Page 34 - Never Plead Ignorance

32 NEVER PLEAD IGNORANCE

Fireflies, excelling modern technology, with their inherent
systems.

their bodies protecting them against freezing cold. This anti-freeze ma-
teriel replaces water in blood cells, preventing the tissues from damage
caused by ice-crystals. 5
There is an important feature of the light emitted by fireflies: this
light has no heat, a condition called "cold light." In today's world, this

would be considered a major technological breakthrough and is largely
thought unattainable. An ordinary bulb transforms only 3-4% of its elec-
trical energy into light. The remainder is transformed into heat. Fireflies,
however, transform 100% of its energy into light, without the dissipation
of any in the form of heat. 6
Diving tanks in a submarine filled with water make the submarine
heavier than water, enabling it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. If water
in the tank is emptied by pressurised air, the submarine floats again.
Nautilus, a marine animal, also employs exactly the same method. A spi-
ral organ shaped like a snail shell, and 19 cm in diameter, Nautilus em-
bodies 28 interconnected "diving cells". How does Nautilus, then, find the
pressurised air necessary to expel the water? Hard to believe, but
Nautilus, through biochemical means, produces a special gas, which is
conveyed to the cells through its bloodstream. This gas eventually expels
the water in the cells. Nautilus pumps out the amount of water necessary
to sink or float and hence performs essential functions like hunting or pro-
tecting itself against its enemies. A submarine dives to 400 metres while a