ants on stilts and Harry Porter's Relay Computer

[eub]

Stilts confirm ants count their paces

Drs Matthias Wittlinger and Harald Wolf at University of Ulm, Germany, and Prof Rudiger Wehner in Zurich, altered the legs on a group of ants to test the idea that they use stride length [count, that is, times imagined length].

Some had pig bristles glued on to their legs, while others had legs shortened by amputation.

First some marched on normal legs to a feeder, where they were placed on stilts and sent home.

The stiltwalkers misjudged the 10-metre distance back and overshot the nest entrance.

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Harry Porter's Relay Computer, and more, including the chitinous clattering of relay mouthpart^Hs. (Actually it's much like a sewing machine.)

Oh, poo: Main Memory (32K x 8bits, static RAM chip).

Comments

[cheesepuppet.livejournal.com]

Shortened by amputation? PIG BRISTLES? Science is a cruel mistress.

I misread that subject line to be "Harry Potter's Relay Computer," and coupled with the ants, thought you were giving away secrets from the new book or something.

I went to Harry Porter-not-Potter's page and I haven't a single clue what that giant thing does, but I'm finding Harry to be pretty sexy.

[eub.livejournal.com]

Hermione designs the computer, but Harry gets the glory.