woolly bears-- sheepishly--

[Woody Woods]

OK Anne, Phyllis, Bill-- I'LL TALK!!

...though, I did say that I had only a suspicion! Hopefully Anne's miscreant
little wanderer is explained by a rare recessive allele rather than by
underlying truth...

My suspicion is that woolly bears may proceed at right angles to an edge-- a
distinct one, something shorter than they are, something they can sense
easily. Perhaps that is, more often than not in nature, the direction of the
shortest route across a barrier (it certainly is on our roads).

I hadn't thought about this for years but mean to test it next year! If I
publish it I'll likely win an IgNobel Prize!

My uncle first asked me about this years ago, figuring that I was a
biologist and therefore knew everything. Yes, I told him the truth: he's an
electrical engineer, so his guess is as good as mine...

Woody

*************************************************
William A. Woods Jr.
Department of Biology
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd
Boston, MA 02125

Lab: 617-287-6642
Fax: 617-287-6650
*************************************************


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