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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A fearsome hunter stalks its prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With its orange markings, giant mandibles, and generally ferocious nature, the tiger beetle really lives up to its name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its large compound eyes give it a wide field of view and excellent motion detection to find prey.\u003cbr>\nThe tiger beetle pops up to survey its territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those extra-long legs also give it extra-long strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re some of the fastest-running insects on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s as small as your fingernail, but if a tiger beetle were the size of a human, it would run at the speed of a bullet train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At those speeds, everything around you becomes a blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do tiger beetles see when they’re in a sprint?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, look how they keep stopping in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uhp!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wup!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hoop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Woo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Cornell University filmed a tiger beetle chasing a lure and slowed the footage way down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers think tiger beetles use those quick stops to reorient themselves and find their target again.\u003cbr>\nThey had tiger beetles run a simple obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At top speed, they had no trouble hurdling over the box in their path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they covered the tiger beetles’ eyes, they … also went right over the obstacle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if they’re not using their eyes when they run, what are they using?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles have long antennae that curve down in front of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sprint, the antennae make contact first so the beetle has time to adjust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles running with their eyes uncovered but missing their antennae bump right into the box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s like running around blindfolded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antennae are like stretching your arms out in front of you to keep from bashing into stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles need their incredible speed because they hunt animals that know how to get away in a hurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oooh, not fast enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use their long, jagged, sickle-shaped mandibles to catch and crush their prey, slicing in to get at those juicy innards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, long legs, great eyes, and what’s this, a bit of romance?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As long as it keeps its eye — or antennae — on the prize, a little blinding speed won’t stop the tiger beetle from being an absolute terror to the tiny inhabitants of this sunny, tranquil shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey Deep Look fans, we need your support to keep our award-winning series going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please donate to KQED, the PBS station where we make the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Click the link on-screen or in the description below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wait a minute. They fly?!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"description": "Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!). TRANSCRIPT A fearsome hunter stalks its prey. With its orange markings, giant",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Tiger beetles are lightning-fast hunters, sprinting so quickly they momentarily outrun their own vision. Watch how these tiny but ferocious predators use blistering speed to chase down prey and finish the kill with their oversized, crushing mandibles (lucky for us, they’re not human-sized!).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A fearsome hunter stalks its prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With its orange markings, giant mandibles, and generally ferocious nature, the tiger beetle really lives up to its name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its large compound eyes give it a wide field of view and excellent motion detection to find prey.\u003cbr>\nThe tiger beetle pops up to survey its territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those extra-long legs also give it extra-long strides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re some of the fastest-running insects on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s as small as your fingernail, but if a tiger beetle were the size of a human, it would run at the speed of a bullet train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At those speeds, everything around you becomes a blur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do tiger beetles see when they’re in a sprint?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, look how they keep stopping in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uhp!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wup!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hoop!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Woo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Cornell University filmed a tiger beetle chasing a lure and slowed the footage way down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers think tiger beetles use those quick stops to reorient themselves and find their target again.\u003cbr>\nThey had tiger beetles run a simple obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At top speed, they had no trouble hurdling over the box in their path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they covered the tiger beetles’ eyes, they … also went right over the obstacle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if they’re not using their eyes when they run, what are they using?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles have long antennae that curve down in front of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sprint, the antennae make contact first so the beetle has time to adjust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles running with their eyes uncovered but missing their antennae bump right into the box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s like running around blindfolded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antennae are like stretching your arms out in front of you to keep from bashing into stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tiger beetles need their incredible speed because they hunt animals that know how to get away in a hurry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oooh, not fast enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use their long, jagged, sickle-shaped mandibles to catch and crush their prey, slicing in to get at those juicy innards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, long legs, great eyes, and what’s this, a bit of romance?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As long as it keeps its eye — or antennae — on the prize, a little blinding speed won’t stop the tiger beetle from being an absolute terror to the tiny inhabitants of this sunny, tranquil shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey Deep Look fans, we need your support to keep our award-winning series going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please donate to KQED, the PBS station where we make the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Click the link on-screen or in the description below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wait a minute. They fly?!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Do you really know who you’re sharing the beach with? Purple sand dollars gobble bits of metal to stay grounded in turbulent waters. Mole crabs move sand like a conveyor belt. Hardworking bees sculpt tiny sandcastles. Under the moonlight, horseshoe crabs mate by the thousands and bury their eggs. And beach hoppers spend their nights partying and cleaning up while you sleep.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Surf’s up! Check out these five beach animals with totally surprising hidden lives. Bees that build sandcastles, mole crabs digging right under your feet, beach hoppers partying in the dead of night, and horseshoe crabs mating by the moonlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, sand dollars and their heavy metal breakfast.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A Sand Dollar’s Breakfast is Totally Metal\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s a beachcomber’s prize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this sand dollar is just an empty husk … a skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what sand dollars really look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Off the coast of California, Pacific sand dollars snuggle up together, like a big pile of purple sea cookies. They’re fuzzy … almost cuddly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But look closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fuzz is actually made up of tiny spines … thousands of them. Some long and spiky, others rounder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mixed in are miniature tube feet with grabby little suckers on the ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use them to meticulously sift the sand and pass the grains down the line … until they reach the sand dollar’s mouth at the very center of its underside, buried under all those spines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand dollars eat sand. They’re after the algae and bacteria that coat the grains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these sand dollars can also stand themselves up on their sides to use the long spines around their edges to trap tiny plankton floating by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what about that part that looks like a flower with five petals? It’s called the petaloid. They have special tube feet there that help the sand dollar breathe, absorbing oxygen out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see that same five-point body plan on the skeletons of their relatives, like starfish and sea urchins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, sand dollars are just a type of flat sea urchin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while their cousins prefer the rocky shore – chock full of life and spots to hide – sand dollars don’t have such a cozy place to live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re at the mercy of what’s basically an undersea desert – thrashed and sandblasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So being flat is an advantage. They’re sleeker, streamlined against the powerful currents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they have another scrupulous solution for staying put.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all sand is the same. Mixed in there are some extra heavy grains. They’re made of magnetite, a type of iron ore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think that as they grow, young sand dollars sort them out and swallow them, grain after grain. The heavy ore builds up inside their bodies and helps weigh them down to the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, researchers used X-rays of sand dollars to look for it. See those bright white areas? Those are the pockets of magnetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s how these tireless little creatures can hack it – out here in such turbulent waters – where most other things can’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, it takes a lot of work just to lay around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>For Pacific Mole Crabs It’s Dig or Die\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Where the waves break, there are signs of life underfoot – these expert diggers: mole crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chaotic, turbulent, harsh. The ocean’s edge isn’t the easiest place to make a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, someone does: Pacific mole crabs, also called sand crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen the little holes they make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spend their lives just under the surface of the sand, waves crashing overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ever-present flux offers a meal. Each wave kicks up plankton and other tasty morsels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They peep out from below the sand and use their feathery antennae to catch food right out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they can’t just sit around gorging themselves all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crabs want to stay in the swash zone – this part here where the waves break and sweep in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s always moving with the tides, up and down the beach. So the mole crabs have to move with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not the only ones out here looking for a meal. To birds, they’re basically beach candy. Easy pickings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So mole crabs have become champion diggers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can disappear in a flash, back under the sand to hide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they have to be fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what makes them so good at burrowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at UC Berkeley want to find out. Back at the lab, they film the mole crabs in action using high-speed cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mole crabs actually burrow backwards, digging into the sand with their pointy rumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But moving densely packed sand is hard work. The grains stick to each other, making it tough to push through. So the crabs have become tiny engineers. They stir up the wet sand with their tails, making it easier to move. A process called liquefaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, they push the loose sand up toward the surface by handing it off between their five pairs of legs. See? Kind of like a conveyor belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waves never rest, so the mole crabs do this day and night, as they’re tossed and tumbled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they take it all in stride. When you survive on chaos, fluidity is what it’s all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>This Bee Builds Sandcastles at the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These bees skip the hive life and build their own little sandcastles on the sides of beach cliffs. Ocean views, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might seem peculiar, bees living at the beach. But this is their home. And they spend the spring building their perfect beach condos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their local watering hole, they’re not actually having a drink. They’re collecting water as a raw material. They slurp it into a pouch in their abdomen called a crop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can carry one sixth of their weight in water, hauling it to the side of this cliff in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that’s a view!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back and forth, back and forth, 80 times a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re building their nests from the cliff’s mix of sand, clay and gravel, spraying water to soften it up. See how she extends her proboscis and uses it like a hose?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she digs and digs and digs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re digger bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females build their nests side by side in what’s called an aggregation. The males, most of them have died by now, after mating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females work peacefully … most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Hey, make your own nest!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some even make sandcastles, shaping the earth they dig out into a turret. To do that, they pat down the wet gravel with the tip of their abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think the turrets could help keep out large parasitic insects, like other kinds of bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This cratered landscape isn’t unusual. Most of the world’s bee species – 70%! – nest underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nest opening leads to a burrow a couple of inches long. At the bottom, she digs holes called brood cells. She will lay an egg in each one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she needs to stock up on food for her future offspring. This flower is a favorite for nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out the pollen on this bee. Wait a minute! That’s not our digger bee. That’s a yellow-faced bumblebee. She’ll sting you if you mess with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our bee is a bumblebee mimic. She doesn’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real bumblebee has a bright-yellow band on the bottom of her abdomen. Our bee has a band higher up. By imitating a stinging bumblebee, she scares predators away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back from foraging, our digger packs pollen and nectar into each cell and lays an egg on top. The larva that hatches out will have a ready-made meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she tears down her turret, bit by bit. She uses it as mortar to seal her nest closed and keep her eggs safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After finishing a couple of nests, the bee’s brief, hardworking life comes to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beach will be her final resting place. And next year, the ever-shifting sand will bear witness to her young emerging from their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Once a year, under a full moon, millions of horseshoe crabs emerge from the ocean for a romantic rendezvous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done, they leave their babies behind in the sand. These delicate, otherworldly creatures are just starting their lives, twitching and twirling inside their translucent homes. They’re baby horseshoe crabs, preparing for the moment they can break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all started two weeks ago, when the tides were at their highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs emerge from the briny deep and head for the shore with only one thing on their minds: a springtime spawning spree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Atlantic horseshoe crabs gather, by the millions, along the east coast of North America, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowds here in Delaware are some of the biggest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The males show up first, hanging out on the beach and in the shallows of the bay. They scramble to latch on to the backs of passing females.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females can be the size of dinner plates, way bigger than the males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Success!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take advantage of the fleeting high tides to haul their precious cargo as high up the beach as possible. The females muscle their way up the beach, with the males in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greatest danger for these horseshoe crabs is flipping over, exposing their vulnerable underside. And it only takes a small wave to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the hood, horseshoe crabs’ legs end in pincers. But mature males have something special on their front legs. This “clasper” that looks like a little boxing glove with a hooked finger. It’s perfect for gripping the back of a female’s shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To flip back over, the animals use their long, spiky tail, called a telson. It looks a little scary, but horseshoe crabs don’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs have been making these high tide treks under the glow of the full moon since before the dinosaurs. That’s more than 400 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone finds a date. Especially those younger males. But they hike up the beach anyway in hopes of getting in on the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female is dragging around two admirers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a female finds a good spot, she digs and digs into the wet sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The female lays roughly four thousand eggs in one go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male that clung to her all this time is in the best position to fertilize the most eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those single dudes crowd around too, vying to fertilize the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the party winds down, the grownups start heading back to sea. But they’ll return for more of these high tide soirees throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave their fertilized eggs behind, buried in the damp sand. Each one is smaller than a pea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next couple of weeks the embryos inside develop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the high tides return these larvae are ready to hatch. Jostling of the waves stimulates them to break out of their shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is their chance. They have just a few hours to scramble into the turbulent surf, before the high tide recedes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll mature beneath the waves for roughly a decade before they’re ready to return as adults themselves, where they’ll take their turn in this ancient dance of the moon, tides and sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>These Acrobatic Beach Hoppers Shred All Night Long\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Moonlight parties aren’t just for horseshoe crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers throw their own night ragers and the dancing is acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sinks behind the waves, these performers awaken and get ready for their all-night show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take cues from the tides, the moon, and their appetite, emerging from sandy underground burrows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might know them as sand fleas, but they don’t bite and they aren’t fleas. They’re called beach hoppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crustaceans are as small as an ant or as large as a cricket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their eyes are made up of hundreds of cells called ommatidia, but they don’t see much detail – just blurry shapes, light and dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re drawn towards shadowy blobs on the horizon. They hope it’s kelp, their favorite food. When they find it, they eat and eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they even eat one another. This large beach hopper is piercing the other right behind its eye, holding it in place with its claws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For protection, they dig burrows about a foot deep where the sand is damp and cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And males will fight over control of burrows, especially if there are females inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the night, the beach hopper acrobatics build into a dazzling show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A powerful flick of their curled-up tail launches them skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They do not stick the landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A beach hopper can jump as high as your knees, dozens of times the length of its body. It’s a quick way to travel towards food or mates. Or to get out of harm’s way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers’ diets are mostly beach wrack – anything natural that washes ashore. Wrack is an essential source of nutrients for sandy beach ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These shredders break down the wrack into smaller parts. It’s the first step in sending nutrients into the food chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When predators like shorebirds or insects eat beach hoppers, they can carry these nutrients further inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without these hungry acrobats, beaches the world over would be strewn with rotting seaweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a night of fighting and feasting, they leave only silhouettes behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun rises, the beach hoppers retreat to their burrows, just beyond the tide’s reach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The performers need their rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another spectacle is just a night away.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this sand dollar is just an empty husk … a skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what sand dollars really look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Off the coast of California, Pacific sand dollars snuggle up together, like a big pile of purple sea cookies. They’re fuzzy … almost cuddly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But look closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That fuzz is actually made up of tiny spines … thousands of them. Some long and spiky, others rounder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mixed in are miniature tube feet with grabby little suckers on the ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They use them to meticulously sift the sand and pass the grains down the line … until they reach the sand dollar’s mouth at the very center of its underside, buried under all those spines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand dollars eat sand. They’re after the algae and bacteria that coat the grains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these sand dollars can also stand themselves up on their sides to use the long spines around their edges to trap tiny plankton floating by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what about that part that looks like a flower with five petals? It’s called the petaloid. They have special tube feet there that help the sand dollar breathe, absorbing oxygen out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see that same five-point body plan on the skeletons of their relatives, like starfish and sea urchins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, sand dollars are just a type of flat sea urchin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while their cousins prefer the rocky shore – chock full of life and spots to hide – sand dollars don’t have such a cozy place to live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re at the mercy of what’s basically an undersea desert – thrashed and sandblasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So being flat is an advantage. They’re sleeker, streamlined against the powerful currents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they have another scrupulous solution for staying put.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all sand is the same. Mixed in there are some extra heavy grains. They’re made of magnetite, a type of iron ore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think that as they grow, young sand dollars sort them out and swallow them, grain after grain. The heavy ore builds up inside their bodies and helps weigh them down to the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, researchers used X-rays of sand dollars to look for it. See those bright white areas? Those are the pockets of magnetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s how these tireless little creatures can hack it – out here in such turbulent waters – where most other things can’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, it takes a lot of work just to lay around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>For Pacific Mole Crabs It’s Dig or Die\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Where the waves break, there are signs of life underfoot – these expert diggers: mole crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chaotic, turbulent, harsh. The ocean’s edge isn’t the easiest place to make a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, someone does: Pacific mole crabs, also called sand crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably seen the little holes they make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spend their lives just under the surface of the sand, waves crashing overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ever-present flux offers a meal. Each wave kicks up plankton and other tasty morsels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They peep out from below the sand and use their feathery antennae to catch food right out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they can’t just sit around gorging themselves all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crabs want to stay in the swash zone – this part here where the waves break and sweep in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s always moving with the tides, up and down the beach. So the mole crabs have to move with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not the only ones out here looking for a meal. To birds, they’re basically beach candy. Easy pickings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So mole crabs have become champion diggers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can disappear in a flash, back under the sand to hide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they have to be fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what makes them so good at burrowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at UC Berkeley want to find out. Back at the lab, they film the mole crabs in action using high-speed cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mole crabs actually burrow backwards, digging into the sand with their pointy rumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But moving densely packed sand is hard work. The grains stick to each other, making it tough to push through. So the crabs have become tiny engineers. They stir up the wet sand with their tails, making it easier to move. A process called liquefaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, they push the loose sand up toward the surface by handing it off between their five pairs of legs. See? Kind of like a conveyor belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waves never rest, so the mole crabs do this day and night, as they’re tossed and tumbled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they take it all in stride. When you survive on chaos, fluidity is what it’s all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>This Bee Builds Sandcastles at the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These bees skip the hive life and build their own little sandcastles on the sides of beach cliffs. Ocean views, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It might seem peculiar, bees living at the beach. But this is their home. And they spend the spring building their perfect beach condos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their local watering hole, they’re not actually having a drink. They’re collecting water as a raw material. They slurp it into a pouch in their abdomen called a crop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can carry one sixth of their weight in water, hauling it to the side of this cliff in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that’s a view!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back and forth, back and forth, 80 times a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re building their nests from the cliff’s mix of sand, clay and gravel, spraying water to soften it up. See how she extends her proboscis and uses it like a hose?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she digs and digs and digs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re digger bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females build their nests side by side in what’s called an aggregation. The males, most of them have died by now, after mating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females work peacefully … most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Hey, make your own nest!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some even make sandcastles, shaping the earth they dig out into a turret. To do that, they pat down the wet gravel with the tip of their abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think the turrets could help keep out large parasitic insects, like other kinds of bees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This cratered landscape isn’t unusual. Most of the world’s bee species – 70%! – nest underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nest opening leads to a burrow a couple of inches long. At the bottom, she digs holes called brood cells. She will lay an egg in each one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she needs to stock up on food for her future offspring. This flower is a favorite for nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out the pollen on this bee. Wait a minute! That’s not our digger bee. That’s a yellow-faced bumblebee. She’ll sting you if you mess with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our bee is a bumblebee mimic. She doesn’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real bumblebee has a bright-yellow band on the bottom of her abdomen. Our bee has a band higher up. By imitating a stinging bumblebee, she scares predators away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back from foraging, our digger packs pollen and nectar into each cell and lays an egg on top. The larva that hatches out will have a ready-made meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she tears down her turret, bit by bit. She uses it as mortar to seal her nest closed and keep her eggs safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After finishing a couple of nests, the bee’s brief, hardworking life comes to an end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beach will be her final resting place. And next year, the ever-shifting sand will bear witness to her young emerging from their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Once a year, under a full moon, millions of horseshoe crabs emerge from the ocean for a romantic rendezvous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done, they leave their babies behind in the sand. These delicate, otherworldly creatures are just starting their lives, twitching and twirling inside their translucent homes. They’re baby horseshoe crabs, preparing for the moment they can break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all started two weeks ago, when the tides were at their highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs emerge from the briny deep and head for the shore with only one thing on their minds: a springtime spawning spree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Atlantic horseshoe crabs gather, by the millions, along the east coast of North America, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowds here in Delaware are some of the biggest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The males show up first, hanging out on the beach and in the shallows of the bay. They scramble to latch on to the backs of passing females.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The females can be the size of dinner plates, way bigger than the males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Success!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take advantage of the fleeting high tides to haul their precious cargo as high up the beach as possible. The females muscle their way up the beach, with the males in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greatest danger for these horseshoe crabs is flipping over, exposing their vulnerable underside. And it only takes a small wave to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the hood, horseshoe crabs’ legs end in pincers. But mature males have something special on their front legs. This “clasper” that looks like a little boxing glove with a hooked finger. It’s perfect for gripping the back of a female’s shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To flip back over, the animals use their long, spiky tail, called a telson. It looks a little scary, but horseshoe crabs don’t sting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Horseshoe crabs have been making these high tide treks under the glow of the full moon since before the dinosaurs. That’s more than 400 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone finds a date. Especially those younger males. But they hike up the beach anyway in hopes of getting in on the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female is dragging around two admirers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a female finds a good spot, she digs and digs into the wet sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The female lays roughly four thousand eggs in one go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male that clung to her all this time is in the best position to fertilize the most eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those single dudes crowd around too, vying to fertilize the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the party winds down, the grownups start heading back to sea. But they’ll return for more of these high tide soirees throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave their fertilized eggs behind, buried in the damp sand. Each one is smaller than a pea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next couple of weeks the embryos inside develop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the high tides return these larvae are ready to hatch. Jostling of the waves stimulates them to break out of their shell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is their chance. They have just a few hours to scramble into the turbulent surf, before the high tide recedes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll mature beneath the waves for roughly a decade before they’re ready to return as adults themselves, where they’ll take their turn in this ancient dance of the moon, tides and sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>These Acrobatic Beach Hoppers Shred All Night Long\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Moonlight parties aren’t just for horseshoe crabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers throw their own night ragers and the dancing is acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sinks behind the waves, these performers awaken and get ready for their all-night show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take cues from the tides, the moon, and their appetite, emerging from sandy underground burrows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might know them as sand fleas, but they don’t bite and they aren’t fleas. They’re called beach hoppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crustaceans are as small as an ant or as large as a cricket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their eyes are made up of hundreds of cells called ommatidia, but they don’t see much detail – just blurry shapes, light and dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re drawn towards shadowy blobs on the horizon. They hope it’s kelp, their favorite food. When they find it, they eat and eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they even eat one another. This large beach hopper is piercing the other right behind its eye, holding it in place with its claws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For protection, they dig burrows about a foot deep where the sand is damp and cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And males will fight over control of burrows, especially if there are females inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the night, the beach hopper acrobatics build into a dazzling show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A powerful flick of their curled-up tail launches them skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They do not stick the landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A beach hopper can jump as high as your knees, dozens of times the length of its body. It’s a quick way to travel towards food or mates. Or to get out of harm’s way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers’ diets are mostly beach wrack – anything natural that washes ashore. Wrack is an essential source of nutrients for sandy beach ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These shredders break down the wrack into smaller parts. It’s the first step in sending nutrients into the food chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When predators like shorebirds or insects eat beach hoppers, they can carry these nutrients further inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without these hungry acrobats, beaches the world over would be strewn with rotting seaweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a night of fighting and feasting, they leave only silhouettes behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun rises, the beach hoppers retreat to their burrows, just beyond the tide’s reach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The performers need their rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another spectacle is just a night away.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-4-most-ruthless-ants-weve-ever-filmed",
"title": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed",
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"headTitle": "The 4 Most Ruthless Ants We’ve Ever Filmed | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These four different ants are each ruthless in their own way. They steal other ants; use their own siblings as storage tanks; fight off huge maggots, and even throw their own babies in the water to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up is everyone’s favorite little friend, the fearsome fire ant. They’re already cranky on a nice day, but when the rain falls they turn into a living, stinging raft. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This soft mound of dirt is home to some tough insects: red fire ants. They’re all over the southern U.S. And if you get too close, you will regret it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They clamp onto you with their huge jaws. And then they sting. Over and over. Rude!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They inject nasty venom that burns and causes itchy welts to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you think they’re scary on land, you’re gonna absolutely hate ’em during a flood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imagine wading into one of these. This floating nightmare is made out of thousands of fire ants. They’ve escaped their flooded nest by making a raft from their own bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how they pull it off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As flood water trickles into the tunnels below their mound, fire ants start a rescue mission. They evacuate the colony’s babies – these larvae and pupae – to the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers at Louisiana State University found that instead of putting the babies on the top of the raft, where it’s dry, they put them on the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen, these ants have their reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See the halo of hairs on these larvae? If you look at the raft from below you’ll see how those hairs trap air bubbles and hold the larvae together in clusters, you know, like giant floaties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same bubbles help everyone breathe through tiny holes on the sides of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hey, don’t feel bad for these ants with their heads dunked underwater. They’ll get their turn on top of the raft eventually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers grab onto each other by the tips of their legs, called tarsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of them hold onto the larvae, too, and lock legs – like ant scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then they’re ready to set sail, wherever the water may take them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants make these rafts really quickly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this experiment. A researcher at Georgia Tech drops a ball of fire ants into the water. It only takes them two minutes to assemble. This ability has helped red fire ants spread across the world from South America, where they evolved along the rivers’ edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rafts can stay afloat for almost two weeks. They survive on food they brought in their bellies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the whole colony to protect, workers are extra defensive. They sting with more venom than usual. Not a good time to run into them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the water recedes, they’ll dig a new nest … and live their best fire ant life, eating whatever crosses their path and stocking up for their next getaway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up, kidnapper ants. They steal other ants’ babies. But why?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kidnapper Ants Steal Other Ants’ Babies – and Brainwash Them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These ants are planning a heist. They don’t have a choice. They can’t feed themselves on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not plotting to steal food. They steal other ants. They’re kidnappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sets in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, scouts leave their underground nest. They’re looking for ants of an entirely different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This nearby colony of black ants knows what’s out there. So, every afternoon, they block the entrance to their own nest to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s too late – a scout spots them. She rushes back to mobilize her sisters. They charge out across the forest floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a raid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The black ants try to defend themselves from the onslaught, but it’s not enough. They’re overwhelmed, panicked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raiders start digging. Once they’re in, they know exactly what they’re after. The most prized possession ants have: their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those white things are pupae – the developing juveniles. The kidnappers use their pointy, oversized mandibles to snatch them up and haul the young back to their nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, you’d think when the young ants grow up, they’d realize they’re surrounded by strangers in the nest of a totally different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ants don’t really recognize each other by sight. They use smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers coat the young ants in secretions, imprinting their colony’s scent onto the new arrivals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow up, the young black ants think they’re at home, with their own family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have no idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the newly enslaved ants just get to work, leaving the nest to forage for food for their captors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ant’s mandibles are serrated for grinding up food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kidnapper’s jaws are really only good for one thing: grabbing young ants. They can’t even chew their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers get their captives to regurgitate food right into their mouths, kind of like a pre-made smoothie. It’s called trophallaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ants do pretty much all the work in the colony, like keeping up the nest and looking after the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers can spend their days just lounging around in a big pile until it’s time to storm the forest floor again, looking for more unsuspecting ants to join their ranks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honeypot ants have an interesting definition of family. To survive, they turn their own sisters into jugs of delicious nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Deep inside their underground nest, honeypot ants are stuffing their own kin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The glistening globes hanging from the ceiling are actually part of the ants’ bodies. These portly ants are known as repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elixir inside them will nourish the colony when food is scarce in the ants’ arid homelands in the Southwest and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To feed a hungry nestmate, a plump replete opens its mandibles wide and regurgitates a tiny droplet that the other one slurps up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the liquid drains, the ant’s belly deflates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing happens while the replete is hanging by the tips of its legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do these ants become living storage tanks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all starts with this giantess – the queen. All these workers are her daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lays thousands of tiny white eggs. Workers tend to them as they grow into squirming larvae … and then pupae wrapped in fuzzy cocoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They choose the biggest newborns to stuff until they swell into repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill them up, workers venture out at night to forage. Dead insects provide protein and fat. Desert plants give them sweet nectar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or dinner might be red artificial nectar, if a human is keeping the ants as pets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers carry the nectar back. And they feed it, drop by drop, to their sisters, the ones they’re turning into repletes. They make up about one fifth of the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nectar flows into a pouch called the crop. The crop will swell into a storage tank because valves prevent most of the liquid from flowing into the stomach, where it would be digested. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As their belly grows, this flexible membrane stretches. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hard sclerites that protect the ant’s abdomen move away from one another, until they end up like a chain of islands on a tiny planet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending themselves allows the air to circulate around them, maybe preventing a fungi attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To our human eyes, these living chandeliers might seem like captives, hanging in the dark for weeks or months. Or it might look like they have it easy, just chilling while droplets are lovingly delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truth is that every worker in a colony has a key job. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And all of them, even a replete in its cozy home, can face a sudden demise … by a badger that digs up the nest … or someone delighting in a special treat, as humans have done for thousands of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Mmm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Argentine ants are brave bodyguards, ready to do battle with anyone who threatens the source of their sweet treats. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings of Candy Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This orchard is swarming with Argentine ants, but they’re not here for the juicy oranges. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve found something way better. They’re obsessed with these delicate candy ribbons, which happen to be coming out of the butts of these tiny insects: Asian citrus psyllids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees. And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat: citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening. The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too, leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: It’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites. Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. They’re all about efficiency. They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls. They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in. And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside. That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid. Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story of unlikely allies, fighting an ongoing battle, for the sweetest of rewards. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Fire ants bite and sting! They also use their own young to build a terrifying raft during floods. Kidnapper ants steal other ants’ babies. Honeypot ants turn their sisters into living jugs of nectar. And Argentine ants trade bodyguard services for strings of sugary candy.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These four different ants are each ruthless in their own way. They steal other ants; use their own siblings as storage tanks; fight off huge maggots, and even throw their own babies in the water to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up is everyone’s favorite little friend, the fearsome fire ant. They’re already cranky on a nice day, but when the rain falls they turn into a living, stinging raft. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This soft mound of dirt is home to some tough insects: red fire ants. They’re all over the southern U.S. And if you get too close, you will regret it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They clamp onto you with their huge jaws. And then they sting. Over and over. Rude!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They inject nasty venom that burns and causes itchy welts to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you think they’re scary on land, you’re gonna absolutely hate ’em during a flood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imagine wading into one of these. This floating nightmare is made out of thousands of fire ants. They’ve escaped their flooded nest by making a raft from their own bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how they pull it off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As flood water trickles into the tunnels below their mound, fire ants start a rescue mission. They evacuate the colony’s babies – these larvae and pupae – to the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers at Louisiana State University found that instead of putting the babies on the top of the raft, where it’s dry, they put them on the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen, these ants have their reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See the halo of hairs on these larvae? If you look at the raft from below you’ll see how those hairs trap air bubbles and hold the larvae together in clusters, you know, like giant floaties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same bubbles help everyone breathe through tiny holes on the sides of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hey, don’t feel bad for these ants with their heads dunked underwater. They’ll get their turn on top of the raft eventually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers grab onto each other by the tips of their legs, called tarsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of them hold onto the larvae, too, and lock legs – like ant scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then they’re ready to set sail, wherever the water may take them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants make these rafts really quickly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this experiment. A researcher at Georgia Tech drops a ball of fire ants into the water. It only takes them two minutes to assemble. This ability has helped red fire ants spread across the world from South America, where they evolved along the rivers’ edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rafts can stay afloat for almost two weeks. They survive on food they brought in their bellies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the whole colony to protect, workers are extra defensive. They sting with more venom than usual. Not a good time to run into them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the water recedes, they’ll dig a new nest … and live their best fire ant life, eating whatever crosses their path and stocking up for their next getaway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next up, kidnapper ants. They steal other ants’ babies. But why?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kidnapper Ants Steal Other Ants’ Babies – and Brainwash Them\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These ants are planning a heist. They don’t have a choice. They can’t feed themselves on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not plotting to steal food. They steal other ants. They’re kidnappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun sets in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, scouts leave their underground nest. They’re looking for ants of an entirely different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This nearby colony of black ants knows what’s out there. So, every afternoon, they block the entrance to their own nest to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s too late – a scout spots them. She rushes back to mobilize her sisters. They charge out across the forest floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a raid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The black ants try to defend themselves from the onslaught, but it’s not enough. They’re overwhelmed, panicked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raiders start digging. Once they’re in, they know exactly what they’re after. The most prized possession ants have: their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those white things are pupae – the developing juveniles. The kidnappers use their pointy, oversized mandibles to snatch them up and haul the young back to their nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, you’d think when the young ants grow up, they’d realize they’re surrounded by strangers in the nest of a totally different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ants don’t really recognize each other by sight. They use smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers coat the young ants in secretions, imprinting their colony’s scent onto the new arrivals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow up, the young black ants think they’re at home, with their own family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have no idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the newly enslaved ants just get to work, leaving the nest to forage for food for their captors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ant’s mandibles are serrated for grinding up food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kidnapper’s jaws are really only good for one thing: grabbing young ants. They can’t even chew their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers get their captives to regurgitate food right into their mouths, kind of like a pre-made smoothie. It’s called trophallaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The captive ants do pretty much all the work in the colony, like keeping up the nest and looking after the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kidnappers can spend their days just lounging around in a big pile until it’s time to storm the forest floor again, looking for more unsuspecting ants to join their ranks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Honeypot ants have an interesting definition of family. To survive, they turn their own sisters into jugs of delicious nectar.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Deep inside their underground nest, honeypot ants are stuffing their own kin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The glistening globes hanging from the ceiling are actually part of the ants’ bodies. These portly ants are known as repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elixir inside them will nourish the colony when food is scarce in the ants’ arid homelands in the Southwest and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To feed a hungry nestmate, a plump replete opens its mandibles wide and regurgitates a tiny droplet that the other one slurps up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the liquid drains, the ant’s belly deflates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing happens while the replete is hanging by the tips of its legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how do these ants become living storage tanks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all starts with this giantess – the queen. All these workers are her daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lays thousands of tiny white eggs. Workers tend to them as they grow into squirming larvae … and then pupae wrapped in fuzzy cocoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They choose the biggest newborns to stuff until they swell into repletes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill them up, workers venture out at night to forage. Dead insects provide protein and fat. Desert plants give them sweet nectar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or dinner might be red artificial nectar, if a human is keeping the ants as pets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers carry the nectar back. And they feed it, drop by drop, to their sisters, the ones they’re turning into repletes. They make up about one fifth of the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nectar flows into a pouch called the crop. The crop will swell into a storage tank because valves prevent most of the liquid from flowing into the stomach, where it would be digested. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As their belly grows, this flexible membrane stretches. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hard sclerites that protect the ant’s abdomen move away from one another, until they end up like a chain of islands on a tiny planet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suspending themselves allows the air to circulate around them, maybe preventing a fungi attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To our human eyes, these living chandeliers might seem like captives, hanging in the dark for weeks or months. Or it might look like they have it easy, just chilling while droplets are lovingly delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truth is that every worker in a colony has a key job. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And all of them, even a replete in its cozy home, can face a sudden demise … by a badger that digs up the nest … or someone delighting in a special treat, as humans have done for thousands of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>-Mmm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These Argentine ants are brave bodyguards, ready to do battle with anyone who threatens the source of their sweet treats. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings of Candy Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This orchard is swarming with Argentine ants, but they’re not here for the juicy oranges. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve found something way better. They’re obsessed with these delicate candy ribbons, which happen to be coming out of the butts of these tiny insects: Asian citrus psyllids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees. And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat: citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening. The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too, leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: It’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites. Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. They’re all about efficiency. They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls. They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in. And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside. That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid. Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they’re tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth’s eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This little larva is knitting itself a tiny sweater. Made of its own silk, and fibers it stole from your wardrobe. It’s a clothes moth, and as a larva it feasts on your favorite sweater. But don’t worry, you’ll meet its nemesis soon enough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva’s love of fashion comes from its appetite for keratin, a protein in your sheep’s wool and cashmere sweaters. It’s also after the vitamin B in the sweat, oil and skin flakes you shed onto your clothes every day. But how did the moths get into your home in the first place? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, they didn’t fly in. You probably brought them home yourself! Their eggs or larvae hitchhike on thrifted clothing or vintage rugs. Once inside, that’s where they grow and reproduce, later spreading to the dark forgotten corners of your home. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva chomps on strand after strand of wool like al dente spaghetti. As it eats, it poops sand-colored frass. The pellets add some bling to the cocoon, and make it a nice, dark home to grow up inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey! Turn the light off! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult clothes moths are about the size of a pinkie nail, and they’ve had a glow up. They’re no longer hungry for what’s left of your sweaters. They couldn’t eat them anyways; they have no working mouthparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn around and plop their eggs in the same nutritious sweaters and rugs they grew up in. And in others nearby. And they mate with their own siblings. That means they multiply – fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’ve got them in your closet, you might want to call in some backup. To fight clothes moths, researchers are enlisting another tiny insect: parasitoid wasps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re no bigger than a grain of salt. Trichogramma wasps have long been used to control pests in agriculture and gardening. They come on what looks like a business card, covered in thousands of eggs – moth eggs that have already been parasitized. Slip it into your closet, and about a week later, wasps emerge. They’re all female, ready to lay their own eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lady patrols your sweaters, searching for moth eggs. When she finds one, she inspects it with her antennae to sense its freshness, size, and if it’s already been parasitized. Then she pierces the egg with her needlelike ovipositor and pushes her own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She didn’t even have to mate before laying her eggs – she reproduces asexually. A few days later, instead of a moth larva, a wasp emerges; she’s ready to parasitize more moth eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new wasps keep the cycle going until the entire moth population is gone. That could take as little as a few weeks, depending on the size of the infestation. The best way to stop a clothes moth invasion is to prevent it in the first place! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspect and vacuum secondhand rugs and furniture. Toss thrifted clothes in the freezer for at least seven days to kill any hidden eggs or larvae. And remember those smelly mothballs? They’re effective, but some contain chemicals that can be harmful to humans and pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So next time you find holes in your clothes, you might want to consider starting up a little biology experiment in your closet.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once clothes moth larvae start eating your favorite garments, they’re tough to get rid of. Tiny parasitoid wasps are here to help – they lay their eggs inside the moth’s eggs so you can say bye-bye to those smelly mothballs.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This little larva is knitting itself a tiny sweater. Made of its own silk, and fibers it stole from your wardrobe. It’s a clothes moth, and as a larva it feasts on your favorite sweater. But don’t worry, you’ll meet its nemesis soon enough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva’s love of fashion comes from its appetite for keratin, a protein in your sheep’s wool and cashmere sweaters. It’s also after the vitamin B in the sweat, oil and skin flakes you shed onto your clothes every day. But how did the moths get into your home in the first place? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, they didn’t fly in. You probably brought them home yourself! Their eggs or larvae hitchhike on thrifted clothing or vintage rugs. Once inside, that’s where they grow and reproduce, later spreading to the dark forgotten corners of your home. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This larva chomps on strand after strand of wool like al dente spaghetti. As it eats, it poops sand-colored frass. The pellets add some bling to the cocoon, and make it a nice, dark home to grow up inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey! Turn the light off! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult clothes moths are about the size of a pinkie nail, and they’ve had a glow up. They’re no longer hungry for what’s left of your sweaters. They couldn’t eat them anyways; they have no working mouthparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn around and plop their eggs in the same nutritious sweaters and rugs they grew up in. And in others nearby. And they mate with their own siblings. That means they multiply – fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’ve got them in your closet, you might want to call in some backup. To fight clothes moths, researchers are enlisting another tiny insect: parasitoid wasps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re no bigger than a grain of salt. Trichogramma wasps have long been used to control pests in agriculture and gardening. They come on what looks like a business card, covered in thousands of eggs – moth eggs that have already been parasitized. Slip it into your closet, and about a week later, wasps emerge. They’re all female, ready to lay their own eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lady patrols your sweaters, searching for moth eggs. When she finds one, she inspects it with her antennae to sense its freshness, size, and if it’s already been parasitized. Then she pierces the egg with her needlelike ovipositor and pushes her own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She didn’t even have to mate before laying her eggs – she reproduces asexually. A few days later, instead of a moth larva, a wasp emerges; she’s ready to parasitize more moth eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new wasps keep the cycle going until the entire moth population is gone. That could take as little as a few weeks, depending on the size of the infestation. The best way to stop a clothes moth invasion is to prevent it in the first place! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspect and vacuum secondhand rugs and furniture. Toss thrifted clothes in the freezer for at least seven days to kill any hidden eggs or larvae. And remember those smelly mothballs? They’re effective, but some contain chemicals that can be harmful to humans and pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So next time you find holes in your clothes, you might want to consider starting up a little biology experiment in your closet.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You’re settling in for a nap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as you drift off … That’s the sound of a female mosquito’s wings. Shoo!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s on her way to bite you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003cem>Aedes aegypti\u003c/em> females dig in, they can transmit dangerous diseases, like yellow fever and dengue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only females bite us. She needs your nutritious blood to make her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Watch these other \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em> videos about mosquitoes:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1960549/this-dangerous-mosquito-lays-her-armored-eggs-in-your-house/\">This Dangerous Mosquito Lays Her Armored Eggs – in Your House\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, she also needs a date. An aerial romance. Scientists are studying how exactly mosquitoes hook up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sound of a female’s wings flapping helps a male find her. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My, what hairy antennae you have!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His antennae give him exquisitely sensitive hearing. And for him, sound is the stuff of life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As he flies, he can beat his wings over 1,000 times per second. This churns out a whiny tone, with the loudest frequency around 600 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female beats her wings slower, with her loudest frequency around 400 hertz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check this out. If you blast a tone around 400 hertz out of your headphones, a male is drawn in like a magnet. Even this electronic sound does the trick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male hears the difference between his sound and hers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, he’s gotta go where the ladies hang out. So, even though he doesn’t bite, he makes the rounds at one of their favorite lunch spots: your ankles. Our foot stink attracts them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she flies by, her wings move the air, which moves his antennae and all its hairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This triggers sensors inside these round pedicels at the base of his antennae: his ears … between his eyes. The sensors – 16,000 of them – send information to the brain. That’s as many sensory cells as we have in each ear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He follows his ears to a female. But, buzzkill, she just kicks him away. Turns out, this happens a lot. In one experiment, researchers tethered females to strands of hair so they could film them flying in slow motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that males get rejected 85% of the time. Ouch!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a male doesn’t get the boot, he moves to face her and hangs on to her with his legs. Then he curves his abdomen towards her and uses these tiny claspers to attach to her body and mate in midair – for up to 30 seconds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She only mates once. Then she finds a small pool of water and lays her eggs right above the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They become aquatic larvae … then, grow into pupae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later, an adult pulls itself out. From air to water and back to the air again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Great, more mosquitoes in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying how mosquitoes listen carefully to find a mate, maybe scientists can mess with their buzz.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Watch these other \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em> videos about mosquitoes:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/728086/how-mosquitoes-use-six-needles-to-suck-your-blood\">How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1960549/this-dangerous-mosquito-lays-her-armored-eggs-in-your-house/\">This Dangerous Mosquito Lays Her Armored Eggs – in Your House\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:40 p.m. Thursday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in over 50 years, emergency room doctors will have a new framework to assess people with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/445528/ucsf-study-probes-long-term-effects-of-head-trauma-and-not-just-in-football\">head injuries\u003c/a> from car or bike crashes, falls and assaults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Existing assessment protocols for traumatic brain injury rely on broad, vague measures that filter patients into three categories based on their symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. Doctors hope the new classification system, published Tuesday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00154-1/fulltext\">The Lancet Neurology\u003c/a>, will bring more detail to diagnosis and more nuance to treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Patients labeled as ‘mild’ TBI were told they could go back to work in a couple days. Six weeks later, they’ve got pounding headaches, problems with their visual system, they’re not sleeping well. There’s nothing mild about that,” said Dr. Geoff Manley, professor of neurosurgery at UCSF and lead author of the new framework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the other hand, there are patients that were diagnosed with ‘severe’ TBI leading full lives, whose families had to consider removing life-sustaining treatment,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people have a 50% chance of experiencing a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, Manley said. About 40% of those diagnosed with mild injury, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/437552/just-because-you-have-a-mild-concussion-doesnt-mean-youre-ok\">concussion\u003c/a>, never see a doctor, and about half diagnosed with severe injury are withdrawn from ventilators and allowed to die — a decision made, on average, after three days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same day Scott Hamilton crashed his Vespa on Market Street in San Francisco and slid 60 feet into the curb, doctors at San Francisco General Hospital recommended disconnecting his life support machines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told my wife: ‘He’s got a 1 in 10 chance of ever coming out of his coma, and if he does, he’s got a 1 in 20 chance of your thinking that was a good idea. He’s unlikely to live the night and I think you will consider that a blessing,’” Hamilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996936\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996936 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, aims to improve brain injury assessment through a four-part framework: clinical evaluations, advanced imaging, blood tests and consideration of key demographic factors. \u003ccite>(Tom Werner/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Manley saw it differently and insisted his bosses give Hamilton more time. He made a full recovery. Twenty years later he’s married, working full time, and raising two teenage daughters. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lose a lot of sleep at night wondering if I’m doing the right thing,” Manley said. “We certainly don’t want to create someone with profound disability long-term, but we have to give people time to recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, is intended to make those decisions easier by making assessments more objective, detailed and precise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new framework is made up of four pillars: an expanded clinical evaluation; new blood tests; CT and MRI scans; and a review of demographic factors known to affect recovery times, like age, sex, family support, and a history of previous head injuries or mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical assessments under the new system require doctors to be more exacting when scoring eye, verbal and motor function and to use new tools to measure pupil function.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New biomarker blood tests, developed by the military, help identify tissue damage and determine which patients need imaging and which can be spared the cost and radiation exposure of an unnecessary scan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where indicated, CT and MRI scans can reveal bleeding, blood clots or fractures that require surgery. Or they could show that a patient is doing better than their clinical presentation alone would indicate, as was the case for Hamilton. [aside postID=science_1996818 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-09-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']The final pillar requires taking an extensive medical and social history of the patient to look for factors likely to affect recovery time. People who are older, women and those with a history of concussions, headaches or mental health problems usually take longer to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you don’t ask about these elements, you may miss an opportunity to offer a more realistic prognosis to the patient,” said Dr. Cathra Halabi, director of UCSF’s Neurorecovery Clinic, which includes a program focused on people in the first six months after a traumatic brain injury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the new TBI assessment framework is geared primarily toward physicians treating people in acute settings within the first 24 hours of an injury, Halabi said it extends naturally to clinicians like her who see people longer term in an outpatient setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More detailed assessments will help doctors better determine who needs urgent care and who doesn’t, who needs follow-up care and who doesn’t. They also have the potential to improve clinical trials, bringing more precision to patient selection and a better likelihood of discovering new effective treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the current system, Halabi frequently receives patient charts from the ER that say, “Bicycle accident, mild TBI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She expects the new classification will yield a thorough diagnostic description along the lines of: “Thirty-year-old woman, helmeted bicycle accident, blunt head injury, brief loss of consciousness, peritraumatic amnesia. CT scan negative for bleeding. Experiencing double vision, emotional dysregulation. History of migraines and depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The additional data will inform Halabi on how to properly care for this patient from the moment she comes into her clinic, and to be on the lookout for lingering and emerging symptoms like sleep impairments or endocrine dysfunction that could complicate healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen all sorts of bicycle accidents with mild TBI, and every single person is different,” she said. “Unless you really ask and probe a bit more deeply on the other side of the acute phase, you may miss an opportunity to find an element of the case that’s going to help make that person recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:40 p.m. Thursday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in over 50 years, emergency room doctors will have a new framework to assess people with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/445528/ucsf-study-probes-long-term-effects-of-head-trauma-and-not-just-in-football\">head injuries\u003c/a> from car or bike crashes, falls and assaults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Existing assessment protocols for traumatic brain injury rely on broad, vague measures that filter patients into three categories based on their symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. Doctors hope the new classification system, published Tuesday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00154-1/fulltext\">The Lancet Neurology\u003c/a>, will bring more detail to diagnosis and more nuance to treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Patients labeled as ‘mild’ TBI were told they could go back to work in a couple days. Six weeks later, they’ve got pounding headaches, problems with their visual system, they’re not sleeping well. There’s nothing mild about that,” said Dr. Geoff Manley, professor of neurosurgery at UCSF and lead author of the new framework.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On the other hand, there are patients that were diagnosed with ‘severe’ TBI leading full lives, whose families had to consider removing life-sustaining treatment,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people have a 50% chance of experiencing a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, Manley said. About 40% of those diagnosed with mild injury, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/437552/just-because-you-have-a-mild-concussion-doesnt-mean-youre-ok\">concussion\u003c/a>, never see a doctor, and about half diagnosed with severe injury are withdrawn from ventilators and allowed to die — a decision made, on average, after three days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The same day Scott Hamilton crashed his Vespa on Market Street in San Francisco and slid 60 feet into the curb, doctors at San Francisco General Hospital recommended disconnecting his life support machines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They told my wife: ‘He’s got a 1 in 10 chance of ever coming out of his coma, and if he does, he’s got a 1 in 20 chance of your thinking that was a good idea. He’s unlikely to live the night and I think you will consider that a blessing,’” Hamilton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996936\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996936 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/BrainMRIGetty2-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, aims to improve brain injury assessment through a four-part framework: clinical evaluations, advanced imaging, blood tests and consideration of key demographic factors. \u003ccite>(Tom Werner/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Manley saw it differently and insisted his bosses give Hamilton more time. He made a full recovery. Twenty years later he’s married, working full time, and raising two teenage daughters. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lose a lot of sleep at night wondering if I’m doing the right thing,” Manley said. “We certainly don’t want to create someone with profound disability long-term, but we have to give people time to recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new classification system, developed by a coalition of 94 experts and patients across 14 countries, is intended to make those decisions easier by making assessments more objective, detailed and precise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new framework is made up of four pillars: an expanded clinical evaluation; new blood tests; CT and MRI scans; and a review of demographic factors known to affect recovery times, like age, sex, family support, and a history of previous head injuries or mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical assessments under the new system require doctors to be more exacting when scoring eye, verbal and motor function and to use new tools to measure pupil function.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New biomarker blood tests, developed by the military, help identify tissue damage and determine which patients need imaging and which can be spared the cost and radiation exposure of an unnecessary scan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where indicated, CT and MRI scans can reveal bleeding, blood clots or fractures that require surgery. Or they could show that a patient is doing better than their clinical presentation alone would indicate, as was the case for Hamilton. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The final pillar requires taking an extensive medical and social history of the patient to look for factors likely to affect recovery time. People who are older, women and those with a history of concussions, headaches or mental health problems usually take longer to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you don’t ask about these elements, you may miss an opportunity to offer a more realistic prognosis to the patient,” said Dr. Cathra Halabi, director of UCSF’s Neurorecovery Clinic, which includes a program focused on people in the first six months after a traumatic brain injury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the new TBI assessment framework is geared primarily toward physicians treating people in acute settings within the first 24 hours of an injury, Halabi said it extends naturally to clinicians like her who see people longer term in an outpatient setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More detailed assessments will help doctors better determine who needs urgent care and who doesn’t, who needs follow-up care and who doesn’t. They also have the potential to improve clinical trials, bringing more precision to patient selection and a better likelihood of discovering new effective treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the current system, Halabi frequently receives patient charts from the ER that say, “Bicycle accident, mild TBI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She expects the new classification will yield a thorough diagnostic description along the lines of: “Thirty-year-old woman, helmeted bicycle accident, blunt head injury, brief loss of consciousness, peritraumatic amnesia. CT scan negative for bleeding. Experiencing double vision, emotional dysregulation. History of migraines and depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The additional data will inform Halabi on how to properly care for this patient from the moment she comes into her clinic, and to be on the lookout for lingering and emerging symptoms like sleep impairments or endocrine dysfunction that could complicate healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen all sorts of bicycle accidents with mild TBI, and every single person is different,” she said. “Unless you really ask and probe a bit more deeply on the other side of the acute phase, you may miss an opportunity to find an element of the case that’s going to help make that person recover.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These spiders aren’t fighting. They’re hooking up, literally. But one of them could easily lose its life in the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called long-jawed orb weavers, named for their huge jaws tipped with lethal curved fangs. And these bulbous pedipalps? Only males have them. You’ll see them in action later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-jawed orb weavers spin their web right over a river or pond. A sticky trap for insects that hatch from the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an unlucky fly gets caught, she impales it with her fangs. She squishes the fly into a slimy ball and slurps it all up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But catching prey isn’t the only thing her web is good for. She coats each strand of silk with pheromones that males find irresistible. So when he’s searching for a mate, he follows the scent – with his legs. Spiders smell with these specialized hairs that can detect pheromones. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lab experiment, a male repeatedly follows the unique perfume that females of his species leave behind, like a trail of breadcrumbs. In nature, the stakes are much higher. When this guy goes after a scent, he’s putting his life on the line. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Females are bigger; one wrong move and she could overpower and eat him. He rushes towards her; he has to act fast to get a good grip. He locks his jaws on to hers to keep her deadly fangs away from him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hook latches on to her fangs on each jaw. They become a beautifully dangerous entanglement. Face to face, they curve towards each other. He raises his skinny pedipalp, ending in what looks like a boxing glove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he twists it in like a lightbulb. Inside each boxing glove is his sperm. Once he connects, elastic membranes inflate and deflate, each movement propelling his sperm onward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, this isn’t exactly a quickie. After a few minutes he moves on to the second boxing glove. It takes both, alternating, to deliver his goods. The whole time, he’s still holding her back. His jaws. Her jaws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He prepared for this moment earlier by collecting sperm from his abdomen with his gloves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s done, there’s no time to cuddle, because if he sticks around for too long he might still become her next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes, love really is a battlefield.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With fangs that bite … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>venom that paralyzes … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>and liquifies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dread them. Run from them. But that won’t stop these unwelcome house guests from coming to visit you anyway. In fact, you’ve probably got them in your home right now making themselves comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the tiny dust mite. It might seem harmless but in large numbers they can cause serious problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Long ago – around the time we started growing our own food – humans settled down. We went home, inside. We built permanent shelters to protect us from the elements and keep the wild animals at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so we thought. Surprise! The animals were right there with us. They still are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we also want to learn from them. The cockroach teaches us that the key to overcoming adversity isn’t just toughness. It’s also flexibility.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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},
"radiolab": {
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},
"reveal": {
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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