High Oxygen Levels Spawn Monster Dragonflies

[Swede]

This sounds like a good idea for a movie......... from 1955.



Biologists have grown super-size dragonflies that are 15 percent larger than normal by raising the insects, from start to finish, in chambers emulating Earth’s oxygen conditions 300 million years ago.

The research, presented Nov. 1 at the Geophysical Society of America’s annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, provides more support to the idea that big ancient animals and high-oxygen concentrations weren’t coincidental. It may also offer an instrument to help gauge Earth’s ancient atmospheric conditions.

“No one has been successful growing dragonflies under controlled laboratory conditions before, at least to my knowledge,” said paleobiologist John VandenBrooks of Arizona State University, leader of the work. “This has allowed us to ask the question, ‘how have oxygen levels through time influenced the evolution of insects?’”



Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/huge-dragonflies-oxygen/#ixzz14EKzIKIh

[MrModerate]

1. Until we're talking 3-foot wingspans . . .

I'd recommend the science guys back off from the "monster" and "giant" labels.

"Jumbo," perhaps.

[sofa king]

3. 15% larger is more like a splash ad on a candy bar.

Come to think of it, if the Snickers bar really got 15% larger every time it claimed it did over my lifetime, it would be about the size of a Cadillac now.

[Skink]

2. They retook the house last night too.

[evirus]

4. My uncle made a giant Mosquito movie.

UFO crashes in a swamp, mosquitoes eat alien bugs, hilarity ensues.

but anyways i thought we've known about this for a while.

[originalpckelly]

5. Holy shit, I think I've seen that movie!

:wow:

Cool!