8 of the Worst Stinging Insects
Generally, humans try to avoid getting stung by insects. However, in the name of science, the betterment of humanity, and pure curiosity, there are brave people out there who willingly subject...
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♪Intro♪ Now, I’m not a huge fan of pain, but it IS super important, biologically speaking. It’s how your body tells your brain something is wrong—that you’ve put your hand on a hot stove or broken your leg. It’s such a strong signal that lots of animals have evolved to hijack it, and one group is especially notorious for that: the insects in the order Hymenoptera: ants, bees and wasps. Many of them are armed with venom that causes intense agony, and studying the compounds in those venoms can teach us a lot about how pain works. But to study their venom, you have to brave the bugs. Which is where entomologists like Justin Schmidt come in. Since 1984, he’s catalogued the stings he’s received — from over 80 different species — on a pa...
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♪Intro♪ Now, I’m not a huge fan of pain, but it IS super important, biologically speaking. It’s how your body tells your brain something is wrong—that you’ve put your hand on a hot stove or broken your leg. It’s such a strong signal that lots of animals have evolved to hijack it, and one group is especially notorious for that: the insects in the order Hymenoptera: ants, bees and wasps. Many of them are armed with venom that causes intense agony, and studying the compounds in those venoms can teach us a lot about how pain works. But to study their venom, you have to brave the bugs. Which is where entomologists like Justin Schmidt come in. Since 1984, he’s catalogued the stings he’s received — from over 80 different species — on a pa...
