Secrets off an uncrushableable beetle
The diabolically hardy beetle
It is known as the diabolical ironclad beetle – and scientists have found that it lives up to its name. The three-quarter-inch flightless creature, which lives in wooded areas in western states of the US, was already known to be the only beetle that can survive being run over by a car. Now tests have revealed that it can withstand an applied force of 149 Newtons, or 39,000 times its body weight: that is the equivalent of a human having 280 double decker buses piled on top of them. To better understand the beetle’s load-bearing capability, the team of US researchers took CT scans of its exoskeleton, and discovered several unique adaptations. Its hardened and fused elytra (wing covers) are joined in a jigsaw-like pattern, helping diffuse stress through its body. And this carapace is joined to the beetle’s underside by lateral supports that are rigid where the vital organs need protection, but compressible elsewhere, like springs. These features could provide the basis for new techniques in engineering. “An active engineering challenge is joining together different materials without limiting their ability to support loads,” said Dr David Restrepo of the University of Texas.
A call for “nature highways”
As Britain warms, so the “climate zones” of certain species – where the temperature, rainfall and humidity suit their needs – are likely to shift northwards, says The Guardian. This raises a troubling prospect: if animals can’t move with their zones, they could become trapped in suboptimal habitats. Now, the charity Rewilding Britain has proposed a solution: that a network of “nature highways” be established across the country, to enable animals to migrate with ease. In its report, the charity says that the climate zones of some animals are moving by as much as three miles per year – and warns that several species, including the red squirrel, are already declining or on the edge of extinction due to habitat degradation and lack of connectivity between habitats. It calls for green bridges to be built over major roads, and for farmers to be offered financial incentives to preserve “natural corridors” across their land.
A free-range floating world
Astronomers have discovered a new “vagabond planet” – a type of world that floats freely through the Milky Way, untethered to any star, reports The Times. Sightings are incredibly rare (only about half a dozen have ever been detected) and the latest one is the smallest yet: it is thought to be around the size of Mars. Astronomers say they may just have been very lucky to find it, but it’s possible our Milky Way is actually teeming with these planets. There could, they say, be billions of them – but they are very hard to detect. Unlike other planets outside our solar system, they cannot be spotted by the dimming they cause when passing their star, as they do not orbit a star; nor do they give off radiation. Therefore, their presence must be inferred from a phenomenon known as “gravitational microlensing”.This occurs when the gravity of a large celestial object acts like a magnifying glass on the light emitted by a background star. “If a massive object – a star or a planet – passes between an Earth-based observer and a distant source star, its gravity may deflect and focus light from the source,” explained lead author Przemek Mróz, of the California Institute of Technology. Finds based on gravitational microlensing are extremely rare, as they depend on the object, source and telescope being in perfect alignment.
The mutant strain from Spain
A mutated strain of Covid-19 carried by holidaymakers returning from Spain could be partially responsible for the current “second wave” in Europe, a study has suggested. Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 mutates as it replicates inside its human hosts. Now it appears that a variant called 20A.EU1, first detected in farm workers in northern Spain in June, is the dominant strain across much of Europe. The Swiss/ Spanish study, which has yet to be peerreviewed, found that in September it was present in 40% to 70% of cases in Switzerland, Ireland and the UK. The mutation’s features include an alteration to the spike protein which the virus uses to latch onto cells. However, it remains unclear if this affects its transmission rate, or the symptoms it causes.