- Look at the list of links I provide.
- Pick a few (or all) to read.
- Make an intelligent comment here that shows you read and thought about at least one.
- Gain points.
- When the official advice after being by stung is to "just lie down and start screaming" I think it is pretty safe to say the tarantula hawk is going right to the top of everyone's least favorite animal list.
- New dinosaur
- New subatomic particle
- And of course... Pluto
52 comments:
Pluto, though seemingly small and millions of miles away, has always been a topic of discussion both in and outside of the scientific field. Its wavering status as a planet has been debated upon for years, and the discoveries of the New Horizons mission once again brings this debate into the spotlight. The scientists working on the mission found that Pluto has a diameter of 1,473 miles and is actually larger than it was previously thought to be. This revelation has, in turn, confirmed that the dwarf planet has a lower density than previously estimated and a higher percentage of ice in its core. As this and more information is revealed through the New Horizons mission, it is evident that we need more explorations such as these to help us gain a better understanding of the world outside of ours. Curiosity is human nature, and our fascination with outer space has existed since we first looked up into the void. As technology advances, scientists scramble to satiate this inquisitiveness, and each discovery seems surreal as if it is science fiction. These anomalies are not limited to only astronomy, but branch out to all fields of science. The confirmation of the existence of the pentaquark, which is made of four quarks and one antiquark, is a new milestone in the field of atomic physics. To scientists, this is not just the discovery of a new particle; it is a new way to group together quarks and perhaps even discover how matter is created. This discovery could lead to a greater understanding of ourselves and all other beings and bodies in the universe, and pave the way to advances that scientists could only dream of. The question is not "can we go that far?" The question is "will we go that far?"
After reading all four articles, I found the article on the tarantula hawk and on the new dinosaur to be the most interesting. Before reading the tarantula hawk article I had never heard of the Schmidt sting pain index. I think this scale of rating the amount of pain felt from an insect bite should become more popular. It could help victims of dangerous insect bites to explain how they are feeling in a more straight forward way. This would then allow doctors to act even more accordingly than usual. I personally enjoyed the article on the Wendiceratops. I thought it was great that the paleontologist who discovered the groundbreaking fossil was so respected that the dinosaur was named after her.
Starting off with the article about the seemingly malicious Tarantula Hawk, it was fascinating to discover that there is a bona-fide scale to rate the pain inflicted by insects, known as the Schimdt Sting Pain Index. A tool of this sort can allow Entomologists other than Justin Schmidt to make advances in the classification of insects and possibly other animals. When analyzing the creature itself, the Tarantula Hawk can be compared to a Honeybee in that it may have a menacing appearance to most people, when in reality they serve a good purpose. The Tarantula Hawk's job is to attack Tarantulas, which are venomous spiders that can put human lives at risk. Likewise, the Honeybee does not purposely hunt for humans, they are responsible for starting the honey making process, which in turn feeds human beings. Moving on to the article that interested me the most, a new subatomic particle named the Pentaquark has been discovered by the Large Hadron Collider. Although discovering matter invisible to the naked eye is a feat that may sound impossible at first, it has been accomplished and now almost every person who has gone through grade school has heard of Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons. However, the term Quark may be new to most people and it is actually the building block of the aforementioned atomic structures. Now, in this more recent study, the Pentaquark has been discovered and it is more than just a subatomic particle. It is a particle the can help scientists better understand the way ordinary matter present all around us it set-up, which can lead to further discoveries in this area of science and once again prove that our world holds an infinite amount of natural phenomenons. Moreover, advances in Paleontology have been made with the discovery of the Wendiceratops. Although it appears as the average horned dinosaur depicted anywhere, this dinosaur has a uniquely shaped skull and facial features. Its curved nose and horn over its nose make the Wendiceratops stand out in the crowd and open up the idea of there being more opportunities to excavate more intriguing fossils. Lastly, the seemingly forgotten planet, Pluto, has had some new information credited to its name. One of the facts discovered is that it has a diameter 1,473 miles, which proves that it is larger than it was originally thought to be. Also it was found that the celestial body has a larger concentration of ice in its core. This study points towards the possibility of more updated information to be revealed about the Dwarf planet in future studies as we continue to explore life outside the Planet Earth.
Although all four of the various subjects from the articles were interesting, the new dinosaur one and the tarantula hawk one appealed to me the most. According to the new dinosaur article, the Wendiceratops was a relative of the family of horned dinosaurs, which was an older cousin of Triceratops that lived about 79 million years ago. Like the Triceratops, this distinct dinosaur had horns emanating from its face and head, along with a rugged beak used to eat plants. Thanks to the discoverer, Wenda Sloboda, along with the help of paleontologists David Evans and Michael Ryan, the shape of the skull fragment from the dinosaur stood out greatly. Since each species had an originally shaped skull, as well as a categorical arrangement of horns and protrusions (also known as ornaments), the pair of paleontologists gathered a crew of research assistants to find out more about the fossilized bone. Apart from any other dinosaur, this creature’s skull is surrounded with bone protrusions that curl inward toward the animal’s nose, resembling an unusual form of sea anemone. In addition, the dinosaur has a medium-sized horn over its nose. Certain researchers suspect that the dinosaur had horns over its eyes, since the Triceratops possess prominent eye horns. Theses researchers assume that the dinosaur’s various sets of horns helped it attract mates, in comparison to modern birds. Another possibility that had arisen was that the horns allowed males to present their strength, fitness, and other positive traits to the opposite sex.
The other article about the tarantula hawk stood out to me as well. Mentioning the Schmidt sting pain index, which ranks the pain of insect stings from one to four, the tarantula hawk stands at a powerful four lasting for three torturous minutes. Due to the strength of pain it causes, local Texans living near the area of the tarantulas fear the critter. However, fortunately for them, the tarantula hawk only attacks other tarantulas. It paralyzes them with a sting before bringing them into the den. Then, it lays an egg that hatches into a larva and eats the paralyzed prey over the course of several weeks. In relation with the wasp, the tarantula hawks are really atrocious toward them. Researchers believe that it is because they have very few natural predators, and as an effective deterrent mechanism, there is a really painful sting. The real problem is that as the weather conditions are becoming more suitable for tarantulas with the good vegetation in place and as long as wasps mate in lovely conditions as well, there will be a lot of fighting.
I found it fascinating that a new dinosaur has been discovered. It just opens the possibilties for other new things to be found in the future. If the triceratops has a close relative, then whose to say that the dodo bird doesn't? Overall, it's great to see new discoveries time to time.
The second article was astonishing with the wasp and the tarantula hawk. It just shows how animals living in nature cope with each other. Here, a tarantula hawk and a wasp are butting heads. Maybe next time, there will be a fish and a frog fighting the same way as well!
Though undoubtedly one of the most terrifying creatures I have ever seen, the tarantula hawk actually proves itself to be quite fascinating. I was very intrigued to find out that it plays a huge role in keeping the tarantula population in check. I have also never before heard of a creature that paralyzes another creature (in this case, the tarantula) to use it as both a “nest” for its eggs and food for its newborn young. In addition, the article about the Wendiceratops reminded me a lot of what I learned last year in Anatomy and Physiology. In that class, much emphasis was put upon the idea that the structure, or anatomy, of a part of the body dictates the function, or physiology, of that said part. The article explained how the Wendiceratops, like the Triceratops, had a bony beak on its face with which the dinosaur used to shred plants before eating them. This is certainly an example of how structure dictates function, since the structure of this dinosaur’s beak had an influence on what the dinosaur ate and, more importantly, how it ate it. In reference to the article about the new subatomic particle, or the pentaquark, I find it insane that particles as miniscule as protons and neutrons could be further broken down into smaller parts. It is incredible how matter is made up of such an intricate network of infinitesimal particles. Finally, the article on Pluto intrigues me the most. It is interesting to me that we have been able to put a man on the moon, yet it has taken us this long to venture out far enough into our solar system as much as to get pictures of Pluto. The collection of these pictures, though not a simple task, was a momentous discovery; it gives us an idea of how much has not been discovered within our galaxy and beyond.
After reading all the articles listed, I found the article about the tarantula hawk to be the most interesting. The tarantula hawk is a wasp that usually attacks tarantulas. Once in a while, it does sting an unfortunate human. Many people describe the sting of a tarantula hawk as extremely painful. Recently, the number of tarantula hawks has been on the rise. The increase in the number of tarantula hawks leads me to believe that the food web in the South could face a major change. If the number of tarantula hawks increase, then the number of tarantulas decreases. The lower population of tarantulas could lead to increased numbers of pests such as crickets and other insects. The increase in tarantula hawks would completely change the ecosystem.
The article about the discovery of Wendiceratops pinhornensis in Canada was also intriguing. The newly discovered dinosaur has similarities to the well-known triceratops. It is interesting to me that undiscovered species are still being discovered. Even though we have been able to discover many species that existed in the past, there are still many more fossilized organisms waiting to be found.
Just by the title, I chose the article " New Dinosaurs". I have always found dinosaurs engrossing. According to the article. According to the story begins with the fossil hunter Wendy Sloboda, who spotted a dinosaur bone, sticking out of a steep hill in southern Alberta, Canada 2010. She recognized it as a fragment of a skull belonging to the family of horned dinosaurs. After sharing it with her colleagues, paleontologists David Evans and Michael Ryan, they started seeing a spark of a new discovery and definitely knew it's going to be special. It's astonishing that each species has a different shapes of skulls as well as a unique pattern of horns and protrusions also called ornaments. It took her and the crew entire field seasons to find more than 200 pieces of dinosaur bones buried under the hill. Not only does this creature has bones protrusions that curl inward towards the animals nose, but also has a medium sized horn over his nose. An educated guess made by the researchers was that the horns allowed male dinosaurs to demonstrate their strength and fitness to the opposite sex. This new dinosaur is known as a Wendiceratops ( named after Wendy Sloboda ) which is a member of the family of horned dinosaurs, an older cousin of triceratops that lived 79 million years ago. This is a great discovery which adds on to the history of dinosaurs .
After reading all four articles, it was quite apparent to me which two articles stood out to me the most and posed some interesting questions as well. First, beginning with the wasp that can put a grown man on the ground and have him writhing in pain, I was quite intrigued to learn that there is a scale that rates the pain of bug bites. The Schmidt sting pain index (as it is commonly referred to) should be more widely used in our world and would be a massive help to nature lovers who want to avoid a certain neck of the woods on a walk or hike due to some dangerous insects that rank upward of a 3 on that scale. The tarantula hawk (which ranks a solid four out of four on the Schmidt sting pain index) is becoming a point of concern for many residents in the southwestern region of the USA as they continue to grow in population due to a rainy season that led to many plants thriving. However, while this insect may be referred to as “evil” or “scary,” it is simply doing what is necessary to carry out the life processes of feeding and ensuring the survival of its offspring by leaving it a steady food source (a paralyzed tarantula). It is to be noted that tarantula hawks tend to leave humans alone unless provoked. Feeding offspring at the expense of another organism is something a plethora of other living things are no stranger to. And this painful sting is simply another adaptation that allows the tarantula hawk to reproduce. Now the question here is, what would be the perfect adaptation that would allow tarantulas to avoid paralysis at the hand of these wasps? Would it be a tougher exoskeleton? Feel free to respond with any ideas. Next, I would like to discuss the discovery of the pentaquark. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider. The LHC allows scientists to test different theories that float around in the world of particle physics. And recently, the LHC made its first major discovery in the pentaquark. Quarks are sub-atomic particles that come together to form bigger, more widely known particles such as protons and neutrons. However, for the longest time it has been widely theorized that quarks can also come together to form different things and one of these “different things” is the pentaquark. The recent LHC discovery simply confirmed scientists’ speculation of its existence. But, why is this pentaquark so important? It exhibits a new way to arrange quarks in different patterns. Studying the properties of this new particle may help us further understand neutrons and protons, which are important biological components.
Reading about the tarantula hawk was both interesting and creepy. Thankfully these creatures do not pay attention to people unless the people are picking up or stepping on them. Tarantula hawks instead use their painful sting to paralyze tarantulas. The wasps go underneath the tarantula, flip it over, and find a place to sting it. The video shows a fight between the wasp and a tarantula. Despite its much smaller size, the wasp generally wins. The number of tarantula hawks is increasing due to the lack of natural predators and rainy season in Texas. It is interesting how the rain affects the vegetation which affects the insects.
The article about Pluto was also intriguing. 85 years ago, Pluto was discovered, and just now, we get to see it close up. The spacecraft, New Horizons, travelling at 31,000 mph, was within 7,750 miles of Pluto. New details about the dwarf planet were found such as its real size and its methane-nitrogen polar ice cap. It is amazing to see the images taken. This mission shows promise for new discoveries in space.
From the moment I opened the article about tarantula hawks, I was instantly appalled, yet intrigued by this new type of insect. I agree with Darsh when he said that this article instantly stood out for him, because it stood out for me, too. I was relieved when the artictle stated that the tarantula hawk attacks tarantulas, and not humans. The survival techniques and actions of the tarantula hawk are interesting; when attacking tarantulas, it paralyzes them with a sting before dragging them into a den where it lays an egg that hatches into a larva and devours the paralyzed spider alive. So right from birth, new tarantula hawks are already learning how to kill in order to survive. I find it interesting how the females are responsible for the fighting and ability to sting. It seems that in nature, female insects are given a lot of respect and responsibility. The video was of an intense fight between a tarantula hawk and a tarantula, and in it, the tarantula hawk approaches the tarantula, and after a bit of waiting and fighting, gets in underneath the tarantula, flips it over, stings it.
After reading all the articles, I was most intrigued by the tarantula hawk and the dinosaurs. Before reading the tarantula hawk article, I had never heard of the Schmidt sting pain index. The tarantula hawk falls under a four, the most painful category. Its sting is so excruciating that the only advice is to lie down and scream. The Schmidt index is a seemingly efficient way of classifying and identifying the pain of insect stings and we could benefit from making this a more known index. Being able to identify the intensity of pain and the insect that stung someone could help both the common man and medical professionals. Diagnosing and treating stings (if necessary) would become a streamline process. Reading this article has also opened my eyes as to how many scientists have made sacrifices for the benefit and advancement of science. In Schmidt’s paper, he recalls a scientist who was willing to put his hands into a net of 10 tarantula hawks and endure the unimaginable pain or not just one, but multiple stings. After watching the video, I was amazed by how the tarantula hawk attacks and kills the tarantula. Even though the tarantula hawk is barely half the size of its prey, it is able to strategically kill the tarantula and even move around the dead tarantula. Watching the two creatures, one hunt and kill, and the other fighting to survive was fascinating. Moving on to the dinosaur article, I was fascinated to learn about the anatomy and the excavation process of the Wendiceratops. This new dinosaur had an interesting anatomy, starting with the many horns coming out from its head and face. Its skull has bone protrusions that curl in toward the nose, unlike any dinosaur discovered. Traits that modern bird have were also seen in the Wendiceratops. They had horns that assisted in attracting mates, similar to the different feathers modern birds have. I found the story behind this dinosaur to be quiet remarkable, beginning with paleontologist Wendy Sloboda. She has an amazing talent for dinosaur hunting and she deserved to have a dinosaur named after her. There was a lot of hard work required for this excavation, including two field seasons and tons of rock that were moved. The laborious process produced over 200 pieces of bone that revealed a great deal about the dinosaur’s anatomy and history. Such discoveries are further advancing our knowledge on the history of dinosaurs.
After reading all four articles, I found the one about the tarantula hawks the most interesting. I was surprised to read that the Schmidt sting pain index was developed, for I did not know that there was a way to rank the levels of pain from an insect sting. However, I believe that this development could be very useful for helping sting victims identify which insect stung them according to the level of pain they experienced. I found the advice on how to cope with a tarantula hawk's sting amusing, however I think it truly illustrates the intensity of the pain that the insect's sting can cause. Although many people in Texas have expressed their concern over the increase in population of these insects, its main prey is the tarantula. The video demonstrates how the tarantula hawk is able to flip the spider over and paralyze it with its sting despite that fact that its size is smaller than that of the spider's. I was intrigued to find out that the tarantula hawk does not use the spider's body to feed herself, but instead lays her eggs on top of the spider's paralyzed body and then leaves, so that when the eggs hatch, her larvae can feed off of the spider. It was interesting to see how the early stages of a tarantula hawk's life and its isolated nature are related to the level of pain its sting can induce. I think this provides good insight as to what causes the differences between social wasps and tarantula wasps. The differences in the functions of their stings highlights how both types of wasps have adapted traits to suit their needs. Overall, I think that the article provided useful information on the true purposes of the tarantula wasp's painful sting, that does not include harming humans.
I recently read the article about Pluto and I find it interesting that people have been more interested in knowing about Pluto since its been considered a dwarf planet and most people consider it a rock since 2006. The New Horizons spacecraft was traveling 31,000 mph in order to closely see the thin atmosphere and see atmospheres on its moon. It also took about 4 and a half hours for the signal to reach back to Earth to Pluto within a 3 billion mile distance. Other new information about Pluto was its size, methane-nitrogen polar ice cap and pictures that were examined closely. All of this shows that our technology is progressing and in the future, we will be discover other planets or may even life outside of the galaxy.
I also read the article about Wendiceratops which talks about its origin and the discovery. This type of dinosaur was an older cousin of any type of triceratops and was alive for about 79 million years ago. Some features of this dinosaur are horns sticking out from its face and head along with a beak that is used to cut plants before eating them. Another intriguing fact is that its horn allows male Wendiceratops to show their power and strength to show its opposite gender and its horn butt to show who will be able to breed with females. All this shows that we still may have a lot of possibilities of new discoveries to make of any kinds of fossils out there. There are more encouraging events to come by when a discovery is made of new fossils.
Although my knowledge of physics, paleontology, and space isn't very extensive, I thought the discoveries in those fields were exciting! Knowing of the existence of the pentaquark can further help scientists understand the constituents of matter, as Guy Wilkinson stated in the article. It was interesting to learn about the functions of horns of Wendiceratops pinhornensis and other similar dinosaurs; the horns (although of different shapes, such as curved ones in the Wendiceratops) were most likely used to attract mates by showing attractiveness or strength. It was especially inspiring to see that Wendy Sloboda made her first discovery at the age of 16, which shows that young people can contribute to the scientific community, too. The New Horizons's reaching Pluto is especially exciting because many people have waited many years for the event. There were even new discoveries about the dwarf planet, such as its size and a heart-shaped cluster of craters. We are very lucky to experience this because another opportunity such as this one will not come - unless another spacecraft flies the three billion miles to Pluto. These new findings show that we have so much more to learn despite the massive collection of information that has been built up for thousands of years.
Although all 4 articles were interesting, I found the article on the tarantula hawk most fascinating. Prior to this article I had never heard of the Schmidt sting pain index. The Schmidt sting pain index ranks the pain of insect stings from one to four. Four is where the pain for a tarantula hawk sting is ranked. A biologist of Texas Parks and Wildlife said that if ever stung by the tarantula hawk, it’s recommended that you lie down and start screaming because not many people could maintain verbal and physical coordination. It’s said that the tarantula hawk attacks other tarantulas, not humans. The sting from the tarantula hawk paralyzes the other spider before taking it to its den. An egg is then laid and hatches into a larva. The tarantula hawk then consumes the paralyzed tarantula. When it comes to wasps, tarantula hawks are valiant. Researchers believe its because they don’t have many natural predators. Most people aren’t concerned about the sting of the tarantula hawk, but more for the growing population. Not much can be done about the population. The suitable condition for tarantulas are places with good vegetation. These conditions are also very suitable for wasps. Tensions may arise between the tarantula and the wasp. It interests me how the females are given the ability to sting, and responsible for fighting.
The article on the tarantula hawk was very interesting. It was interesting how different they are from other social wasps such as yellow jackets and hornets. They lay their eggs on tarantulas they have paralyzed with their stingers instead of simply depositing their eggs someplace and leaving them unattended. The egg then hatches into larva and is able to feed off of the paralyzed tarantula. They are given a stable food source off the get-go as opposed to other wasps, which is very interesting. In most cases the predator would be the spider and the prey would be the insect however not in the case of the tarantula hawk and the difference between the normal predator-prey relationship of spider and insect makes the tarantula hawk very fascinating. In addition, the difference between the tarantula hawks’ sting and the stings of other social wasps such as yellow jackets and hornets, the tarantula hawks’ sting causing pain not damage makes the tarantula hawk more unique. The reasoning on the different type of stings may because of the way the two species function; the tarantula hawk usually living alone changing its priorities by only needing to protect itself may change the properties of the different respective species’ stings. The growing population of tarantula hawks in Texas is also very interesting. Since there is no large predator of the tarantula hawk other than the roadrunner and the abundant vegetation in Texas at the moment only increasing their numbers, it could cause a large problem. For example, since there are more and more tarantula hawks there could be a huge decline of vegetation, or there could be a huge increase of roadrunners. If so, the increase of roadrunners would affect the population of the predators of the roadrunners and so fourth causing certain populations to become unbalanced. The differences between the different types of wasps such as the properties of their venoms and how they lay their eggs and why they are affected as well as the incline of their population in Texas is very thought provoking, let alone the tittle of the article based on the venom of the tarantula hawk is engaging enough to catch any readers’ attention. This only shows how many new spices there are to be still discovered with completely new, unique or different prosperities like the properties of the tarantula hawk, which can allow potential breakthroughs in the medical fields if we continue to discover more spices.
As soon as I read the title of the first article, I was instantly intrigued. How could we, as humans more than twenty times the size of most bugs, fear insects? Despite their small size, it is evident that they have found ways to adapt to the environment and strike fear into their predators in order to save themselves. The tarantula hawk, in particular, has a sting so painful that the only way to avoid is to “lie down and start screaming,” an effect that I could barely imagine happening to myself. It's also quite amazing to think about how these relatively small insects could possess so much “power” to scare predators much larger than them, even if their sting isn't even fatal. What would humans do if we had that kind of power? It's interesting to thing about other species' worlds compared to ours.
The idea of space exploration fascinates me to no end. I have a strong desire to see and understand how outer space works. After hearing about the spacecraft reaching Pluto, it took me a minute to truly see how far technology has come and how wonderful this opportunity is for researchers to explore even more. Although this is a great accomplishment, I see this as a starting point for astrologers to look (literally) past the Milky Way and into other galaxies and possibly gain a greater understanding as to how the universe works. I have questions myself that I want answered, and whether the answer is currently available or not, I want to learn more.
After reading all four of the articles, it is safe to say that the tarantula hawk and and the new dinosaur, Wendiceratops stood out the most to me. I found it so interesting to learn about this new dinosaur, and like one of the paleontologists in the article said, its so cool how we can learn more about dinosaur groups that are new to us. It is fascinating how the shapes of skulls and the pattern of horns can help tell different species apart. The fact that Wendiceatops were just discovered now opens up the possibility of many more different species existing that we haven't even discovered yet!
Up next is the frightening tarantula hawk. It is ranked at a four on the Schmidt sting pain index, and that sounds pretty scary. However I have to say, the Schmidt sting pain index seems like a great idea and very useful. Based on the experiences of people that have been stung (which isn't very likely for humans unless they are bothered), the best way to overcome the pain of being stung is to lie down and scream. The pain only lasts for 3 minutes, but with the pain level so high, even that would feel torturous.
The first article that I chose to read was the one about the tarantula hawk. It would be an understatement to say that I am afraid of bugs, so after reading that there is a wasp named the tarantula hawk you can probably imagine freight. I found it fascinating that the advice if you get stung by a tarantula hawk is to “just lie down and start screaming”. I also found it interesting that there is an index, named the Schmidt Sting Index, used to rank which ranks the pain of insect stings from one to four. Of course, the tarantula hawk’s sting is a four on this scale. Thankfully, the tarantula hawk is only after tarantulas, not humans. The fact that the wasp can paralyze the tarantula amazes me because of their differences in size. I also learned that there are only stingers on female insects, which is something I never knew before. I always thought that it was both male and female insects that sting people.
I also chose to read the article about the discovery of the new dinosaur. It seems as though new information on dinosaurs, and even dinosaurs people have never heard of before, are discovered quite frequently. Just the other day, I was watching the news as a dinosaur with feathers came to the screen. The Wendiceratops is another breathtaking discovery. I believe that the process of finding a dinosaur is very interesting. I also find it interesting that the dinosaur reminds one paleontologist of a weird sea anemone. Many question the purpose of the many horns on the Wendiceratops. I also find it kind of amusing that people believe that paleontologist Wendy Sloboda has a “sixth sense for finding important fossils”. I would have never thought that people are jealous of other people’s ability to find fossils.
The tarantula hawk, while claimed to not be prone to go after humans, does not seem like a creature I would have any desire to go near or come into accidental contact with. The fact that a scientist reached into a net filled with 10 of these seemingly demonic things is beyond me. Upon clicking onto the link of entomologist Justin Schmidt's essay, where the recount of the scientist who crawled into a ditch and cried after being stung by two tarantula hawks originated, I came across the following: "Although the instantaneous pain of a tarantula hawk sting is the greatest recorded for any stinging insect, the venom itself lacks meaningful vertebrate toxicity." In essence, they paralyze those envenomed with an unbearable pain long enough to get away. These wasps are basically nature's pesky stun-guns. While Simon calls them "brilliant parasites that attack tarantulas," I would like to qualify his claim. Although they regulate the tarantula population, tarantulas regulate a bigger population of their own: smaller pests. Tarantulas prey upon smaller insects, rodents, and reptiles. If the tarantula hawk's primary purpose in life is to prey upon tarantulas, the desert's pest-regulating carnivores, they are virtually useless to the ecosystem. Nearly 2,000 miles north of these ghastly bugs there's been the discovery of a creature with a slightly less impending threat: the Wendiceratops. This early cousin of the three-horned triceratops walked the earth 79 million years before its successor and bears a crown of inward-curving bones around its head. The Wendiceratops shares the prominent horn on its nose like its descendant which is mainly used for chopping plants before consumption. However, it is questionable what purpose their interesting cranial structure served for their survival. Researchers predict their array of horns were intended to attract mates. Nevertheless, the hood-like shape of the Wendiceratops' foreheads is mysterious and intriguing.
After reading the articles the one that caught my attention initially was the first link "Tarantula hawk." Not only does that name sound like a fierce beast, but had me curious as to what it actually was. After thoroughly reading the article my anticipations of what this might be varied from what it actually is. Research found by an experienced entomologist Justin Schmidt brought attention to the Tarantula hawk due to its incapacitating sting. This "beast" is an average solitary wasp that prey's on tarantulas to feed their offspring. Thankfully, their population in America is indigenous to parts of southern Texas seeing an increase in population. Even though these wasps seem threatening they are only after tarantulas, not people. They have very little aggression towards humans unless antagonized to do so. This insect is able to thrive in its environment by not having immediate predators, having large supplies of vegetation, and being a nectar-feeder gains easy access to food. After watching the video and reading Hutchins description of female tarantula wasps attacking tarantulas I learned a lot of the actual method of taking down these spiders. The female wasps have active stingers and need them to paralyze the tarantula. Once subdued they store them in a dugout and feed it to their offspring. In contrast to most social wasps the tarantula wasp is considered a lone wolf without a hive or queen to assist. They look out only for themselves and their young which might lead to the reason why their sting inflicts pain, but no tissue damage seeing how they don't need to protect a hive only paralysis is essential.
I also appreciated the Pluto article seeing how I have been fascinated with space travel all of my life. New Horizons caught a glimpse of the newly named "dwarf planet" that was initially discovered over 85 years ago. These images both compelling and authenticating for scientists depictions of the planet. I downloaded the "Eyes on Pluto" app and was satisfied to lay eyes on captured images from space. These articles both interestingly caught my attention and enjoyment.
Although all four articles were equally well presented, Matt Simon’s Absurd Creature of the Week piqued my interest and stood out among the other three options. The tarantula hawk, ranked four out of four on the Schmidt Sting Pain index, is quite a strange yet fascinating creature. The tarantula hawk, aptly named, feasts on a steady diet of tarantulas, generally leaving humans alone as they have very few natural predators and don’t recognize humans among said treats. If a human were to be accidentally stung, a wave of intense pain would wash over, the advice being, “Just lie down and start screaming, because few if any people could maintain verbal and physical coordination after getting stung by one of these things. You’re likely to just run off and hurt yourself. So just lie down and start yelling.” Ironically, there is no actual damage caused; just vast amounts of insufferable pain. On another note, the tarantula hawk has quite a pleasant way of feeding and capturing prey; they cautiously approach their victim, calculating and assessing the weakness of the tarantula before suddenly scrambling forward, flipping the spider upside down, and injecting venom to paralyze the terrified, still alive meal. The tarantula is then kept alive and paralyzed for weeks, serving in agony as the tarantula hawk’s fresh meal. Imagine if all living creatures fed in such a manner. Etiquette would be quite a different matter. But fear not, these rather large insects (currently) are no harm toward humans and Texans should really just chill.
The article that I found the most interesting is the one about tarantula hawks. It is an insect that I have never heard of and I was quite intrigued by how it works. The fact that it was given a four on the Schmidt Sting Index shows that it is extremely painful and obviously causes the victim excruciating pain. It's a good thing that its most common victim is tarantulas and not humans. It also amazed me how the hawk can put up a fight with a tarantula a lot bigger than itself and manage to sting it to cause the tarantula to become paralyzed. The only way to cope with the intense pain of the tarantula hawk is to lie down and scream which shows how great its sting is and how much it can hurt the victim.
I also found the discovery of the Wendiceratops pretty incredible. It is quite amazing that new dinosaurs and such ancient species are still being discovered today and this opens up a whole new world of information that we can find about our ancestors and the ancestors of other organisms. Through this information, we can also learn more about ourselves and about modern day organisms from fossil discoveries like the one in the article. We can understand more about why organisms today look and act the way they do and this can even help us predict how they will look and act in the future.
Everyone has been fascinated in space and planets and I am no exception. I have been doing research on Pluto myself because space, and Pluto in particular has really interested me. I was also curious, even as a child, about the planet that was not really a planet. I was really glad to see that one of the article was about the new discoveries about Pluto. It really makes me excited that we have been able to get a whole bew perspective on Pluto. New Horizons has really opened up the possibility for further study on Pluto by providing new details about the dwarf planet's size and its methane-nitrogen polar ice cap. Also the heart-shaped mark found in video taken by New Horizons has fascinated everyone who has seen in and to me, that's really incredible. Our whole view on the little planetoid has completely changed with this one video and it really keeps me hoping that we can make progress towards the large void of space we know so little about.
I also immediately took interest in the dinosaur article since I also have an interest in discoveries of fossils and whatnot. It really surprises me how after all the information we know about dinosaur species, there are still major discoveries that can be made to the point of finding an entirely new species. This opens up the question of how many other species of dinosaurs or other creatures are still out there to discover? And what can we learn from these new species about prediscovered species? Another interesting aspect to this new dinosaur is its unique skull. The fact that it's one of a kind skull has is ringed with bone protusions that curve is interesting since no other dinosaur shares this trait. That also opens up the possibility of different dinosaur species existing with this or a similar skull structure. What is buried below us also has many uncertainties and missing pieces, and hopefully this discovery will help with what we already know now and maybe even lead to new discoveries in the paleontology field.
Both of these articles were very interesting and informative. They also both proove that we are making many new discoveries in these fields, but we still have much to learn and many more discoveries to make. I am very hopeful that in the fairly near future our discoveries will advance greatly from even the discoveries made recently and we will know much more than we already know now.
I found the article about the tarantula hawk to be interesting since I am always fascinated by the things that also terrify me. The Schmidt sting pain index is a scale that rates the pain of an insects sting, from 1 being painless and 4 being very painful. The tarantula hawk, a wasp that preys on tarantulas, has a sting rated a four on the Schmidt sting pain index, despite that the pain only lasts for several minutes. I found it interesting how a pain that lasts so briefly could also be the most excruciating. After reading this article, I have respect for these creatures since they do not have many predators, due to their defensive, painful sting. They seem to be strong and respected in the insect hierarchy. However, these bugs are not arrogant; they are not opportunists that go after anything and everything. They only hunt tarantulas, their designated prey. Nonetheless, I would still stay far away from these wasps.
After reading all the articles, I found that my favorite had been the one about the tarantula hawk in Texas. When I first saw the article, I was excited to read it because, as the name suggested, tarantulas have another predator on the rise. Since I personally hate tarantulas, and most other spiders, I thought I was in for a treat. I'll admit that I was in for a treat because I read about one of the most fascinating insects I've ever heard of, but I'll also admit that I have new nightmare material.
The first thing of note about the tarantula hawk is that it is a parasite that targets tarantulas. That on its own is hardly something to fear. Their methods of capture and their intent is the stuff made of nightmares though. When the females sting, the pain is so intense that the best advice is to just "lay down and scream". It rates as a four on the pain scale, which is the highest possible score. It rivals a bullet ant, which speaks for itself. Next, the female will drag the tarantula into a den of some sort, and lay her eggs. The larvae will feed off of the tarantula, eating away at nonessential tissue to keep the tarantula, which is still paralyzed from the pain of being stung, to keep it alive to eat from for as long as possible. The tarantula is literally eaten alive. Curiouser is the fact that afterwards, the parasites live off of nectar. They don't eat tarantulas past the larval stage. Tarantulas are essentially just the means of keeping larvae fed. This is one of the things that drew my attention because of the fact that the diet change is rather drastic. What could tarantulas and nectar have in common in terms of nutrients? It's puzzling, but something I'd imagine that happens as a result of adulthood changing the body of the parasite.
Even though tarantula hawks do not target humans, I can honestly say that the above process makes me glad I live far from Texas. Risking level four pain is hardly my idea of fun. However, watching the process of reproduction would certainly be interesting, considering how odd (in my eyes), it is.
The article that truly caught my attention was the article about the tarantula hawk. I actually read it along with my cousin who has been visiting us for vacation but currently lives in Texas. After reading this article, I hope these insects stay in Texas, despite their growing numbers. I do find it somewhat comforting that they usually do not attack humans and instead attack my second least favorite animal,tarantulas. The fact that their sting is rated, through the Schmidt sting pain index, as a four, which is a sting that's rated as high as a bullet ant's sting, is alarming and surely frightening. Their stings are able to paralyze tarantulas, who are several times bigger than them, long enough for them to drag them to a burrow or the tarantula's own den and lay their eggs on them. These creatures are fascinating, in an odd sense, but I would be eternally grateful if I never encounter one in my life. As for my cousin, well, I just hope that she can run fast in the other direction.
After reading all four articles, I found the discovery of the Wendiceratops the most fascinating. The discovery of bones that are 79 million years old fascinates me. But the process that paleontologist go through to put the bones in place to recreate somewhat of a whole dinosaur is mind blowing. As the article says, I truly feel these paleontologists have a sixth sense. For the facts of the Wendiceratops, I find it quite amusing that it is indeed an ancestor of the triceratops. The triceratops The triceratops being a dinosaur that is widely known, the Wendiceratops however has a distinct cranial sculpture which helped palentologists differentiate its fossils from any other. I hope that the discovery of this dinosaur will lead to others in the future as well
Between all the articles I found the tarantula hawk one the most fascinating. Before I read it I was intrigued because of the name of the article "Tarantula Hawks"; I had never heard of that before. All I knew was that I hated tarantula's and now that I knew they had a predator I was relieved. It comforted me to know that these insects only prey on tarantula's not humans. However it scared me to know that on the Schmidt sting pain index they were rated a four out of four which is the highest ranked sting. It notices you that their sting gives off excruciating pain to their prey. Once a tarantula hawk stings its prey thy are paralyzed for a while which gives them time to drag them into a burrow or their own den and then they would lay their eggs on them, which basically kill them. What's also crazy is the size difference between the two. A tarantula is much bigger than its predator. The insects are fascinating because they are so small yet so deadly and their methods of attack are very interesting. I hope I never run into these creatures even through they don't prey on humans.
Out of all the articles posted, the tarantula hawk article interested me most. I have seen a documentary on stinging/biting insects, and it included a scene where a bullet ant had attacked a person. The pain the person demonstrated looked absolutely unbearable. It amazes me that, according to the Schmidt sting pain index, there is another insect that can inflict such pain. Luckily the tarantula hawk does not target people, but what they do to tarantulas is pretty gruesome. The video in the article was really interesting in that it showed a close up fight between the predator and its prey. What it didn't show is the gruesome part, where the tarantula gets implanted with a tarantula hawk egg. The most intense part of the video was the paralysis of the tarantula, which happened surprisingly quickly. A sting so painful that it can paralyze is a scary thing to thing about. Later in the article they explained why the sting of the tarantula hawk is only pain and no damage. It isn't a "social wasp", so it only has to look out for itself. A paralyzing sting is a perfect offensive mechanism to ensure a meal or a place to lay eggs. Social wasps, however, need a damaging sting because they need not only to incapacitate but also eliminate any threats to their queen and young.
Truth be told, I'm glad insects like these don't populate areas near us. I'm terrified of wasps, yet this species is so interesting (as long as it stays away from me).
Upon reading all four articles, I definitely found the article on the tarantula hawk was the most interesting. Though I am very fearful of bugs, they never fail to intrigue me. I was very well aware that insect stings can be very painful, but after learning of the Schmidt sting pain index, the fear of getting stung by a level four bug increased drastically. However, there was some relief when I learned that the tarantula hawk primarily lives in the south west, especially since past people who have gotten stung said to just lie down and scream if ever stung. Tarantula Hawks are known to pray on, no surprise, tarantulas. By doing so, they paralyze the tarantula and then continue by dragging their victim to its den where it will then lay an egg which eventually hatches into larva and devours the tarantula over the next couple of weeks. The part that intrigues me the most is the fact that an insect that is smaller than the tarantula is able to take it down and even eat it. Not even that, but I have also never even heard of a bug that can paralyze their prey. Unluckily for Texans, these intriguing yet very frightening insects numbers are rising. On the flip side, these bugs primarily only sting their prey and therefore do not pose a great threat to humans unless they are provoked otherwise. Overall, I felt this was a very interesting article and gave me new insight to a bug that I would have otherwise never known about.
After reading all four articles, I found that the articles about the Wendiceratops and the tarantula hawk were the most interesting. The Wendiceratops is an ancestor of the triceratops. Similar to the triceratops, this new dinosaur has horns coming out of its face and head. It fascinates me that more and more animals from the past are being discovered, but there are still many that are still undiscovered. This dinosaur helps us learn more about the past, and connects other dinosaurs together. The most amazing thing about the Wendiceratops is that its horns were in a unique pattern unlike any dinosaur ever discovered. This shows that the specific pattern of horns was not helpful in survival. Through evolution that pattern of horns was erased. For example, the triceratops developed a different pattern of horns to survive. It amazes me that animals can naturally gain or get rid of physical or mental traits to benefit their offspring in the future. As interesting as this dinosaur is, it pales in comparison to the tarantula hawk. This animal is has one of the most painful stinging abilities in the world. It ranks 4 out of 4 in the Schmidt sting pain index. It's amazing that such a tiny animal can cause worlds of pain. Another example of a small animal causing pain is a tic. Tics can cause Lyme disease and Q fever. The tarantula hawk is actually a very intelligent animal that attacks tarantulas. This animal could be very devastating if it hunted humans. It isn't very large, so it would be extremely difficult to see it coming. It's sting is so painful, this article recommends lying down and screaming because if you run there is a likely chance that you hurt yourself because the sting makes you very uncoordinated. The tarantula hawk actually lays their eggs on tarantula. They flip the tarantula over, sting in it causing it to be paralyzed, and finally lay a single egg on it. The reason for this is that the larva is able to feed on the non-essential tissues of the paralyzed tarantula. This show that the tarantula hawk is pretty smart. In conclusion, you do not want to accidentally step on one of these, and if you do lie down and scream.
After reading the assigned articles, I was most intrigued by the one on the tarantula hawk. The giant wasp falls at a whopping four out of four on Schmidt sting pain index, catching my attention. While the common yellow jacket and honey bee both fall at a two on the scale, the tarantula’s sting is rated at a four and causes excruciating, unbearable pain. While reading about the Schmidt index, I became really interested in the creation of it. Dr. Justin Schmidt put himself through a great amount of pain for the sake of science. The index is an efficient way of classifying and categorizing insects by the pain of their sting. He was stung by many species to rate them for the pain index, including the tarantula hawk. Schmidt stuck his hand into a net of ten hawks getting stung by more than one. This creature’s sting causes no harm, only intense pain. Female wasps use it to paralyze their prey, so that it can be dragged into its den. The wasp then lays an egg that hatches into larvae which eats a tarantula alive. This is unique because social wasps do not encourage their offspring to “devour paralyzed tarantulas”. Also social wasp’s stings are painful and damage tissue. They need to protect their queen and their young, so the sting needs to do more than inflict pain. The hawk is independent and therefore only needs to inflict pain. There are very few predators due to its defense mechanism. After watching the video, I was really impressed with the way the tarantula hawk moves around and takes down the spider. Even though the tarantula is larger, the hawk is still able to paralyze it. This creature is truly fascinating and I enjoyed reading and learning about it.
After reading all four of the assigned articles, I found the article about the tarantula hawk not only the most fascinating, but also the most frightening. It possesses an extremely painful sting, earning a whopping four out of four on the Schmidt sting pain index, right next to the bullet ant. Ben Hutchins of Texas Parks recommends that if you are ever stung by the tarantula hawk "just lie down and start screaming". For this reason, I was not surprised to find out that many Texans have become weary of this menacing creature. Over the past couple of weeks, the tarantula hawk population has been steadily increasing due to a strong rainy season which has had very positive effects on the amount of vegetation in the Texas area. Much to my surprise, even though this fearsome insect is known to kill tarantulas, it is actually a nectar feeder much like a bee or butterfly. The tarantula hawk attacks tarantulas in order to feed its larva. This spine-tingling creature flips its opponent over, and quickly injects its stinger into its leg or any weak spot in the tarantulas armor. Then, the tarantula hawk will drag its prey to its nearby den, lay an egg, and leave. The egg will hatch into a larva and eat the paralyzed tarantula alive. Wasps on the other hand, do not encourage their young to eat entire spiders. It was also intriguing to find out that a wasp's sting is not only painful, but damages its victims tissue which is unlike the tarantula hawk's sting that only causes pain. Another interesting fact about the tarantula hawk is that only females sting, much like female mosquitoes which are the only gender that bite humans and animals. In conclusion, I am very glad I do not live in Texas or anywhere near the Southwest. Although the tarantula hawk is surprisingly uninterested in stinging humans, it is still a terrifying creature to view and live in the presence of. Nonetheless the tarantula hawk is a very captivating insect to read about, and I took pleasure in learning about it.
Of all the articles I read, I believe the tarantula hawk article was most interesting. It is shocking that the Schmidt pain index is not more well known considering the fact that it could be helpful in situations and expand research on insects. The way the sting is described and how one must "lie down and start screaming" is very daunting even if it only lasts three minutes. Although I would never do that, I found it interesting that one would actually stick their hand in a net of ten tarantula hawks as an experiment. In the beginning of reading this article, I, as well as Texans, was worried about the tarantula hawks, but I was quickly relieved to discover that they target tarantulas, not humans.
After reading these articles the 'Tarantula Hawk' article stood out to me the most. One thing that stood out was the pain index. I have never heard of that index before and it seems pretty cool how they rank the insects on their stings. I also found it funny and interesting when it said that if you are stung to just drop down and scream. You don't hear to do that very day so it caught my eye and seemed interesting. Onto the actual tarantula hawk. The insect itself seems quite interesting and I am amazed on how it fights and keeps up with the tarantula. As by watching the video the tarantula oversizes the 'hawk' and it amazes me that the smaller of the two wins most of the battles. What also interests me is how the spider is paralyzed instantly and then is dragged off by the 'hawk'. And one thing that I was relived by was that they aren't harmful to humans so we don't have much to worry about.
The second of the four articles that caught my eye was the one about the dinosaur. Normally this would be my top choice because dinosaurs are one of my favorite creators but the 'tarantula hawk' caught my eye. After reading about the newly discovered dinosaur I found it interesting on how it was found and how it was so similar to the Triceratops. The Wendiceratops Pinhornensis seemed pretty unique to me and it found it cool how it was named after the paleontologist who found it. One final thing that interested me was how the shape of the head gave away what family it was in. I never knew that the heads of dinosaurs were so different and that was a cool new thing to learn.
Of all the articles I read I found the article about the tarantula hawk the most intriguing yet most freaky. What I found most shocking is that tarantulas have earned a deadly reputation as a predator capable of killing mice, lizards and small birds. But when it comes to the tarantula hawk, these creatures can paralyze and eat the tarantula quite easily. It is very odd that the only thing one can do to when stung is sit there and scream, even though the pain only lasts about three minutes. The good thing is that these tarantula hawks don’t exactly go for humans because the primary victims of this wasp are tarantulas. The tarantula hawk has many different behaviors that make it interesting and relevant to humans. For one, it is amazing that this creature is so large and ferocious, being one of the most painful stingers and the largest wasps, that it is capable of hunting and feeding on tarantulas. While it is not the only parasitic insect, nor the only stinging insect, the combination of these and other behaviors have made the insect stay in our minds. From this, various people such as students have used it as inspiration for numerous purposes. The tarantula hawk is definitely one of the coolest creatures I have seen and very much the fact because it is the only creature I know that almost always wins the battle between its victim and its special paralyzing yet painful sting is indeed very impressive.
After reading the article about the tarantula hawk I was very interested. Learning about the tarantula hawk and how much pain one sting can cause blew my mind. The fact that all you can do if stung by this awful insect is lay down and scream makes me so thankful they do not target people. I was also very interested to learn about the Schmidt sting pain index, which ranks the severity of the pain of a sting on a scale of one to four, four being the most painful. The tarantula hawk, which has enough power to paralyze a tarantula, falls at a four on this scale. Although the pain of the sting only lasts for about three minutes it is crazy to think that there is creatures in this world that can cause a person so much pain. I know if I ever came in contact with this insect I would be horrified. It is interesting to learn about but lets just stick to pictures.
The Wendiceratops was the next article to stand out in my mind. I have always found dinosaurs pretty fascinating and how we have learned so much about them without every actually having seen them or studying them alive. It amazes me that still today they are discovering new types of dinosaurs and learning more and more about them. I find it so interesting how paleontologists learn so much about dinosaurs just from their fossils. They were able to learn what and how a Wendiceratops eats, exactly what it looked like, and how their horns may have helped to attract a mate. I found it very interesting how the skull of this new found dinosaur reminded the researchers of “a weird sea anemone”. Wendy Sloboda is a very highly respected and thought of paleontologist who has a lot to be proud of.
After reading Th article about the tarantula hawk I was very intrigued. The first thing that caught my attention was the differences being a typical wasp and the typical wasp. Unlike a normal wasp the tarantula hawk only targets tarantulas. Typically humans do not have to worry about them like they need to worry about wasps. It is also amazing how the tarantula wasp can paralyze a creature that is much larger then itself. After reading I was also surprised then after they sting a human it only causes extreme pain rather than cause damage to the tissue like a wasp. These tarantula hawks are extremely interesting creatures and were very intriguing to read about.
The new species of dinosaurs was also very interesting to read about. It amazes me that still to this day scientists are discovering both new species and organisms. It is also incredible that scientists are able to out what the species ate by simply looking at it's fossils. Wendy Slobada is a very intelligent women. The Wediceratops were just one of her great discoveries. She is a really great inspiration to many people. Both articles were extremely interesting to read.
After reading all four articles, I was most fascinated by the one about the tarantula hawk. I was even more fascinated on how the entomologist, Justin Schmidt managed to put himself in a place with ten of these wasps to let them attack him. He ranked the tarantula hawk as being four out of four on the pain index with one being the least painful and four being the most painful. The pain from these wasps seems to be completely unbareable. The tarantula hawk has the ability to put humans in such a state where they wouldn't be able to be both verbally and physically coordinated. However, luckily for humans the wasp does not target humans, but targets tarantulas, hence its name. Since the female tarantula hawk carries the venom, it also carries the eggs to lay its babies. The female wasp uses tarantulas as a place to fertilize her eggs. Even at times when the tarantula is bigger than the wasps, the wasp still manages to win the battle due to its powerful string. Thankfully humans don't have to deal with this pain, but if they were to, they should just lay down and scream.
I definitely enjoyed the article about the tarantula hawk and the Wendiceratops. I find it so fascinating that a creature could have a 4 out of 4 sting on the Schmidt sting pain index. We can only imagine how painful this thing is based on that. I also find the recommendation quite interesting. Who would have thought that all you have to do is lie down and yell after being stung by a powerful insect. Next, is the Triceratops late cousin, the Wendiceratops. Amazing creature, discovered by Wendy Sloboda, caught my eye with its distinctive features like its horns. I love the fact that researchers named the Wendiceratops in honor of her and that Wendy got this new dinosaur tattooed on her arm.
While reading this horror story, I was more than surprised to hear that although painful and embarrassing, a Tarantula Hawk is a harmless and so called majestic wasp. I found it even more striking that there even is a scale four out of four for stinging pain. I have only been stung a total of two times all by hornets and if that was merely a one or two on the Schmidt scale then I cannot fathom what a tarantula hawk may feel like. Even at a scale of one or two I will lie down and scream. But despite its painful sting Tarantula Hawks are actually harmless when not antagonized. When reading that tarantula hawks are actually nectar feeders, they made me think of some butterflies who turned into terminators.
I then took a look at the article about Pluto and was surprised to know that a spacecraft mission since 1985 will fly by Pluto. The baby planet, Pluto, was not what I expected it was actually much bigger than anyone ever boasted about. I believe there is so much out of our own galaxy to learn about, we can’t be the only life out there. I can’t wait for explorers to find out more.
After glancing through the options given, the 'New Dinosaur' title had caught my eye the most! Any major new discovery, especially in the science world, has always interested me. This discovery begins with the profession fossil hunter, Wendy Sloboda. Her work was very recognized when she came across a steep hill in Southern Alberta, Canada. She saw just simply poking out the ground what appeared to be a dinosaur bone. When Sloboda went to further investigate, she realized that it could be a fragment of a skull already belonging to the family of horned dinosaurs! She called her team to then assist her in completely extracting the fossil. One member reported they knew it had to be special! Maybe something not only rare; but something not previously discovered. They knew this because each species has a distinctively shaped skull. After further investigations, there were more than 200 pieces of dinosaur bones of four animals buried under the hill! After studying the bone more in depth, it was very certain that they had found a species of dinosaur never seen before. But what was special about this newly found species was that no other dinosaur found had the same pattern of curled horns. After giving life to the details they found, they started to come up with possible reasons as to why they had the bone structures they did. For example, one possibility for their horns could have been to allow males to demonstrate their strength and fitness to find potential female mates. Researchers have named this new species 'Wendiceratops pinhornensis' in honor of Wendy Sloboda! She is known to have a 'sixth sense' for finding fossils, and has given a strong name to the silm percentage of female fossil hunters!
It's impossible to think that such an insect could have such a terrible sting. The Tarantula Hawk is not a bug I would want to encounter. Knowing that the pain of its sting is a 4 on a scale of 1-4, this bug really frightens me. It seems strange to think that the best thing to do after getting stung is lying down and screaming, but scientists say that it is the best thing to do because the sting is so bad that one getting stung would not be able to control their physical or verbal actions and trying to fix the problem on their own would result in a disaster. Now I know that it is a good idea to lay down and scream because you are attracting the attention of others to come and help you. They are currently commonly found in Texas, so I will not be visiting that state any time soon. A lot of people think tarantulas are scare, but to think that these wasps can paralyze tarantulas and use them to feed their offspring is terrifying. I hope I don't meet any of these bugs any time soon.
Recently discovered was a new addition to the ever-growing family of horned dinosaur, the Wenditriceratops. Wendy Sloboda, a professional fossil hunter, just discovered a new dinosaur, who just so happens to be the older cousin of the Triceatops. Wendy found the bones of this new dinosaur in southern Alberta, Canada. Wendy got help from two paleontologists, David Evans & Michael Ryan, who instantly knew that the dinosaur that she discovered, was something that they, along with the rest of the world, have never seen before. The new dinosaur was named after it's founder, Wenditriceratops. It's full scientific name is Wenditriceratops pinhornensis. Wendy began her love for fossil hunting when she was a 16 year old girl, who found fossilized embryonic dinosaurs inside eggs. Wendy is now and honorary female fossil hunter who has a dinosaur namesake. She even went out to celebrate her big discovery by getting a tattoo of it on her right arm.
Life on Earth stretches back eons to when humans were still nonexistent. It's interesting to note that although dinosaurs were here millions of years ago, they've played a huge impact in our lives today. They explain questions we have that give us insight into our very existence; one thing they've helped us with is our every-changing knowledge of evolution. Because evolution occurs over such long time periods, every time we expunge gaps in the fossil record we find ourselves closer to answering things we've been pondering for so long. The Wendiceratops might be the key to discovering factors that might've led for the triceratops to evolve, or something that might've divided the wendiceratops and triceratops into their respective species. For example, the unique pattern of curled-over horns might've been for assistance in consuming a certain type of plant. Maybe the wendiceratops held their eggs in between the curled over horns to protect it from predators. We might not know for sure any time soon but whenever we discover new species it launches open the gates for even more discoveries and as a result we are always learning more about the world. Although this discovery might seem insignificant to some, every time we find a missing link to the past we gain knowledge that could help us answer questions today, either by interpreting any types of evolutionary problems that past species may have encountered or through directly explaining how a problem was solved. Discoveries, such as of the wendiceratops, gradually help us build up until we use the knowledge of the past to help us today.
After reading all 4 articles, it was apparent that the article regarding the Tarantula Hawk was thought provoking and engrossing. It was astonishing to learn that a scale rating severity of an insect sting exists and that the Tarantula Hawk ranked the highest on this scale earning a score of 4 on the Schmidt sting pain index. The sting of this insect alone is powerful enough to render a grown man incapable of controlling his verbal and physical coordination, which is why experts advice anyone who is stung to lie on the floor and start screaming before they lose control, and possibly endanger themselves. Although, humans do get stung when they provoke these creatures, they are not the target of these insects; Tarantula Hawks prey on tarantulas. They agonize tarantulas by injecting them with a paralytic, their venom, and dragging them into a den where they lay an egg on the spider and seal the den. This spider can no longer move for the remainder of its shortened life, during which the hatched larvae now eats the spider over a course of several weeks.
Although this article was immensely fascinating, the article concerning the Wendiceratops pinhornensis was a close second. Each species has a specifically shaped skull, as well as a unique pattern of horns and ornaments. This dinosaur is one of a kind because it’s skull is ringed with bone protrusions that curl inward toward the animal’s nose like gnarly crochet hooks. This discovery was a time capsule that gave us insight into the past, to the years before humans roamed this Earth. History is always changing, each discovery brings us deeper into the past and unlocks new information about this world we call home.
The tarantula hawk article caught my eye because it reminded me of the Japanese Giant Hornet. I was very interested to learn about the Schmidt sting pain index, and I read more about it. The pain index is mainly for bites or stings of Hymenoptera, or the third largest order of insects (ants, wasps, bees, and sawflies). I also discovered that Honey bee stings are more painful than yellow-jacket stings, but that is besides the point. This bizarre creature finds its home in Texas, where the natives are growing fearful of the rising population of these insects. There is nothing to fear, though, because not only do these wasps ignore humans (unless a human directly interacts with the tarantula hawk), only the females can even sting: the males just sit on the flowers and wait for females to come mate. After mating, the female finds a tarantula. She fights, and almost all the time wins, and paralyzes the tarantula, taking it to a safe place to lay an egg on it. When the egg hatches, the baby tarantula hawk eats the paralyzed spider.
Another article that I found very captivating was the new subatomic particle: the pentaquarks. To give a background, quarks are charged sub-atomic particles that combine to form protons and neutrons (each made of three of what are known as baryons). These quarks also combined to form a pentaquark, made of four wuarks and an anti-quark. They discovered this by watching for the decay of Lambda b, a baryon, and it marked a step in advancing the knowledge of particle physics. Although this may be gibberish to most people, in the world of physics, as Guy Wilkinson stated, it could help "understand better how ordinary matter, the protons and neutrons from which we’re all made, is constituted.”
Of the two articles that I read, the tarantula hawk and the new dinosaur, I found the tarantula hawk article to be more interesting. It fascinated me, yet surprised me at at the same time that the sting of a tarantula hawk could cause someone to temporary lose verbal and physical coordination. Personally, I've been stung by both a bee and and wasp before, and the pain that I felt was nothing in comparison to what the article described. I was wondering exactly what it is about the tarantula hawk that makes their sting so painful. If the tarantula hawk releases a venom while stinging a human being, it can be useful in the future. If scientists can find a way to extract the venom, if any, or even mimic the pain caused by a tarantula hawk sting, it can be used as a beneficial weapon. It was also noted in the article that the population of tarantula hawks are increasing. Although that is bad news for us humans who are afraid of the pain if stung by one, the increase of tarantula hawks can effect the food web for other animals. Since tarantula hawks kill tarantulas in order to provide shelter and food for their offspring, it might cause tarantulas to go extinct.
I also thought the new dinosaur article was very interesting because I've always thought the topic of dinosaurs were long gone. However, finding the fossils of this dinosaur not only gives us an insight on a new type of dinosaur that we didn't know about before, but also raises the question about how many unidentified species there are in the world that we still don't know about. Another interesting fact that the article talked about what the dinosaur's bone structure. It is very unique from those of previous, identified dinosaurs. Why do these dinosaurs have horns, while most dinosaurs do not? I think one possible answer to this question is because of the food that Wendiceratops ate. For example, if they were animal eaters instead of plant eaters, Wendiceratops would've needed to use their horns to kill the animal.
Although the tarantula hawk is known for the excruciating sting that it provides to all of her unfortunate victims, this brilliant parasite makes an interesting addition to the insect species. Not only is it capable of supplying a sting that can momentarily impede on someone's verbal and physical coordination, the pain, which is ranked on the Schmidt Sting index the highest level (4), can cause a human to lie down on the ground and start screaming. I found it interesting that, unlike other wasps who protect their young and provide stings that are both painful and damaging to tissue, the tarantula hawk is a solitary insect that protects itself by providing stings that stun its attacker and allows itself to get away. Contrary to belief, the tarantula hawk is not a predator to humans, and is a fascinating creature that survives in this world by paralyzing their main prey, the tarantula, and allowing their young to feed on these incapacitated spiders.
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