Solar-Powered Animal Discovered By Tel-Aviv Scientists

[Snaploud]

Solar-Powered Animal, Oriental Hornet, Discovered By Tel-Aviv Scientists


The Huffington Post | Joanna Zelman Posted: 12-24-10 01:38 PM

It turns out that an Oriental hornet's shell can trap sunlight, while the pigment xanthopterin converts it to energy. This explains why the hornet is most active mid-day.


Now, this bug isn't exactly the most energy efficient form of solar power. According to National Geographic, the hornet's cells are about .3% efficient at generating electricity. The majority of his energy comes from food. Still, the discovery is fascinating, as study leader Marian Plotkin explains, "We've seen solar harvesting in plants and bacteria, but never before in animals."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/24/solar-powered-animal-hornet_n_800303.html

Very cool...

 

[LitmusDragon]

This is neat, but couldn't an argument be made that nearly all cold blooded animals are solar powered?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Ectotherms don't convert sunlight directly into energy, the heat is just required for them to regulate their metabolism (and thus survive.) It's like saying humans are water-powered. We need it to live but it's not where we get our energy.

 

[Unicron]

I've met a few humans who are powered by other liquids...

 

[The Borg Queen]

Give it a million years, I'd be interested in seeing how they evolve...

 

[Myasishchev]

That's pretty neat.

I was wondering the other day why no animals ever developed photosynthesis. I suppose it's probably in the lineage, since (iirc) animals developed from free rider cells and cell colonies rather than primary producers.

 

[JarodRussell]

Electricity, really?