How A Bombardier Beetle Blasts A Machine Gun-Like Spray Of Repellent
- 9 years ago
By using sophisticated X-ray imaging, researchers have determined how the internal mechanisms of the bombardier beetle work to create its hot, machine gun-like spray of defensive chemicals.
Bombardier beetles defend themselves with machine-gun like sprays of hot, noxious chemicals. The mystery behind how they do so may finally be solved.
According to recently published research, their abdomens have two chambers, one with hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinones and the other with enzymes.
When it’s time to attack, the valve separating the chambers opens, and their contents mix, creating a repellent chemical.
The pulsi
Bombardier beetles defend themselves with machine-gun like sprays of hot, noxious chemicals. The mystery behind how they do so may finally be solved.
According to recently published research, their abdomens have two chambers, one with hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinones and the other with enzymes.
When it’s time to attack, the valve separating the chambers opens, and their contents mix, creating a repellent chemical.
The pulsi