Here are three random topics I find fascinating.
1. A Strange Development in Shrimp Farming
In the early days of shrimp farming, there was a big problem. The stress of living in such a crowded, confined environment prevented female shrimp from developing mature ovaries. Since the shrimp weren’t able to spawn, it was difficult to produce enough shrimp for the mass market in a consistent, reliable way.
Then, the observation of a bizarre phenomenon changed everything. Author Benjamin Lorr explains, “as [the] shrimp swam round and round in circles in these tubs, their outside eye would rub against the side of the tank. And slowly, […] the outermost eyeball of the outermost shrimp in these tubs would eventually get rubbed right off.” Surprisingly, when the female shrimp lost an eyeball, they developed mature ovaries within 3 to 10 days!
Soon, the brutal practice of eyestalk ablation became routine throughout the shrimp farming industry. The physiological mechanism by which eyestalk ablation causes ovarian maturation is still a mystery!
2. Spaghetti Can Be Surprising
Have you ever broken a piece of dry spaghetti in half? Go ahead, give it a try! When you do, you’ll discover something surprising. Instead of it breaking in half like you’d expect, the dry spaghetti breaks into three or more pieces.
This is the result of a physical phenomenon called a “cascading fracture.” When the first break happens, it sends a flexural wave down the spaghetti rod, which increases its curvature. This causes a subsequent fracture, and the spaghetti breaks again.
3. This Plant Can Shapeshift
Did you know there’s a plant that can mimic the leaves of other plants? The Boquila trifoliolata, a vine that grows in South America, changes its leaves to blend in with other nearby plants. Somehow, it can mimic other leaves’ size, shape, color, orientation, and stalk length. Even if the Boquila trifoliolata isn’t touching the nearby plants, it can still mimic them!
So how does it do this?! There are multiple hypotheses, but scientists are still baffled.