Nature's Extreme Survivors

Bombardier beetles explode boiling acid at their enemies with pinpoint accuracy. I spent three

years studying insect defense mechanisms in the Amazon. Nothing prepared me for what I

discovered about nature's extreme survivors. These beetles mix chemicals in their bodies,

reaching two hundred twelve degrees Fahrenheit. Parasitic wasps rewrite caterpillar DNA, turning them into

zombie bodyguards for larvae. Desert ants count their steps. Scientists even glued

tiny stilts to their legs. Dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way,

the only known insect astronomers on Earth. Cicadas emerge after seventeen years underground

on the exact same night. They sense the seasons passing, choosing their moment