In fact, Staack realized they could trim down the size of the upper bit of the claw. It may well become even more efficient, because the researchers need not faithfully follow the biology of the pistol shrimp. The result is a seafloor that’s so noisy, it can actually interfere with sonar. (An actual pistol shot produces around 150 decibels.) Some species even use the plasma blasts to carve out bits of reef for shelter. It uses its claw to hunt, sure, but also to communicate with short snaps that measure an insane 210 decibels. If all the pistol shrimp has is a plasma-blasting hammer, all the world indeed looks like a nail. That could find a range of underwater uses, once scientists have honed their version of one of evolution’s strangest inventions. Today in the journal Science Advances, researchers detail how they modeled a robotic claw after the pistol shrimp’s plasma gun to generate plasma of their own. Now scientists are learning how to wield this formidable force themselves. That’s right-an underwater creature that fits in the palm of your hand can, with a flick of its claw, weaponize a blast of insanely hot bubbles. As the two bits of the claw come together, bubbles form and then rapidly collapse, shooting out a bullet of plasma that in turn produces a flash of light and temperatures of 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At just a few inches long, it wields one proportionally sized claw and another massive one that snaps with such force the resulting shockwave knocks its prey out cold. Still, it's probably better than ending up as bird food.The pistol shrimp, aka the snapping shrimp, is a peculiar contradiction. The animal, which is also called the "hairy frog" or "horror frog," has to break its own bones to release its claws, which emerge directly through its skin. It's got retractable claws in its feet that it uses for defense-just like the goon art fights during his daughter-saving rescue mission.Īnd, much like Wolverine himself, the wolverine frog's ability comes at a painful cost. This frog's unique ability is probably a little easier to guess, given the fact that it was nicknamed in honor of one of the most famous comic book heroes of all time. The raindrops falling around him explode outwards like bullets, leveling the bad guys and leaving our heroes free to make their escape. When Art, Tracy, Frank, and adorable baby drug dealer Robin (Dominque Fishback), are surrounded by the evil defense contractors who kidnapped Tracy to exploit her abilities, Art takes Power, triggering his pistol shrimp abilities. That's right, Art-a man on a mission to rescue his unusually gifted daughter, Tracy-possesses the power of the mighty shrimp, and he uses it to save the day. As Art puts it in Project Power, "the shock waves rips the flesh right off the bone. This shrimp earned its evocative name thanks to its gun-like claw, which snaps closed underwater with such power that it makes a "bubble bullet" so powerful that it stuns the shrimp's prey and creates massive amounts of heat. At the climax of the film, Jamie Foxx's Art takes a Power Pill, and it activates an ability that's a little more complicated. Other Power users burst into flames, gain super strength, or are imbued with Mister Fantastic-style flexibility.īut some of the powers shown in the movie aren't quite as familiar. Luckily, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cop character Frank is on the case, and he gets five minutes of bullet-proof invulnerability when he pops a pill. One criminal has the chameleonic ability to blend into his surroundings, which he uses to rob a bank. The powers themselves are derived from traits found in the animal kingdom, and a lot of them are fairly intuitive. The Best Netflix Original Movies of 2020.
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