Firebrats and Silverfish Are Rocking Some Old-School Looks | Deep Look
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What *is* that bizarre fishlike thing squirming in your sink at night? Firebrats and silverfish are pretty darn similar to some of the earliest insects on Earth. With three long filaments poking out their back, no wings and mini-me babies, they have something to teach us about survival.
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DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.
---
Look closely at the firebrat munching on cereal in your kitchen or getting cozy in a pile of newspapers. Youll see traits some of the earliest insects had around 400 million years ago.
Take its three tail-looking filaments. The two outer ones are called cerci. They work like antennae, detecting chemicals and predators like house centipedes.
Other insects, like cockroaches, have a short pair of cerci. But very few insects have the middle filament that firebrats and silverfish possess. Called the median caudal filament, it has tiny hairs that can detect the faintest air currents.
--- What do firebrats eat?
Cereal, spices and books both the pages and the glue in the binding. Only a handful of the 500 to 600 species of firebrats and silverfish live with us. In nature, they feed on leaves, stems, needles and bark.
And they will also eat, well, each other, said entomologist Art Appel from Auburn University.
--- Are firebrats dangerous?
No, they dont bite or sting.
--- What is the difference between silverfish and firebrats?
Silverfish generally prefer cooler parts of the house, while firebrats are drawn to warmer corners, like a water heater hence their name.
--- Does evolution have a goal?
When you look at a firebrat, with its ancient traits, you might wonder why it hasnt changed to be more like other insects. For example, when insects developed wings around 325 million years ago this led to an explosion in insect diversity. So why did firebrats remain wingless, like the earliest insects?
When we see a creature that looks pretty similar to things that were probably living 400 million years ago, we think, Why isnt that creature doing a better job of being modern? said Sandra Schachat, a doctoral student who researches insect evolution at Stanford University. But the way that evolution works is that it doesn't really have an optimum that things are being driven towards. You dont need to be the most abundant species in your habitat in order to survive. You only need to be abundant enough that you can maintain some kind of population over time.
---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:
https://www.kqed.org/science/1972757/firebrats-and-silverfish-are-rocking-some-old-school-looks
---+ More Deep Look episodes:
Heres How That Annoying Fly Dodges Your Swatter
https://youtu.be/jBPFCvEhv9Y
These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop
https://youtu.be/DYPQ1Tjp0ew
---+ Shoutout!
Congratulations to these 5 fans on our Community Tab who identified what gives the firebrats and silverfish the ability to digest cellulose - special enzymes!
Catto
The Steel City Storm
The GoldenDunsparce
Junior
Meren Imchen
---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)!
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Teresa Lavell
Louis O'Neill
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Laura Sanborn
Aurora Mitchell
Adam Kurtz
KW
TierZoo
---+ Follow KQED Science and Deep Look:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience
---+ About KQED
KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, California, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media.
Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.
#deeplook #silverfish #firebrat
SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! http://goo.gl/8NwXqt
Please join our community on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/deeplook
DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.
---
Look closely at the firebrat munching on cereal in your kitchen or getting cozy in a pile of newspapers. Youll see traits some of the earliest insects had around 400 million years ago.
Take its three tail-looking filaments. The two outer ones are called cerci. They work like antennae, detecting chemicals and predators like house centipedes.
Other insects, like cockroaches, have a short pair of cerci. But very few insects have the middle filament that firebrats and silverfish possess. Called the median caudal filament, it has tiny hairs that can detect the faintest air currents.
--- What do firebrats eat?
Cereal, spices and books both the pages and the glue in the binding. Only a handful of the 500 to 600 species of firebrats and silverfish live with us. In nature, they feed on leaves, stems, needles and bark.
And they will also eat, well, each other, said entomologist Art Appel from Auburn University.
--- Are firebrats dangerous?
No, they dont bite or sting.
--- What is the difference between silverfish and firebrats?
Silverfish generally prefer cooler parts of the house, while firebrats are drawn to warmer corners, like a water heater hence their name.
--- Does evolution have a goal?
When you look at a firebrat, with its ancient traits, you might wonder why it hasnt changed to be more like other insects. For example, when insects developed wings around 325 million years ago this led to an explosion in insect diversity. So why did firebrats remain wingless, like the earliest insects?
When we see a creature that looks pretty similar to things that were probably living 400 million years ago, we think, Why isnt that creature doing a better job of being modern? said Sandra Schachat, a doctoral student who researches insect evolution at Stanford University. But the way that evolution works is that it doesn't really have an optimum that things are being driven towards. You dont need to be the most abundant species in your habitat in order to survive. You only need to be abundant enough that you can maintain some kind of population over time.
---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:
https://www.kqed.org/science/1972757/firebrats-and-silverfish-are-rocking-some-old-school-looks
---+ More Deep Look episodes:
Heres How That Annoying Fly Dodges Your Swatter
https://youtu.be/jBPFCvEhv9Y
These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop
https://youtu.be/DYPQ1Tjp0ew
---+ Shoutout!
Congratulations to these 5 fans on our Community Tab who identified what gives the firebrats and silverfish the ability to digest cellulose - special enzymes!
Catto
The Steel City Storm
The GoldenDunsparce
Junior
Meren Imchen
---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)!
Burt Humburg
Alex
Shebastian Reyes
Daniel Weinstein
Egg-Roll
Karen Reynolds
Wild Turkey
Josh Kuroda
Chris B Emrick
dane rosseter
David Deshpande
Daisuke Goto
Allison & Maka Masuda
Companion Cube
Tianxing Wang
Nathan Jewsbury
Kelly Hong
Kevin Judge
Leonhardt Wille
Gerardo Alfaro
Elizabeth Ann Ditz
Laurel Przybylski
Mary Truland
Sonia Tanlimco
Robert Amling
Supernovabetty
Sayantan Dasgupta
Roberta K Wright
Joshua Murallon Robertson
Cindy McGill
Shelley Pearson Cranshaw
Carrie Mukaida
Aurora
monoirre
Silvan
Rick Wong
Levi Cai
Syniurge
Cristen Rasmussen
Carlos Carrasco
Misia Clive
Kristy Freeman
Nicolette Ray
Nathan Wright
Titania Juang
Kallie Moore
Caitlin McDonough
Scott Faunce
SueEllen McCann
Noreen Herrington
Blanca Vides
Teresa Lavell
Louis O'Neill
Tearra Guice
Laura Sanborn
Aurora Mitchell
Adam Kurtz
KW
TierZoo
---+ Follow KQED Science and Deep Look:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience
---+ About KQED
KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, California, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media.
Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.
#deeplook #silverfish #firebrat
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