When a luthier chooses wood for a violin, he generally uses
maple for the back and ribs in part because the dramatic stripes or “flame”
will give the finished product greater value. I’ve read zebras benefit from
their stripes because the vivid black and white patterns deter biting flies and
not, as I was taught, because they dazzle predators. Apparently, scientists
still believe tigers’ stripes make them more effective carnivores. Maybe that’s
because no one wants to get close enough to tigers to see if biting flies are
also avoiding them. People are striped, as well. We’re all covered with very
subtle V-shaped patterns on our backs, S lines on our chests and sides, and
whorls on our heads. Most of us will never see our own stripes unless we have a
skin disease or spend time under ultraviolet light. I do wish human stripes
were more visible, if only because it might give us a break from gnats and
mosquitoes.
No comments:
Post a Comment