Ideas worth spreading

The fascinating physics of insect pee

1,254,013 views |

Saad Bhamla |

TEDMonterey

• August 2021

Scientist Saad Bhamla is on a mission to answer a question most people don't think to ask: How do insects pee? Taking inspiration from the incredible "butt flickers" of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Bhamla presents a fascinating study of the physics behind how bugs take care of business and invites us to be more curious about the seemingly mundane.

Scientist Saad Bhamla is on a mission to answer a question most people don't think to ask: How do insects pee? Taking inspiration from the incredible "butt flickers" of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Bhamla presents a fascinating study of the physics behind how bugs take care of business and invites us to be more curious about the seemingly mundane.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Visit the BhamlaLab website to learn about other curiosity-driven stories.

Dive deeper into the science behind this talk. Read 'Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect,' in Nature Communications.

About the speaker

Saad Bhamla

Curiosity-driven scientist

See speaker profile

Saad Bhamla studies biomechanics across species to engineer knowledge and tools that inspire curiosity.

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The Bhamla Lab of Extraordinary Organisms

The Bhamla Lab is a group of biophysicists and bioengineers who focus on cultivating an often overlooked attribute in science: curiosity.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Visit the BhamlaLab website to learn about other curiosity-driven stories.

Dive deeper into the science behind this talk. Read 'Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect,' in Nature Communications.