{"id":138303,"date":"2024-12-18T06:07:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T23:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=138303"},"modified":"2024-12-18T06:07:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T23:07:39","slug":"this-brazilian-velvet-ant-is-so-dark-that-its-super-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=138303","title":{"rendered":"This Brazilian Velvet Ant Is So Dark That It\u2019s Super-Black"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The first thing to understand about velvet ants is that they are not, in fact, ants. They\u2019re wasps, some of which are wingless, and are named in part for their fluffy exteriors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">About the size of a board game die, one species of velvet ant is known for its distinct black and white markings, which dazzle the eye as the creatures scurry across tropical savanna and a dry shrub desert in Brazil called the Caatinga.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It \u201clooks like magic,\u201d said Vinicius Lopez, an entomologist at the Federal University of Tri\u00e2ngulo Mineiro in Brazil who studies insect coloration. The effect makes them easy to lose sight of, he said with the help of a colleague who translated his remarks to English. It is perhaps why some Brazilians refer to them colloquially as sorcerer ants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A team of scientists led by Dr. Lopez recently found that the black parts on female velvet ants were actually ultrablack<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\"> \u2014<\/em> so matte that they absorbed nearly all visible light. The discovery, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beilstein-journals.org\/bjnano\/articles\/15\/122\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology this month, makes this particular species of velvet ant, Traumatomutilla bifurca, the first known insect among Hymenoptera \u2014 the group of animals consisting of bees, wasps and ants \u2014 to display such a striking shade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe have never seen this kind of color in the dragonflies or bees or beetles we have analyzed,\u201d said Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira, another entomologist at the Federal University of Tri\u00e2ngulo Mineiro and an author of the paper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In nature, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/11\/science\/black-fashion-physics-animals.html\" title=\"\">some blacks are blacker than others<\/a>. There\u2019s your run-of-the-mill black, which is caused by the presence of melanin and displays some sheen, like the feathers on a crow. Then there\u2019s ultrablack, sometimes called superblack, a shade achieved by microstructures that swallow nearly all of the light hitting a surface.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\"><noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-1b5b8u1\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<hr\/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F17%2Fscience%2Fultrablack-velvet-ant-brazil.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F17%2Fscience%2Fultrablack-velvet-ant-brazil.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-63woee\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-spinner\"><g fill=\"currentColor\"><path d=\"M11.28 22.8a.72.72 0 1 0 1.44 0v-6.72a.72.72 0 1 0-1.44 0v6.72Z\" opacity=\".37\"\/><path d=\"M17.766 21.16a.72.72 0 1 0 1.165-.846l-3.95-5.436a.72.72 0 1 0-1.165.846l3.95 5.437Z\" opacity=\".26\"\/><path d=\"M1.506 14.653a.72.72 0 0 0 .445 1.37l6.391-2.078a.72.72 0 1 0-.445-1.369l-6.39 2.077Z\" opacity=\".61\"\/><path d=\"M5.07 20.314a.72.72 0 0 0 1.164.847l3.95-5.437a.72.72 0 1 0-1.165-.846l-3.95 5.436Z\" opacity=\".48\"\/><path d=\"M22.049 16.022a.72.72 0 0 0 .445-1.37l-6.391-2.076a.72.72 0 1 0-.445 1.37l6.39 2.076Z\" opacity=\".17\"\/><path d=\"M22.494 9.347a.72.72 0 1 0-.445-1.37l-6.391 2.078a.72.72 0 1 0 .445 1.369l6.39-2.077Z\" opacity=\".09\"\/><path d=\"M6.234 2.84a.72.72 0 0 0-1.165.846l3.95 5.436a.72.72 0 0 0 1.165-.846l-3.95-5.437Z\" opacity=\".87\"\/><path d=\"M1.951 7.978a.72.72 0 1 0-.445 1.37l6.391 2.076a.72.72 0 1 0 .445-1.37l-6.39-2.076Z\" opacity=\".74\"\/><path d=\"M18.93 3.686a.72.72 0 0 0-1.164-.847l-3.95 5.437a.72.72 0 0 0 1.165.846l3.95-5.436Z\" opacity=\".02\"\/><path d=\"M12.72 1.2a.72.72 0 1 0-1.44 0v6.72a.72.72 0 0 0 1.44 0V1.2Z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F17%2Fscience%2Fultrablack-velvet-ant-brazil.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F17%2Fscience%2Fultrablack-velvet-ant-brazil.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/17\/science\/ultrablack-velvet-ant-brazil.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first thing to understand about velvet ants is that they are not, in fact, ants. They\u2019re wasps, some of which are wingless, and are named in part for their &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=138303\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=138303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138303\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=138303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=138303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=138303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}