Scientific progress within the last few decades has revealed the functional morphology of an insect’s sticky footpads—a compliant pad that secretes thin liquid films. However, the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying their adhesion remain elusive. Here, we explore these underlying mechanisms by simultaneously measuring adhesive force and contact geometry of the adhesive footpads of live, tethered Indian stick insects, Carausius morosus, spanning […]
Category: Insects
Bijenteelt met Mohamed (Beekeeping with Mohamed)
Paige and I recently had the opportunity to work with Mohamed, a professional beekeeper (“imker” in Dutch) with over 300 hives scattered throughout the Netherlands. Mohamed came to the Netherlands from Syria ten years ago. Today he has a thriving business selling honey and beeswax, teaching beekeeping, renting his bees as crop pollinators, and raising queens. On this day, Mohamed […]