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The Incredible bombardier beetle
Today I'll introduce you one of the strangest insects on the planet, I remember the publication I did about fireflies and because they emit light through bioluminescence because today I will tell you about the bomber beetle that is capable of launching a powerful boiling jet. Come with me to learn more about this peculiar insect.
This incredible beetle is all over the planet, it is very unlikely that another animal will dare to hunt this insect because it has a powerful biological weapon, its main defense against any attack is a powerful chemical jet which throws from his abdomen, the liquid is very hot enough to kill some insects and scare away others.
I imagine that you must ask yourself how it is possible for an insect to boil a liquid and then be expelled from inside to a predator, for many years different scientists have carefully studied the chemical reaction that makes it possible for the insect to make its attack effective.
According to studies determined that the liquid called benzoquinone is a chemical that is present in many of the insects, insects have a variety of odors and weapons to defend themselves, the difference between this liquid in other insects and the beetle bomber is that the beetle can warm quickly and expel it in the form of a powerful jet only when it feels threatened.
The jet does not reach the boiling point but has recorded jets with temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius. This is possible thanks to a chamber specialized in maintaining benzoquinone and mixing it with other chemicals which generates a chemical reaction that produces heat, also generate vapors that the insect can not contain for long so the natural way to eliminate that pressure is to expel it from your body.
Biological engineering has inspired groups of aeronautical experts who want to develop engines with the specifications of the bomber beetle, this based on the natural pressure that can withstand this animal, in real life the airplanes have certain problems when they are at considerable altitudes, the shutdown of an engine or both is very complicated and puts at risk the flights and more when the outside temperature is very cold. This project is carried out by the University of Leeds in the United States who have dedicated their efforts to decipher the mysteries of the bomber beetle subjecting it to different studies.
The bombardier beetles usually attack mainly some natural predators such as frogs, ants, and spiders that without knowing to try to eat the beetle until the chemical reaction happens and are neutralized, some are lucky to be alive on other occasions these animals can die.
Powerful pulse combustion which has helped scholars and developers of combustion engines to understand more about the natural process of the beetle and applying that knowledge to the latest inventions in engines. It is expected to make an algorithm scheme which will serve to feed software and thus obtain more accurate data on how engines can work better.
The mixture that the bomber beetle has in its organism is water with Quinones in an initial state, and that the beetle under threat combines with hydrogen and hydroquinone in its super closed chamber where the reaction is generated, some studies have determined that the jet that produces the beetle can reach 100 degrees centigrade.
Thank you for reading
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