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These Animals May Sting You, Spray You With Stinky Fluid or Explode In Your Face
Season 13
Episode 4
14:53
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Deep Look
I Simulated Insect Vision and It Got WEIRD
Season 12
Episode 19
In this episode of Big Ideas, Niba explores how insects actually see the world — from the structure of ommatidia to motion detection, ultraviolet color vision, and the evolutionary advantage of seeing faster than we do. From ancient trilobites to modern pollinators, this episode dives into the evolution, physics, and neuroscience behind the most common eye type in the animal kingdom.
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4:29
Digger bees build a different kind of sandcastle at the beach – it's part of their nest.
4:42
Can axolotls salamanders thrive once again in their ancestral waters in Mexico City?
4:09
Hermit crabs are more than happy to let snails build them a perfect home.
5:03
The drama is real for this sultry flower, a gorgeous butterfly and an unlucky fungus gnat.
3:56
Scorpions are notorious predators, but they also have delicate sensory organs.
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The hydra, named after a mythical multiheaded monster, may be the secret to eternal youth.
4:25
This fly’s larvae tunnel inside greens like arugula and kale, leaving squiggly marks.
4:15
Each seed is home to a head-banging moth larva, trying to survive the Sonoran Desert sun.
5:01
Female aphids are matriarchs of a successful family operation — taking over your garden.
4:36
Firebrats and silverfish are pretty darn similar to some of the earliest insects on Earth.
4:11
After sunset, tiny crustaceans called beach hoppers emerge from sandy underground burrows.
4:12
Two tiny mites duke it out on strawberry plants throughout California.