grant

[skinkinthegrass]

but then again, I’m not tenured andand that, how it works...
the people gotta know / understand...
the insects or the grant submissions process..
like global warming/climate change..

[skinkinthegrass]

but then again, I’m not tenured and
trying to justify a grantand that, how it works...
the people gotta know / understand...
the insects or the grant submissions process..
like global warming/climate change..

[Salman]

Sorry pal. Design in nature is not evidence for your bloodthirsty boogie man fantasy.

[Smittie]

Fascism & communism both relied on the theory of evolution - where else could they foster the belief of a superior race? Together they were responsible for over 100 million deaths in the 20th century. Is this your bloodthirsty boogie man fantasy?

[Hebrews 11:6]

Genesis 1:14-15 (NIV): "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky...and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years..."

God cleared the atmosphere from translucent to (often) transparent so He could create animals, and later humans, that needed visual access to the specific locations of the sun, moon, and stars to regulate their behavior. The dung beetle is but another of innumerable examples.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks skinkinthegrass. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[Salman]

More blood libel against science. Because the bad guys used science too.

Slander seems to be a characteristic of your religion.

Your so called “God” is a demonic horror fantasy.

[Smittie]

If follow the posts I think you started the slander. But if you have any other issues with God talk to him about it.

[colorado tanker]

[colorado tanker]

Wow, the article is interesting. They went to extraordinary lengths to rule out other explanations, even letting the beetles have a go wearing little hats that cut off their view of the sky.

[SunkenCiv]

Two dung beetles are munching on the same chunk of dung. One of ‘em farts. The other one yells, “hey, I’m eatin’ here!”

[colorado tanker]

LOL!

[colorado tanker]

"Doris, I must say your cooking tastes like sh#t."

"Why, thank you, dear."