Comments on: An Inordinate Fondness # Nine https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/19/an-inordinate-fondness-nine/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:20:18 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Ted C. MacRae https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/19/an-inordinate-fondness-nine/#comment-525025 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:20:18 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/19/an-inordinate-fondness-nine/#comment-525025 Hi Greg – thanks for your contribution and helping to spread the word.

]]> By: Birger Johansson https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/19/an-inordinate-fondness-nine/#comment-525024 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:33 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/19/an-inordinate-fondness-nine/#comment-525024 Insects lurking in a bush? That makes me think of the synsects of this book… http://www.amazon.com/Invincible-Ace-Science-Fiction-Special/dp/0283979623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287492559&sr=1-1
(although beetles do not tend to be social)

An Alaskan species of beetle actually has a (non-protein) molecule that inhibits ice crystal formation, enabling it to go into suspended animation during winter.
If they could only evolve a more effective way of pumping air and blood, they could overcome the size limitation of arthropods and become really formidable.
-Considering the enormous biomass of beetles, I wonder if we could make a GM variety, programmed to seek out anoxic conditions before death so they do not decompose. That would tie up a lot of carbon…

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