Scientists solve why zebras have stripes

[UM-Bot]

A new study has revealed the strongest evidence yet that the stripes help to deter biting insects.

The precise purpose of a zebra's stripes had remained something of a mystery for years with some of the more common theories ranging from providing camouflage to reducing body temperature.

Read More: http://www.unexplain...as-have-stripes

[6.6.6]

I find this quite difficult to believe!

This animal did not evolve this colour pattern to deter flys!

[freetoroam]

This is what scientist are spending their funding on? How about research mans brain and work out why they insist on killing off the wild life of being cruel to animals.

[Mr.United_Nations]

if thats the case why only in Africa?, I thought it was to make the predators eye's go bluery when the Zebra's travel in a huge herd?

[6.6.6]

The vast majority of news on here should state the words "allegedly" or "for entertainment purposes only".

[highdesert50]

From the abstract, It appears they are using a multi-factorial approach which although predictive, with the inclusion of error terms, is not necessarily a causal model. One might argue that this is a reasonable approach to aid in the prediction of stripe locations using flies as a predictive variable ... the authors use the term "associated" rather than "caused."

[MissJatti]

a hell alot of flies in india... thats why tigers got their stripes

"ROAR...those damn pesky flies.. grrrrrr"

[Rolci]

deter insects... So, 1. why aren't all the other animals in Africa striped and 2. wouldn't a colour camouflaging from predators be a more evolutionarily advantageous feature?

[FlyingAngel]

Excuse me for being rude. I know that science is a study of life, but... shouldn't we concern about food and energy problem right now instead of the skin of an animal that people don't give a damn about?

Interesting but none solve the real problem we're facing here

[Taun]

I thought the stripes helped them run faster... It works on my brothers car...

[SameerPrehistorica]

This is what scientist are spending their funding on? How about research mans brain and work out why they insist on killing off the wild life of being cruel to animals.

Absolutely right..

[quillius]

nothing to do with stripes being more fashionable than spots? this was always my theory, oh well back to the drawing board.

[MJNYC]

I find this quite difficult to believe!

This animal did not evolve this colour pattern to deter flys!

Absolutely agree!

[paperdyer]

From the abstract, It appears they are using a multi-factorial approach which although predictive, with the inclusion of error terms, is not necessarily a causal model. One might argue that this is a reasonable approach to aid in the prediction of stripe locations using flies as a predictive variable ... the authors use the term "associated" rather than "caused."

OK - So let's put some stripes on horses, mules and donkeys and see what happens.

This ranks right up there with "Is a Zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" Unless this is going to solve some huge problem like global hunger, WHO CARES!.

[Calibeliever]

This is going to get murdered in peer review if they ever publish. I could use their same data and logic to show that biting flies prefer areas where zebras live. That's 5 minutes I'll never get back

[ancient astronaut]

Well, I guess I should grow stripes then, because the mosquitos here are BRUTAL.

[MissJatti]

why do zebra have stripes, the answer may be found here!!

[freetoroam]

why do zebra have stripes, the answer may be found here!!

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All that research by "scientists" and it was on youtube all the time.

[Dezmond]

*Facepalm

This could have the same effect as they had in Amsterdam. They had a report with conclusions like 'Research has shown that more people sit on terraces in the summer then the winter''

They had a hilarious falling out with people hashtagging #gemeenteAmsterdam on Twitter with hilarious memes. They now think twice before publishing similar results.

[freetoroam]

*Facepalm

This could have the same effect as they had in Amsterdam. They had a report with conclusions like 'Research has shown that more people sit on terraces in the summer then the winter''

They had a hilarious falling out with people hashtagging #gemeenteAmsterdam on Twitter with hilarious memes. They now think twice before publishing similar results.

What about if you do not have a terrace? Seems another "research" project is in order.

[Sundew]

Excuse me for being rude. I know that science is a study of life, but... shouldn't we concern about food and energy problem right now instead of the skin of an animal that people don't give a damn about?

Interesting but none solve the real problem we're facing here

Not everyone is gifted in every area of research, likely there are plenty of people working on energy, food production and the like.

Besides, in areas where tsetse flies and other disease carrying biting insects abound, perhaps the answer is to simply dress in striped clothing, rather than pollute the soil with pesticides, so you never know where research might take you.

[zeek wulfe]

The zebra did not develope stripes in response to biting insects. Biting insects are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical climates. Even caribou in the artic are affected by these pests. Gnus or wildebeests have shared a common habitat for millions of years with zebras and many other ungalates, but they have not developed stripes or any other camoflage beyond a dull brown color. The zebra 'researchers' clearly have too much time on their hands...and probably too much government money, too.

[aquatus1]

And, of course, there is always the possibility that the stripes have more than one feature, and that any connection to biting creatures is simply one among many. In my opinion, not one of the stronger ones, as I have seen zebras on a regular basis using that tail to swat off flies.

[aquatus1]

This is what scientist are spending their funding on? How about research mans brain and work out why they insist on killing off the wild life of being cruel to animals.

Excuse me for being rude. I know that science is a study of life, but... shouldn't we concern about food and energy problem right now instead of the skin of an animal that people don't give a damn about?

Interesting but none solve the real problem we're facing here

Science isn't something you can manage like a game of Civilization, where you can shift people from one field to another at will. You can't shuttle a biologist into electrical engineering and expect him to produce anything worthwhile. There are people who do study dominance behaviour, there are people who research food production, there are people who work on solutions for energy, and there are people who study particular animals. It isn't a matter of who is doing more "important" work; more than one major breakthrough has come from a relatively minor discovery.

If your major complaint about a given piece of scientific research is that you don't think it will help whichever agenda you think should have priority, it isn't the science that you are complaining about. Your complaint is that people aren't paying enough attention to your chosen political agenda. Politics already makes enough of a pain of itself in research; no need to add even more with silly arguments like telling scientists in one field to work in another..

Edited April 3, 2014 by aquatus1

[spud the mackem]

Camouflage is the answer, when they are amongst tall grass like "elephant grass" which grows to about 6 ft high,or in a copse of trees, the shadows make them almost invisible except when they move. ( I learned that at school,long ago.)