Page 122 - Engineering in Nature

Engineering in Nature

Winter moths are among those animals with anti-freeze mecha-
nisms, yet they use proportionally less of it than other cold-hardy liv-
ing things.

The Specially Regulated Level of Anti-Freeze
As soon as the air reaches the necessary temperature for flight, the
winter moth needs to go into action. Yet in order for its internal anti-
freeze to have an effect on the entire insect, it needs to wait for rather
a long time. For that reason, the moth's level of anti-freeze is propor-
tionately lower than in other living things.
This amount has been regulated at such levels that when the tem-
perature reaches a danger point, the moth gains enough time to find a
warmer location. In experiments at Notre Dame University, John G.
Duman established that in moths slowly chilled in an ice-free envi-
39
ronment, the freezing point was as low as -22°C (-7.6°F). How did
this system in the moths come about? Who determined the anti-freeze
formula, and how is its level determined? Why do all winter moths,
without exception, have proportionately less anti-freeze than other
creatures?
It's impossible for the moth to know the chemical formula for nat-
ural anti-freeze, or to
produce it in the requi-
site quantities within its
own body. It needs to de-
termine the chemical,
eliminate its poisonous
effects and possess the
engineering knowledge
for each individual stage.
The winter moth is no

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