We're sunsetting PodQuest on 2025-07-28. Thank you for your support!
Export Podcast Subscriptions
The man who walked butterflies on a leash
2025/5/19
Unexplainable
B
Benji Jones
Benji Jones: 我讲述了Sam England给蝴蝶系绳做实验的故事，这看似荒谬，实则为了理解昆虫如何利用静电与环境互动。我的研究表明，昆虫可能通过静电进行授粉，例如带正电的蝴蝶吸引带负电的花粉。为了验证这个假设，Sam England设计了独特的实验，包括用鱼线给蝴蝶系上小套索，让它们在实验室里飞行并穿过电荷测量环。实验结果表明，蝴蝶平均带正电，足以吸引花粉。此外，昆虫还能利用静电感知环境，例如蜜蜂感知花朵是否被访问过，毛毛虫感知黄蜂的接近。然而，人类活动产生的静电污染可能会干扰这些生态互动，因此我们需要尽快了解人类活动对静电生态的影响。我希望通过这些研究，能让大家意识到我们所处的世界远比我们所能感知的更加复杂，还有许多隐藏的生态互动在发生。
Deep Dive
The episode starts by introducing Sam England's unusual research method of using leashes to guide butterflies and moths through a loop to measure their electrostatic charge. This method helps understand how static electricity influences insect behavior and pollination. The process involves using fishing line to create tiny lassos around the insects' abdomen, temporarily knocking them out with CO2, and then using the sound of bats to make them freeze and go through the loop for measurement.
- Sam England uses leashes to guide butterflies and moths for electrostatic charge measurement.
- The method involves temporarily knocking out insects with CO2 and using bat sounds to stop them mid-flight.
- The research aims to understand the role of static electricity in insect behavior and pollination.
Shownotes Transcript