Discovery Science 🧬

ndreds of meters around. Sounds scary. Especially if you imagine how a manipulative mushroom suddenly mutates and begins to infect people, growing through their bodies. However, fortunately for us, this is just an excellent plot for video games and horror films. We are too big, our nervous system is too complex and our body temperature is too high. Yes, it cannot penetrate us - at first glance, such soft and vulnerable human skin is impervious to the degrading enzymes of the fungus. So the mushroom zombie apocalypse is cancelled, hooray! In fact, we were even able to benefit from cordyceps. Since 2023, certain types of them have been used to suppress outbreaks of pests. Fungal spores are simply sprayed over the captured territory and after a few weeks the vast majority of insects die. And most importantly, no damage to the biosphere. After all, each type of cordyceps specializes in only 5-6 species of closely related insects. Unlike insecticides, which destroy all living things. Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Cordyceps: A predatory mushroom that creates zombies from insects. The whole cycle of the terrible parasite Well, of course, predatory mushrooms! We, damn it, did not have enough carnivorous plants, predatory bacteria and parasites, of which there are so many that they are forced to fight with each other for a place in the organs. Oh my, how I fucking adore nature for its peacefulness and safety! Okay, it's time to stop panicking and start figuring out what kind of interesting mushrooms are these? I won't pretend that cordyceps is a secret hidden behind seven scientific journals. Cordyceps is more or less well known, grants are allocated for their study, and today we already know 250 species of these mushrooms. And they all love arthropods. For the most part, they love to eat them. The infection story is the same regardless of whether the fungus targets an ant, a spider or a beetle. First, the spore, covered with a mucous membrane, sticks to some joint of the insect. The chitinous exoskeleton there is noticeably thinner, so the fungus has a chance to destroy it with the help of dissolving enzymes - protease and chitinase - and penetrate inside. If the parasite can get to the hemolymph of the poor animal, she is finished, no options. Not right away, of course. The fungus will germinate for several days or even weeks, but the arthropod’s immunity will definitely not cope with such an invader. Over time, the fungus will begin to produce biologically active substances that will change the animal's behavior. Ants, for example, will become hyperactive and asocial, beetles and spiders will leave their hiding places, and male cicadas will endlessly mate, infecting more and more females. Then the fungus will gradually begin to take control of the arthropod’s muscles. Its hyphae (mycelium) will begin to grow directly through the muscles, affecting it as well. The insect will begin to experience spasms, which will gradually become stronger until they lead to paralysis, in which the insect will spend the last hours of its life. By this point, the poor creature will be about 40% mushroom. Do you know what's the creepiest thing? The arthropod remains conscious until the very last second, because the fungus does not infect its brain. Yes, it influences the behavior of the victim with the help of hormone-like substances and by seizing control over the muscles, but it does not dare to touch the brain - it is too complex an organ. If you grow into the wrong layer of nerve cells, you destroy the wrong neural connection, and the insect will die before the parasite has time to grow. But he doesn't need it. The death of an insect is just the beginning for the fungus. Now that it no longer needs to keep its prey alive, it can devour it whole and use the resulting resources to grow fruiting bodies that will disperse the spores over a wide area. Fortunately, before dying, the animal climbed as high as possible, and billions of spores would scatter hu

Almost a comic of 6 photos: Salvator (the second largest monitor lizard after the Komodo dragon) came to a family of otters, stole their fish, and the whole family rallied to drive the idiot out of the territory 😂 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

button in this post. Thank you! 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

The hamster's mouth is a joke How I miss the pockets built into the body! So you came to the beach, put your passport and keys in a bag, hid the bag in your belly button and swim in peace, the most important thing will not be stolen. And I have two sad news for you. The first of them is that such pockets exist, they are called cheek pouches. And the second is that our evolution took a slightly wrong turn, so we lost the bags. Our close relatives, monkeys, have cheek pouches and use them for their intended purpose: to store all sorts of goodies that we don’t want to eat now (photo 2). But to be honest, their cheek pouches are far from ideal. They have a small capacity, and saliva will definitely wet everything you put in them. It’s either the case of sac gophers (photo 3) and sac jumpers - rodents from North America. Their cheek pouches are leathery pockets, the entrances to which open from the OUTSIDE of the cheeks, and not from the inside. By the standards of microscopic rodents, their built-in hiding places are simply enormous. To get food out of there, they even had to invent special muscles that turn the bags outward. But the best cheek pouches were invented by hamsters. They modified the chewing muscles, which are distinguished by their elasticity. Rodents have also improved the elasticity of the skin of their cheeks to such an extent that they can stuff an abnormal amount of food into them (photo 4). An ordinary hamster, for example, is capable of carrying up to 50 grams of seeds and nuts in its mouth. His head doubles or even triples in size! Despite the fact that the rodents themselves weigh from 120 to 140 grams. After filling the bags as much as possible with goodies, the hamsters run into their holes and lay out the food there. Moreover, the rodent has no sense of proportion; he will save everything that he can tear out of the clutches of Mother Nature. If the hamster is unlucky or weak, he will steal 500-600 grams of grains. But some of them manage to stock up to 90 kilograms of grains, peas, tubers and root vegetables! So this is what those crazy grandmothers who fill the apartment with a meter-long layer of rubbish from the street are fans of... But at home, the rodent's thrifty behavior becomes a problem. Instinctively, the hamster stuffs its mouth with everything it comes across: paper, bedding, cotton wool. All this stuff sticks to the walls of the bags and clogs them. Because of this, hamsters often end up visiting veterinarians because their cheek pouches become inflamed and fall out. - - - - - We have a huge group, which is 11 years old and there are many zoologists who write tons of text every day from the field in which they are specialists. Due to VK’s failed policy towards authors, all this, unfortunately, rests only on rare advertising and your support. You can support the stability of our nervous system with a minimum subscription of 100 rubles per month. You can request support directly through the

it behaves: unlike snakes, vipers prefer dry habitats with a varied landscape, so that they can climb under a snag and bask in the sun. The viper is non-aggressive towards humans. First it tries to run away, then it hisses, then it hits with its muzzle, imitating a bite. And only if this does not help, he attacks. However, with animals you can’t be sure. If she has had a bad day, she will bite without thinking. What to do if you are bitten? The viper's venom destroys blood cells and the walls of blood vessels, so it causes severe pain and swelling at the site of the bite. The breakdown products of your own tissues can cause intoxication - weakness, headache and temporary fever. Therefore, just washing the wound and bandaging it is no longer enough. It is necessary to provide the victim with plenty of fluids, pain relief and antihistamines, and also not to move the limb too much while you are taking the victim to the hospital. There is little pleasure in this, but the mortality rate from viper venom is less than 1%, so everything will definitely be okay with you! The common copperhead is the most cunning snake Where it is found: In Southern Siberia, as well as in Astrakhan, Khakassia and the Far East. Cottonmouths live in steppes, clearings, rocky embankments and forest edges. Snakes are so attached to their habitats that they can gather in huge numbers - up to 260 individuals per hectare! What it looks like: small - only 70 centimeters in length, a snake. Usually striped, but the combination of colors varies from population to population. Their head is noticeably wider than the body and is covered with powerful wide scales on top. But without a certain amount of observation, it will be difficult to identify a snake at one glance. How it behaves: the degree of aggression of a snake directly depends on the amount of poison. If the poisonous glands of the copperhead are full, then it prefers to defend itself. When meeting a person, such a copperhead will hiss and bite without unnecessary sentimentality. If they are empty, the copperhead will run away without hesitation. What to do if you are bitten? Cottonmouth is related to vipers, and its venom works the same way: destruction of blood vessels, swelling and pain included. But you will have to suffer longer: the symptoms reach a maximum on about 4 days, after which they begin to slowly subside. Very slowly: it may take a whole month until complete recovery. However, if you do not have heart problemsor kidneys, the bite will not harm you. But for ungulates it is incredibly dangerous: one snake can kill an entire horse! Congratulations, now you know about the dangers of the most common snakes in our country and, as we know, forewarned is forearmed! Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

The three main snakes of Russia: Where do they live, how do they behave and do they bite hard? Oh no, we're late! While we were thinking: “Should we write a memo article about snakes?”, the reptiles insidiously took advantage of the warm spring and have already emerged from hibernation in full force! Therefore, we are urgently catching up and telling you about the 3 most common snakes in Russia, so that you know where they live, how they behave, and what to do if you are bitten! The common snake is the most common snake Where it lives: almost throughout the entire territory of the European part of Russia, avoiding only the northern taiga and tundra. In Siberia it can be found as far as Lake Baikal and the Trans-Baikal Territory. Snakes live near fresh water bodies, so fishermen and those who like to pick berries in the swamp most often encounter them. What it looks like: it is a small snake, up to 1 meter in length. The coloring is varied - snakes can be spotted, gray, or black. But almost every snake has 2 large light spots on its neck - this is a unique feature of snakes. Remember it - and you won’t be mistaken. How it behaves: a timid and cautious snake that prefers flight to self-defense. Tries to run away from a person and hide in a hole. If there is no shelter nearby, it crawls towards the water and tries to swim away or hide at the bottom. The snake is an excellent swimmer who is able to hold his breath for half an hour, which is what he counts on while escaping. However, a reptile can be forced to bite a person if you do not leave him an escape route or cause pain. What to do if you are bitten? The bite is no longer poisonous, but he still has not invented toothpaste. Therefore, a reptile’s teeth can harbor bacteria that are dangerous to humans and can cause inflammation and suppuration. This means that the wound must be thoroughly rinsed with clean water and a tight (but not tight) bandage applied. But if you feel any deterioration in your health or have doubts about the species of the snake, run to the doctor. It's better to stress the specialist a little than to suffer the consequences. Common viper: bites painfully, but you can negotiate with it Where it lives: from the western border of Russia to Sakhalin. Its wider range than that of the grass snake is compensated by stricter temperature limits. Vipers feel great in deciduous and mixed forests, not bad in forest-steppe and steppe, and are found in the southern taiga. But it is impossible to find them further north. But in many regions of our country they are the only poisonous snakes - real monopolists! What it looks like: This is a small snake, usually no more than 60 centimeters long, whose color varies greatly depending on the population. But they also have something in common - a specific pattern on the back. They are also given away by the shape of the head: while the grass snake’s is oval, the viper’s is closer to triangular and noticeably wider. How

From a subscriber: HELP THE Swifts. Good afternoon, the month of May is just around the corner. Soon black swifts will return to our region, to their nests. They return to their nests from year to year. I know it sounds unusual, but I’m writing this for a reason. The fact is that swifts nest right in old buildings, high under roofs, eaves, and cracks. But many old buildings are being restored. Naturally, the nests of swifts are destroyed, since all the cracks under the roofs are sealed. After returning to the restored building, the swifts cannot find a place to nest, this poses a threat to their reproduction. Because of this, their population begins to decline. But black swifts are of great benefit to us. One swift eats several thousand insects a day, flies, mosquitoes, and so on. Therefore, for those who are interested, you can make houses for them (haircutters) if you wish. Hang them at least 5 meters from the ground. Houses can be hung on any buildings, for example, apartment buildings, schools, etc. So it is for private houses in villages, under the gable of the house. It is better to hang houses on new buildings and restored ones. Swifts, unlike swallows, do not know how to build nests. Since the feet of swiftlets are not adapted for walking on the ground, they cannot collect clay to build a nest. The diagram of the shearer is among the photographs. The houses should be hung firmly, and preferably on the north and east sides, where there is less sun. - - - Thanks for the guide. If anything happens, we are ready to actively publish the proposal, too, so send suitable photos and texts directly to the proposal. 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot