Green tree ants swarm over oak blue caterpillars but they are not attacking them. They are drinking a sweet liquid that the caterpillars give off especially to attract the ants. The ants act like living armor, shielding the caterpillar from wasps that might lay eggs on it. The ants and the caterpillars are partners in nature.
No-stick fault
No-stick fault Researchers believe that the slabs that form the
San Andreas Fault in California may be uniquely lubricated, as they
produce less heat that other faults do. Chris Scholz of Columbia
University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory reports that a fluid
associated with the slabs may be removing the heat usually found in
faults and allowing it to slip. This new information may allow
scientists to predict earthquakes caused by the fault more
accurately. Currently, the San Andreas Fault has not produced the
number of earthquakes expected by experts, and this may be due to
the lubrication at work in the fault lines. 19 APRIL 2000
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