3D Glasses on Cuttlefish!

In a standout study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota, classic red-and-blue 3D glasses were placed on cuttlefish, which are relatives of octopuses.

Why go through the trouble? First, the visual appeal is undeniable—a cuttlefish sporting retro glasses is quite a sight! More importantly, the study aimed to understand how these creatures perceive distance when hunting prey, like shrimp.

Cuttlefish need to judge how far away their food is to avoid startling it while ensuring they’re close enough to catch it. The researchers theorized that, similar to many land predators, cuttlefish utilize both eyes to gauge distance, a phenomenon known as stereopsis.

This ability is particularly noteworthy since other cephalopods, like squid and octopuses, lack this skill. Cuttlefish can rotate their eyes, allowing both to focus in the same direction while hunting.

Using technology akin to that in 3D films, scientists displayed images of shrimp on screens, placing some shrimp in front and some behind the screen. The cuttlefish, while donning their fashionable eyewear, responded to the visual cues, proving they rely on stereopsis for hunting.

For a lighthearted twist, here’s how they trained the cuttlefish:

…shrimp rewards were restricted to trials during which the cuttlefish responded to the on-screen target by extending its tentacles, i.e., it entered hunting mode. Once this behavior became consistent, we affixed a Velcro patch to the dorsal surface of the animal’s head…

I’m relieved to know the cuttlefish were handled carefully and that the glasses were simply attached with Velcro!

Stilts on Ants!

This experiment dates back to 2006, demonstrating that attaching items to animals isn't a recent trend. Ants, known for their remarkable ability to locate food and communicate it to their colony, can quickly turn a single find into a swarm of workers.

But how do ants measure distances, particularly in vast, featureless landscapes like the Sahara? To investigate, researchers decided to enhance their stride with stilts.

The hypothesis was that ants could count their steps to navigate. By gluing tiny stilts to their legs, researchers found that ants with elongated legs would overshoot their nest upon returning, even though they took the same number of steps.

Yet, once they located their nest, these stilted ants could still venture out for more food, demonstrating their ability to count steps accurately.

Transmitters on Bees!

In 2015, researchers in Australia made a breakthrough by attaching transmitters to bees, enabling them to track the insects’ movements.

Standard radio trackers are too bulky for bees, so the team opted for lightweight radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. These chips activate via an external signal, making them ideal for this purpose.

Each bee was fitted with a unique RFID chip, allowing scientists to study the effects of a parasite called Nosema apis on their behavior. The findings revealed that infected bees, although seemingly normal, collected less pollen, ceased working earlier, and had shorter lifespans.

Understanding these parasites is crucial since many crops depend on bees for pollination. A decline in bee populations could lead to significant shortages of fruits and vegetables.

Scientific exploration often leads to unexpected questions requiring inventive solutions. Whether it’s outfitting cuttlefish with 3D glasses, attaching stilts to ants, or tracking bees with RFID chips, researchers continually push the boundaries of traditional methods.

I’ve encountered my share of unique solutions during my graduate studies, where I had to devise a method to extract frozen fecal samples for DNA sequencing without letting them warm up.

Innovative approaches in science, though sometimes amusing, can yield significant insights.

Sam Westreich, PhD in genetics, focuses on gut microbiome studies and currently works at a bioinformatics startup. Connect on Medium or Twitter @swestreich.

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