Monica Granados

How Do Zebras Get Their Stripes?

Coat patterns such as a zebra’s stripes afford animals the ability to blend into their environment and among other individuals with the same patterns. Predators can’t see camouflaged animals or target specific individuals in a mass of spots or stripes. A regular pattern is fundamental to blending in, but how does a seemingly designed pattern appear on an animal’s... READ ON

Early Balloons Were Made From Animal Intestines

Wikipedia/Jeremy Kemp Today's balloon animals—those mainstays of carnivals and country fairs—all begin as flat, 60-inch-long "worms." Air gives the worm structure, and twists give it dimension and shape. Balloon “twisters” can transform a simple worm into almost any animal. So it's fitting that the first balloons were made from actual animal intestines, which provided a good—albeit smelly—medium for manipulation into shapes. These balloons appear as far back as the Aztecs, who cleaned out... READ ON

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