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Ant Farm
A formicarium (: formicaria or formicariums) or ant farm is a vivarium which is designed primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants behave and for the enjoyment of ants as pets. Those who study ant behavior are known as myrmecologists. History The formicarium was invented by Charles Janet, a French entomologist and polymath, who had the idea of reducing the three dimensions of an ant nest to the virtual two dimensions between two panes of glass. His design was exhibited in the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Janet's invention was recognized by his promotion to Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour, but he did not obtain a patent for, nor attempt to market his creation. The first commercially sold formicarium was introduced around 1929 by Frank Eugene Austin (1873–1964), an inventor and professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Austin received a patent for his formicarium on June 16, 1931, as well as further patents for its conti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miners
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutting, blasting, or otherwise working and removing the rock. In a broader sense, a "miner" is anyone working within a mine, not just a worker at the rock face. Renowned as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world - and for good reason. Cave-in, Cave-ins, Explosion, explosions, Firedamp, toxic air, and extreme temperatures are some of the most perilous Mining accident, hazards observed to take place in underground mining, as well as the Health and environmental impact of the coal industry, overall long-term health effects of underground mining conditions. In some countries, miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance. In regions with a long mining tradition, many communities have developed cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mexican Jumping Bean
Mexican jumping beans () are seed pods that have been inhabited by the larva of a small moth ('' Cydia saltitans'') and are native to Mexico. The pod is usually tan to brown. They are from the shrub '' Sebastiania pavoniana'', often also referred to as "jumping bean". However, they are not related to actual beans (legume plants), but rather to spurges. The beans are considered non-toxic but are not generally eaten. In the spring, when the shrub is flowering, moths lay their eggs on the shrub's hanging seedpods. When the eggs hatch, tiny larvae bore into the immature green pods and begin to devour the seeds. The pods ripen, fall to the ground and separate into three smaller segments, and those segments are called Mexican jumping beans. As the tiny larvae inside curl up and uncurl, they hit the capsule's wall, and the bean appears to jump. They move more as temperatures rise. The larva eats away the inside of the bean (until it becomes hollow) and attaches itself to the inside of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SimAnt
''SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony'' is a 1991 life simulation video game by Maxis and the company's third product, focusing on the lifecycle of ants. It was designed by Will Wright. In 1992, it was named "Best Simulation Game" at the Software Publishers Association's Codie awards. ''SimAnt'' was re-released in 1993 as part of the ''SimClassics Volume 1'' compilation alongside '' SimCity Classic'' and ''SimLife'' for MS-DOS, Mac and Amiga. In 1996, ''SimAnt'', alongside several of Maxis' simulation games were re-released under the ''Maxis Collector Series'' with greater compatibility with Windows 95 and differing box art, including the addition of ''Classics'' beneath the title. Gameplay The game is a simulation of an ant colony. Wright was inspired by E. O. Wilson's study of ant colonies. The game consists of three modes: a Quick Game, a Full Game, and an Experimental Game. It was released for MS-DOS, Amiga, Mac, and Super NES. The Super NES version adds eight scenarios, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea-Monkeys
Sea-Monkeys is a marketing term for brine shrimp (''Artemia'') sold as novelty aquarium pets. Developed in the United States in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut, they are sold as eggs intended to be added to water, and most often come bundled in a kit of three pouches and instructions. Sometimes a small tank and additional pouches are included. The product was marketed in the 1960s and 70s, especially in comic books, and remains a presence in popular culture. History Ant farms had been popularized in 1956 by Milton Levine. Harold von Braunhut invented a brine-shrimp-based product the next year, 1957. Von Braunhut collaborated with a marine biologist, Anthony D’Agostino, to develop the proper mix of nutrients and chemicals in dry form that could be added to plain tap water to create a suitable habitat for the shrimp to thrive. Von Braunhut was granted a patent for this process on July 4, 1972. They were initially called "Instant Life" and sold for $0.49, but von Braunhut changed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Instant Fish
Wham-O Inc. is an American toy company based in Carson, California, United States. It is known for creating and marketing many popular toys for nearly 70 years, including the Hula hoop, Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky sack, Wham-O Bird Ornithopter and Boogie Board, many of which have become genericized trademarks. Corporate history Richard Knerr (1925–2008) and Arthur "Spud" Melin (1924–2002), two University of Southern California graduates who were friends since their teens, were unhappy with their jobs and decided to start their own business. In 1948 they formed the WHAM-O Manufacturing Company in the Knerr family garage in South Pasadena. Their first product was the Wham-O Slingshot, made of ash wood, which Knerr and Melin promoted by holding demonstrations of their own slingshot skills. The name "Wham-O" was inspired by the sound of the slingshot's shot hitting the target. The powerful slingshot was adopted by clubs for competitive ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ant Robotics
Ant robotics is a special case of swarm robotics. Swarm robots are simple (and therefore likely to be cost-effective) robots with limited sensing and computational capabilities. This makes it feasible to deploy teams of swarm robots and take advantage of the resulting fault tolerance and parallelism. Swarm robots cannot use conventional planning methods due to their limited sensing and computational capabilities. Thus, their behavior is often driven by local interactions. Ant robots are swarm robots that can communicate via markings, similar to ants that lay and follow pheromone trails. Some ant robots use long-lasting trails (either regular trails of a chemical substance or smart trails of transceivers). Others use short-lasting trails including heat and alcohol. Others even use virtual trails. Invention In 1991, American electrical engineer James McLurkin was the first to conceptualize the idea of "robot ants" while working at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ant-keeping
Ant-keeping (or ant keeping) is a hobby involving the capture, care, and observation of ants and ant colonies. It is a form of lay myrmecology. The trend toward keeping ants as pets has increased exponentially over the past decade. History Keeping ants as pets have been a common hobby since the mass-marketed Uncle Milton's Ant Farm achieved commercial success in the late 1950s, though these ant farms did not include a queen ant for legal reasons. With the exception of ''Pogonomyrmex occidentalis'', U.S. Federal law restricts shipping live queen ants of other species (and other “plant pests”) in interstate commerce. Reasons for ant-keeping Ant keepers may choose to keep ants in captivity to document ant behavior (in the case of an ant species which is difficult to observe in the wild). This field of study is called myrmecology. Ant keepers may also choose to keep ants as a casual hobby; i.e., as pets. People who keep ants may also keep them for scientific purposes and e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer. Historical use Ancient Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered around ancient Egyptian fortresses. One example is at Buhen, a settlement excavated in Nubia. Other evidence of ancient moats is found in the ruins of Babylon, and in reliefs from ancient Egypt, Assyria, and other cultures in the region. Evidence of early moats around settlements has been discovered in many archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, and has numerous applications because it is chemically inert. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemours, a corporate spin-off, spin-off from DuPont (1802–2017), DuPont, which originally invented the compound in 1938. Polytetrafluoroethylene is a fluorocarbon solid, as it is a high-molecular-weight polymer consisting wholly of carbon and fluorine. PTFE is hydrophobic: neither water nor water-containing substances Wetting, wet PTFE, as fluorocarbons exhibit only small London dispersion forces due to the low polarizability, electric polarizability of fluorine. PTFE has one of the lowest Friction#Coefficient of friction, coefficients of friction of any solid. Polytetrafluoroethylene is used as a non-stick coating for Cookware and bakeware, pans and other Cookware and bakeware, cookware. It is Chemically inert, non-reactive, partly because of the strength of car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formica Cunicularia
''Formica cunicularia'' is a species of ant found all over Europe. They are especially common in western Europe and southern England, but they can be found from southern Scandinavia to northern Africa and from Portugal to the Urals. In England, Donisthorpe records the species as having occurred as far north as Bewdley in Worcestershire.Donisthorpe, Horace St. John Kelly. (1915)British Ants: Their Life-History and Classification. Reprinted 2013, London: Forgotten Books. pp. 318–320. In ''Formica cunicularia'', the worker is an ashy grey black color and is usually 4.0–6.5 mm long. The males are found to have a uniformly dark body and are 8.0–9.0 mm long. The queen is yellowish red to dark black and is 7.5–9.0 mm. Habitat ''F. cunicularia'' has habitat ranging from open to relatively cluttered to visually rich. In Finland, Albrecht found that all nests were small, with single entrances in dry, hot environments with low vegetation. They nest under stones or in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Test Tubes
A test tube, also known as a culture tube or sample tube, is a common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top and closed at the bottom. Test tubes are usually placed in special-purpose racks. Types and usage Chemistry Test tubes intended for general chemical work are usually made of glass, for its relative resistance to heat. Tubes made from expansion-resistant glasses, mostly borosilicate glass or fused quartz, can withstand high temperatures up to several hundred degrees Celsius. Chemistry tubes are available in a multitude of lengths and widths, typically from 10 to 20 mm wide and 50 to 200 mm long. The top often features a flared lip to aid pouring out the contents. A chemistry test tube typically has a flat bottom, a round bottom, or a conical bottom. Some test tubes are made to accept a ground glass stopper or a screw cap. They are often provided with a small ground glass or w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
