Glasswing Butterflies Want To Make Something Perfectly Clear | Deep Look
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Published 2020-06-02
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Bay Area biologists are studying a beautiful and exotic butterfly with the hope that their findings may one day improve technologies from eyeglasses to solar panels.
Named for their transparent wings, glasswing butterflies have evolved a clever disappearing act to avoid their many predators in the rainforests of South and Central America.
“Most things in the rainforest are either bright and flashy or they're trying their best to hide,” said Aaron Pomerantz, a doctoral candidate in the Nipam Patel Lab at UC Berkeley and the Marine Biological Laboratory. “There aren't a lot of things that are just trying to be invisible like the glasswings.”
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What are butterfly wings made of?
A butterfly’s wings are mainly composed of chitin, the same tough flexible material that their exoskeleton is made of. Most butterflies’ wings and bodies are covered in row after row of tiny scales that protect the butterfly and keep water from sticking to their wing which would weigh them down.
What do butterflies eat?
Most butterflies use a long proboscis to drink nectar from flowers. As caterpillars, they mostly eat plants
Why do butterflies have bright colors?
Some butterflies try to stand out by using bright colors and clashing patterns that serve as a warning to predators. These butterflies typically eat plants rich in chemicals as caterpillars that make them poisonous or distasteful. This type of warning signal is called aposematism.
---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:
www.kqed.org/science/1964775/glasswing-butterflies…
---+ For more information:
The Patel Lab of Evolutionary Development at the Marine Research Institute in Woods Hole, MA
www.patellab.net/
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🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for being the first five to correctly identify the microscopic waxy structures that stop the glare on glasswing butterfly's wings: nanopillars!
Srijan Srivastava
Roslina Tamold
Renee Hau
Shiny Gamer
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All Comments (21)
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We dedicated this episode to Debbie Ford, the mother of butterfly researcher Aaron Pomerantz who we see in this episode. Aaron’s mother passed suddenly shortly before the episode was completed.
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“Why can’t I see you?” “Nanopillars, son.”
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Glasswing: Check it out, Im invisible. Human: Um, I can still see you... Bird: Where did it go????
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rest in peace, Debbie :(
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I was super impressed till i realized almost every other flying insect has transparent wings
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Clearly, Deep Look has some of the best content on YT.
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4:34 : "They excel at being dull, and that helps them hide in plain sight." I've never felt more relatable to a bug before.
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I remember reading about them 3 yrs ago!! This totally refreshed my memory of this beautiful and unique butterfly
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0:39 I can't imagine how they notice that butterfly was there... Deep look have sharp eyes...
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I found one of these when I was five. I tried to eat it.
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The real question is When will this be available on animal crossing
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1:27 it looks so happy
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Glasswing: *evolves transparent wings with the intention of not being seen* Also Glasswings: *has a very visible black and white design on the top edge of their wings*
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4:35 That hit me in a spiritual level
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That is just stunning, I never knew butterfly wings could be transparent and dull at the same time. Such a beautiful creature.
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"Ever wanted to be invisible?" Laughs Amateurs, I always wanted to be non-existent .
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Such pretty wings
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It's not dull at all, it literally is one of the most beautiful butterfly i've ever seen
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This reminded me of my homeland and how these cuties came to my front garden. Thank you for this video.
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Nature-I have so many secrets Deep look- Secrets revealed 😂
