True Facts: The Bizarre Magic of Water Walkers

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Go to https://brilliant.org/zefrank to get a 30-day free trial + 20% off their annual subscription. merch: https://ze-true-store.myshopify.com/ patreon: https://www.patreon.com/truefacts/posts classical music: https://soundcloud.com/querflote/5-au sponsor music: https://incompetech.com/ Credits: Dr. David L. Hu, Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. John W.M. Bush, MIT Dr. Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, UC Berkeley Dr. Manu Prakash, Stanford University Benedikt Pleyer, https://www.youtube.com/@NomadicNostoc Charley Williams, MrShoptaw on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCd6zIuACLw Wandering Sole Images https://www.youtube.com/@WanderingSoleTV NHK / Getty Images iStock Shutterstock Pond5 Envato Citations: Armisén, D., Nagui Refki, P., Crumière, A. et al. Predator strike shapes antipredator phenotype through new genetic interactions in water striders. Nat Commun 6, 8153 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9153 Bush, John W.M. & David L. Hu. Walking on Water: Biolocomotion at the Interface. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2006. 38:339–69. doi: 10.1146/annurev.fluid. 38.050304.092157 Bush, John W.M., David L. Hu, Manu Prakash, The Integument of Water-walking Arthropods: Form and Function, Editor(s): J. Casas, S.J. Simpson, Advances in Insect Physiology, Academic Press, Volume 34, 2007, Pages 117-192, ISSN 0065-2806, ISBN 9780123737144, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2806(07)34003-4. Crumière AJJ, Santos ME, Sémon M, Armisén D, Moreira FFF, Khila A. Diversity in Morphology and Locomotory Behavior Is Associated with Niche Expansion in the Semi-aquatic Bugs. Curr Biol. 2016 Dec 19;26(24):3336-3342. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.061. Hayashi, Morito & Bakkali, Mohammed & Hyde, Alexander & Goodacre, Sara. (2015). Sail or sink: Novel behavioural adaptations on water in aerially dispersing species. BMC evolutionary biology. 15. 118. 10.1186/s12862-015-0402-5. Hu, D., Bush, J. Meniscus-climbing insects. Nature 437, 733–736 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03995 Hu, D., Chan, B. & Bush, J. The hydrodynamics of water strider locomotion. Nature 424, 663–666 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01793 Kim W, Amauger J, Ha J, Pham TH, Tran AD, Lee JH, Park J, Jablonski PG, Kim HY, Lee SI. Two different jumping mechanisms of water striders are determined by body size. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jul 25;120(30):e2219972120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2219972120. Mahadik GA, Hernandez-Sanchez JF, Arunachalam S, Gallo A Jr, Cheng L, Farinha AS, Thoroddsen ST, Mishra H, Duarte CM. Superhydrophobicity and size reduction enabled Halobates (Insecta: Heteroptera, Gerridae) to colonize the open ocean. Sci Rep. 2020 May 8;10(1):7785. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-64563-7. O'Neil JN, Yung KL, Difini G, Walker H, Bhamla S. Tiny Amphibious Insects Use Tripod Gait for Traversal on Land, Water, and Duckweed. Integr Comp Biol. 2024 Sep 27;64(3):1044-1054. doi: 10.1093/icb/icae078. PMID: 38897812. Ortega-Jimenez VM, Challita EJ, Kim B, Ko H, Gwon M, Koh JS, Bhamla MS. Directional takeoff, aerial righting, and adhesion landing of semiaquatic springtails. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Nov 16;119(46):e2211283119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211283119. Prakash, Manu & Bush, John. (2011). Interfacial propulsion by directional adhesion. International Journal of Non-linear Mechanics - INT J NON-LINEAR MECH. 46. 607-615. 10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2010.12.003. Rohilla, Pankaj; Johnathan N. O’Neil, Chandan Bose, Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Daehyun Choi, Saad Bhamla. Epineuston vortex recapture enhances thrust in tiny water skaters. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.17.599397 Rohilla P, O'Neil JN, Singh P, Ortega-Jimenez VM, Choi D, Bose C, Bhamla S. Interfacial vortex recapture enhances thrust in tiny water skaters. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Mar 25:2024.06.17.599397. doi: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599397. Watson, D.A., M.R. Thornton, H.A. Khan, R.C. Diamco, D. Yilmaz-Aydin, & A.K. Dickerson, Water striders are impervious to raindrop collision forces and submerged by collapsing craters, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121 (5) e2315667121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315667121 (2024). Xu, Zhonghua & Lenaghan, Scott & Reese, Benjamin & Jia, Xinghua & Zhang, Mingjun. (2012). Experimental Studies and Dynamics Modeling Analysis of the Swimming and Diving of Whirligig Beetles (Coleopter: Gyrinidae). PLoS computational biology. 8. e1002792. 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002792.