It had rained on Saturday and a cold front was moving through San Diego. We couldn't find the little dudes anywhere. We finally discovered groups of them rolled up into balls underneath some plants and bark. It dawned on us that this was their response to cold weather. So the question arises - can you use roly polies as a thermometer? At what temperature do they curl up and hibernate?
Hm. What's a cheap way to determine the curl-up temperature . . .
ReplyDeleteThe transition is probably somewhere between 45F and freezing, that would put it square into refrigerator range. You could probably make a small terrarium setup that will fit in the fridge, put in a thermometer, and then start jiggering with the coldness control and collecting data on when they curl up.
It might be a good idea to aquire one of those little cube refrigerators, rather than fooling around with the one that you are actually using to keep food cold in. Both to avoid spoiling the milk, and to minimize the chances of infesting your good fridge with pillbugs.
You need to start genetically engineering the bugs so they are temperature calibrated.
ReplyDeleteTHEN you can make thermometers.
(smanki)
Actually I have never used these things as thermometers. You can also rely on the common thermometers for measuring body temperature.
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You need to start genetically engineering the bugs so they are temperature calibrated. THEN you can make thermometers. (smanki)
ReplyDelete