The Loathsome, Lethal Mosquito from Ted Ed
Everyone hates mosquitos. Besides the annoying buzzing and biting, mosquito-borne diseases like malaria kill over a million people each year (plus horses, dogs and cats). And over the past 100 million years, they’ve gotten good at their job — sucking up to three times their weight in blood, totally undetected. So shouldn’t we just get rid of them? Rose Eveleth shares why scientists aren’t sure
Who doesn’t love bugs? Especially a bug the size of your hand.
Enjoy.
As its name suggests, the Titanus giganteus, or Titan Beetle, is a giant of the insect world. Adults can grow up to 6.5 inches (16.7 cm) long and have incredibly strong jaws that can snap wooden pencils in half, so just imagine what they could do to your fingers. Luckily, these scary-looking bugs are quite harmless to humans.
The Titan beetle is one of the most mysterious creatures on Earth. It lives unobtrusively deep in some of the South America’s hottest tropical rain forests and only ventures out when seeking out mates. The larvae of this amazing insect have never been found, but judging by the large boreholes found in dead trees in their natural habitat, scientists believe Titan beetle grubs feed on decaying wood below ground for several years before reaching maturity. The size of these holes suggests the grubs are around two inches in diameter and up to a foot long. Just like the Atlas Moth, the Titan beetle doesn’t feed during its adult life cycle, using the reserves gathered in its pupa stage to fly around long enough to find a mate. Because they mostly sit around waiting for males to seek them out and fertilize their eggs, females have rarely been spotted.
The Most Horrifying Parasites!
AsapSCIENCE explains how different kinds of parasites are able to enter the human body in the creepiest ways possible.
Enjoy!
Science breaks down the creepiest parasites on the planet!
Jeremy answers a knock at the door late one night. He opens the door to find a seven-foot tall centipede at the doorstep.
Without a warning, the centipede kicks him on the chest and walks away. The following night, he finds the same centipede back again at his front door. This time the centipede kicks him between the legs and runs away.
Jeremy is in pain and somehow manages to climb his bed and go to sleep.
He goes to see a doctor next morning. The doctor asks what happened and, Jeremy narrates the happenings of the previous 2 nights.
“Ah” says the doc. “There is a nasty bug going around.”