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The Brachinus crepitans, or bombardier beetle, measures just 2 cm but wields a powerful chemical defense. When threatened, it mixes hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide inside its abdomen, triggering an exothermic reaction that reaches 100 °C. It ejects bursts of corrosive benzoquinones at 500 pulses per second, burning and repelling predators. This precise, repeatable mechanism has inspired research into reigniting gas turbines in aircraft under extreme conditions as low as –50 °C. Its internal valve and chamber system is now studied in chemical engineering and advanced biomimicry.

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[-] gwilikers@lemmy.ml 18 points 2 days ago

Has anyone been hit by one of these guys?

[-] Bunbury@feddit.nl 16 points 2 days ago

At the very least the person the finger in the stock image belongs to

[-] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 day ago

the only known survivor

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

I'm sure someone has. Not me tho

[-] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Says online it can cause mild eye and skin irritation to humans, but nothing serious.

this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2025
644 points (98.8% liked)

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