We finally know how millipedes have sex, thanks to glowing genitals
Millipedes are usually too shy to mate above ground, but this species has no issue getting it on in a petri dish. (Stephanie Ware, Field Museum/)After much anticipation, we now know exactly how millipedes have sex. With the help of imaging techniques that take advantage of glowing millipede tissues, researchers have illuminated this arthropod’s intricate mating process. This finding marks the conclusion of a nearly 80-year quest to uncover the millipede’s genital structure.After a pair of millipedes started getting it on, researchers from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago scanned both individuals and one male-female pair in an electron microscope. They also captured dozens of photos at slightly varying angles on a digital camera. By layering them digitally, they were able to clarify tiny genital details. They photographed the millipedes in both natural and ultraviolet lights, since their genitals glow under UV lighting. In a press release, the...