These photos capture the complexity of bugs
In today’s newsletter, we show how microphotography illuminates the insect world, visit the real Armageddon, search for dangerous ‘twilight asteroids’ … and rediscover the joy of the shore. Plus, what happened to the ‘the wickedest city on Earth’?
An iridescent beetle wing casing (above). A dazzling, multicolored cuticle (below). A shiny chitinous armor. Photos taken with a microscope lens reveal the hypnotic beauty of the critters we usually dismiss as bugs.
These colors come from chitin, a substance that forms an insect’s hard outer covering as well as its wings and other flexible parts. The chitin, which has been in arthropods for as long as 550 million years, is behind the metallic-colored scales of the Chrysiridia butterfly’s wings, or the thousands of lenses in a hornet’s compound eye.
“Like cellulose, the building block of plant cell walls, chitin is made of glucose molecules, but it also contains nitrogen, producing a firm structure,” reads this report, which was first published in National Geographic’s Hungarian edition. Take a look below at more images of the colorful, complex world of insects.
And see the full story here.
The shiny chitinous armor of this pseudoscorpion, known unsurprisingly as scissorhands, hides a tiny insectivore. This animal appears frightening, but unlike true scorpions, its stinger is not poisonous.
To the naked eye, this green immigrant leaf weevil appears to have a green cuticle. A closer look reveals that dense, chitinous scales give it color. Read more.
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PHOTOS OF THE DAY
The Bear (and me): During the filming of the Nat Geo documentary series America the Beautiful, now streaming on Disney+, Malia Byrtus spent a lot of time pretending to be a black bear. Above, compare the size of Malia to this bear, which from the toes to the tip of its nose stood at more than 7 feet. Malia managed a group of video camera traps, deployed deep in the Everglades, to document the little-seen behavior of Florida black bears scratching their backs on trees. “They do this,” says photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Carlton Ward Jr., “to mark their territories and communicate with prospective mates.” We also featured Malia Byrtus in this story.
STORIES WE'RE FOLLOWING
• A quake destroyed ‘the wickedest city on Earth’
• See how seas are reclaiming parts of Louisiana—and how the state is battling to stop it
• What are ‘twilight asteroids’? And how could they threaten us?
• Welcome to Armageddon: It and other early cities are yielding new clues
• Multiple COVID-19 infections can harm the body. Here’s how.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Back to the beach: Whether it’s for kite flying in the sand or salsa dancing on Sundays, New Yorkers are increasingly turning toward the sea. Initiatives aimed at bringing residents closer to water have increased as has the quality of the water, Nat Geo reports. “We are really a maritime city, and that’s why I like to call New York more of an aquapolis than a metropolis,” says Merry Camhi, of the New York Seascape program (pictured above, a day at Orchard Beach in the Bronx).
IN A FEW WORDS
Visual imagery has the ability to transcend boundaries imposed by language. An image doesn’t need a language to get the message across. The image speaks for itself.Sandesh Kadur, Documentary filmmaker, Nat Geo Explorer
LAST GLIMPSE
All about the stripes: Somehow photographer Carl E. Akeley managed to show a zebra that is alert but also seems to be relaxing, says Nat Geo’s senior photo archivist, Sara Manco. This image was taken in the Athi Plains of Kenya and published in Nat Geo’s March 1909 edition, ahead of a hunt by outgoing President Theodore Roosevelt. “This is one of my favorite examples of early wildlife photography,” Manco says. She adds that Akeley had another distinction beyond photography—he’s considered the grandfather of modern taxidermy.
Go Further
Animals
- How scientists are piecing together a sperm whale ‘alphabet’How scientists are piecing together a sperm whale ‘alphabet’
- Orangutan seen using plants to heal wound for first timeOrangutan seen using plants to heal wound for first time
- What La Palma's 'lava tubes' tell us about life on other planetsWhat La Palma's 'lava tubes' tell us about life on other planets
- This fungus turns cicadas into zombies who procreate—then dieThis fungus turns cicadas into zombies who procreate—then die
Environment
- This floating flower is beautiful—but it's wreaking havoc on NigeriaThis floating flower is beautiful—but it's wreaking havoc on Nigeria
- What the Aral Sea might teach us about life after disasterWhat the Aral Sea might teach us about life after disaster
- What La Palma's 'lava tubes' tell us about life on other planetsWhat La Palma's 'lava tubes' tell us about life on other planets
- How fungi form ‘fairy rings’ and inspire superstitionsHow fungi form ‘fairy rings’ and inspire superstitions
- Your favorite foods may not taste the same in the future. Here's why.Your favorite foods may not taste the same in the future. Here's why.
- Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?
History & Culture
- These were the real rules of courtship in the ‘Bridgerton’ eraThese were the real rules of courtship in the ‘Bridgerton’ era
- A short history of the Met Gala and its iconic looksA short history of the Met Gala and its iconic looks
- Meet the ruthless king who unified the Kingdom of Hawai'iMeet the ruthless king who unified the Kingdom of Hawai'i
- Hawaii's Lei Day is about so much more than flowersHawaii's Lei Day is about so much more than flowers
Science
- Why ovaries are so crucial to women’s health and longevityWhy ovaries are so crucial to women’s health and longevity
- Orangutan seen using plants to heal wound for first timeOrangutan seen using plants to heal wound for first time
Travel
- Why this unlikely UK destination should be on your radarWhy this unlikely UK destination should be on your radar
