Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Did you know a bug can actually produce electricity?


This here is what is known for as the oriental hornet. Like many other insects or hornets, it is able to digest other insects. It lives in many areas of the western Mediterranean and India region, specifically in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afganistan, and the list goes on. 

So, how does this oriental hornet actually produce electricity?
    Well, the hornet's exoskeleton and the silk surrounding the pupae and its comb walls conduct electricity. The yellow stripe on its abdomen is capable of harvesting the sun's light and converting it into electricity. Its brown exoskeleton traps the sunlight, instead of it being reflected off the hornet's body.

But, how exactly does it work so that they can produce electricity?
      Within the oriental hornet's body, there are pigments that actually captures the energy of the sun's rays. Dr. Plotkin, whom was the researcher who discovered that the oriental hornet's abilities, commented that "the pigment melanin gives the hornet its dominant brown color; the pigment xanthopterin, in the head and abdomen in a form of stripes and bands, gives the Oriental hornet its bright yellow color." He also claims that "xanthopterin works as a light harvesting molecule transforming light into natural energy." This also explains why they become more active during the middle of the day, when the sunlight may be most intense. 

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