Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

How Antarctica’s only native insect survives


Still Waters

Recommended Posts

As Antarctica’s largest native land animal, the Antarctic midge—a flightless insect measuring less than one centimeter long—spends around nine months of the year frozen solid. But Belgica antarctica’s impressive abilities don’t end there: Devi Lockwood of the New York Times reports that midge larvae can also survive temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius, the loss of up to 70 percent of their bodily fluids and as long as a month without oxygen.

A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology suggests the invertebrate species owes its resilience to a combination of rapid cold hardening (a physiological process that enables animals to endure in freezing environments) and slightly warmer temperatures in its underground habitat. The research is still in early stages, but as Lockwood points out, a better understanding of midges’ survival in extreme conditions could eventually lead to innovations centered on human health.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-antarcticas-only-insect-resident-survives-freezing-temperatures-180973087/

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.