FRICK INVESTIGATES: What's the Deal With Metamorphosis?
How in the heck can a caterpillar turn into a pod of goop, then into a gorgeous winged beast? And why the heck can't I become a winged beast so I can fly instead of taking the bus? LET'S GET INTO IT.
Hallo and goedenmorgen nature fans!
Gordie here from Amsterdam on my vacation, stopping by to say we got another hot podcast off the Nature Press!
EPISODE 6 OF THE FRICK, I LOVE NATURE PODCAST!
Spotify Apple Podcasts
We all know that caterpillars turn into a cocoon, then into a completely differently looking animal, but why, and for frick sake, how? Also, why aren't we all turning into mush pods? Would we suck less as a society if we were all goo before we were adults? In a way, maybe we were, but this isn't therapy, it's a newsletter, and we are here to tell you a lil bit of metamorphosis!
What exactly counts as metamorphosis, what is it? Do all bugs do it? Are there any other animals that do it? What is the evolutionary benefit of metamorphosis? What exactly is happening in their "goo phase"? Do they retain their memories from a caterpillar to a butterfly?
To find out, we interviewed Dr. Jens Rolff, a professor of evolutionary biology at Freie Universität Berlin, to find out all we need to know about the fascinating world of metamorphosis.
So go listen to the episode. It’s on Spotify, Apple, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.
If you like it, give us a 5-star review. Heck, chuck us a 5-star review even if you don’t like it!
And now for the rest of the Frick Newsletter…
COOL AS HECK FACTS ABOUT METAMORPHOSIS
Fact #1: The Spice Bush Swallow Tail - From Poop to Beauty
Meet the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar—a shape-shifting, Oscar-worthy bug that starts life looking like a straight-up burd turd. This is its first defense: “No one wants to eat bird dookie,” it figures. But then, get this, it pulls a full-on character change, and becomes the main character, a bright green snake lookalike, complete with fake eyespots and all. This lil bug friend is traversing our planet, making animals think its a freaken poisonous snake. And THEN, after all that, it turns into a chrysalis, a goo chamber, and reemerges as a stunning black-and-blue butterfly. The spice bush caterpillar is truly Nature's theater kid, starting off as a small scared turd and emerging as a bold as heck butterfly.
Fact #2: Liquid Memory
We all know caterpillars build a cocoon, and come out looking like some sorta Picasso. BUT what truly churns my brain stew is that the caterpillars literally turn into bug soup, but still retain some memories. Scientists trained caterpillars to react to certain smells, and those same bugs, even in full butterfly mod,e still responded to those smells. So the question is: how the heck does a brain survive liquefying? Turns out, a few special nerve cells stick around and carry those memories through the meltdown. Like tiny USB sticks just
Fact #3: Over 80% of All Animals Use Metamorphosis
That is all. That fact is wild on its own. Like how come we don't get to morph hard?
That’s all for this newsletter. Now go learn about the complex world of metamorphosis! Here are the Spotify and Apple links again, but you can find the show on any podcast platform. Go! Listen now!
Thanks for reading and fijne dag verder Natureinos!
– Gordie & The Frick Team