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The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar: Evolution's Most Unbelievable Solutions to Life's Biggest Problems

by Matt Simon

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1684164,088 (3.94)11
"On a barren seafloor, the pearlfish swims into the safety of a sea cucumber's anus. To find a meal, the female bolas spider releases pheromones that mimic a female moth, luring male moths into her sticky lasso web. The Glyptapanteles wasp injects a caterpillar with her young, which feed on the victim, erupt out of it, then mind-control the poor (and somehow still living) schmuck into protecting them from predators. These are among the curious critters of The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar, a jaunt through evolution's most unbelievable, most ingenious solutions to the problems of everyday life, from trying to get laid to finding food. Join Wired science writer Matt Simon as he introduces you to the creatures that have it figured out, the ones that joust with their mustaches or choke sharks to death with snot, all in a wild struggle to survive and, of course, find true love."--Amazon.com.… (more)
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Showing 4 of 4
Who said education had to be boring? Matt Simon teaches the reader about the strangest solutions evolution's come up with to answer life's problems, from injecting caterpillars with eggs to running so fast one goes blind and everything in between. ( )
  HungryOnMain | May 30, 2024 |
An interesting and amusingly written book that highlights some of the strange survival mechanisms that animals have evolved. There is nothing technical in this book.

For a more in-depth look at some of these survival mechanisms, I recommend the book "Venomous" by Christie Wilcox.
( )
  ElentarriLT | Mar 24, 2020 |
An excellent peek into the lives of many creatures. ( )
  Pepperwings | Mar 19, 2018 |
578.47 S5957 2016
  ebr_mills | Mar 23, 2017 |
Showing 4 of 4
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"On a barren seafloor, the pearlfish swims into the safety of a sea cucumber's anus. To find a meal, the female bolas spider releases pheromones that mimic a female moth, luring male moths into her sticky lasso web. The Glyptapanteles wasp injects a caterpillar with her young, which feed on the victim, erupt out of it, then mind-control the poor (and somehow still living) schmuck into protecting them from predators. These are among the curious critters of The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar, a jaunt through evolution's most unbelievable, most ingenious solutions to the problems of everyday life, from trying to get laid to finding food. Join Wired science writer Matt Simon as he introduces you to the creatures that have it figured out, the ones that joust with their mustaches or choke sharks to death with snot, all in a wild struggle to survive and, of course, find true love."--Amazon.com.

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