Science Memes

14646 readers

2389 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules

Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
Keep it rooted (on topic).
No spam.
Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.

Research Committee

[email protected]

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

998

Bees don't have lungs. (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

189 comments fedilink hide all child comments

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/31/they-survived-fire-and-lead-poisoning-so-what-happened-next-to-notre-dames-bees-aoe

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 52 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Fun fact: Cutaneous respiration (aka "Skin breathing") is something we humans do too. But it accounts only for 1% to 2% of our oxygen input.

However, the cornea of our eyes doesn't have its own blood vessels to supply it. Therefore, it relies on direct gas exchange with the environment—in other words, skin respiration.

Our eyes breath like bees.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

1-2% is more than I'd have imagined!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

So what you're saying is I have two eyes in my beeholes?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I like this fact. That's why it's so important to take out certain kinds of contacts at night.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is that why bees can't wear contact lenses?

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No, it's because they have compound eyes. Even if they could afford all the different lenses they need, they'd never have enough time to put them in and take them out, while still working a full day.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

surely they could just make one big lens with facets in it? sure they're gonna be hellishly expensive but at least they're usable

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Honestly, I was already out of my depth with the entomology and ophthalmology discussed here. The economics of bee optometry might be a bridge too far for me. Can a bee make enough honey to afford such lenses? If so, does it improve the bee's ability to make honey enough to justify the cost? I have no idea and no clue regarding how to investigate this issue.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

perhaps we're coming at this from the wrong direction, does a bee even need lenses? maybe what they actually need is just eye protection, which would make everything much cheaper

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Interesting hypothesis. I guess the best way to test it would be to try to sell bee safety glasses to beekeepers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can alway upsell them on bee ears to hold the glasses on

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Genius. Genetic modification of bees. What could possibly go wrong?