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Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

npr.org

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Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#21

Post by alapshah »

threepointone wrote: post #12

This is a fascinating story, but I must ask - does this belong on hacker news? Please, I ask with no intended malice.

Judging by the 200+ up votes, yes. Plus, the aforementioned hacker news guidelines: http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#23

Post by onedewd »

threepointone wrote: post #12

This is a fascinating story, but I must ask - does this belong on hacker news? Please, I ask with no intended malice.

I enjoy reading two-three non "hacker" topics every day and having it discussed with this community, instead of say reddit. Since this community is closer to my mindset.

Saying that, i see that this kind of exploration with rewards like a previous thought extinct specimens is a "hack" of nature, it was an investment, a climb to the top and a reward :) . Therefore it is hacker news.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#25

Post by lionhearted »

srl wrote: post #9
lionhearted wrote: post #3

> The important thing, the scientists thought, was to get a few of these insects protected and into a breeding program. That wasn't so easy. The Australian government didn't know if the animals on Ball's Pyramid could or should be moved. There were meetings, studies, two years passed, and finally officials agreed to allow four animals to be retrieved. Just four. > When the team went back to collect them, it turned ou…

This is one of the few instances where I disagree with that attitude. The risks involved in relocating ill-studied life forms are, obviously, enormous, and it does need careful and dispassionate consideration. I'd much rather risk a mildly interesting species go bye-bye than risk introducing a major ecological stressor. On the other hand, I might just be taking this stance because I'm so unfamiliar with biological st…

Human error almost caused the species to go extinct -- I think it's fair, right, and proper to move to restore them to their prior condition if possible, and the situation was critical on the pyramid. It seems like a pretty docile species based on the articles facts, and they could keep them cordoned in a lab until they found what to do with them.

If the researchers and biologists felt it was the right play (which they did), it seems like a dangerous risk to wait for committees of non-scientists to make a political decision based on it.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#26

Post by davidw »

lionhearted wrote: post #25
srl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is one of the few instances where I disagree with that attitude. The risks involved in relocating ill-studied life forms are, obviously, enormous, and it does need careful and dispassionate consideration. I'd much rather risk a mildly interesting species go bye-bye than risk introducing a major ecological stressor. On the other hand, I might just be taking this stance because I'm so unfamiliar with biological st…

Human error almost caused the species to go extinct -- I think it's fair, right, and proper to move to restore them to their prior condition if possible, and the situation was critical on the pyramid. It seems like a pretty docile species based on the articles facts, and they could keep them cordoned in a lab until they found what to do with them. If the researchers and biologists felt it was the right play (which th…

> pretty docile species

Like rabbits?

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#27

Post by Historiopode »

petenixey wrote: post #17

Respect to the little feller for making it out of that egg. Any animal that starts life having to unglue their feet from the bottom of a vacuum-packed, delivery case is a winner.

I would be curious about the details of such "unpacking". The apparent volume ratio of the born insect over its egg's is quite stunning.
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