Uploaded June 2015 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Each week, Tom chooses an article from the New York Times science section and translates it into a rap verse. This week, he explores what a bioluminescent millipede from California can tell us about evolution.
"What Glows in the Dark and Dispenses Cyanide?" by David Frank and James Goreman in The New York Times: goo.gl/mt8qvM
“Discovery of a glowing millipede in California and the gradual evolution of bioluminescence in Diplopoda," published in PNAS, by Paul Marek (Virginia Tech) and Wendy Moore (Arizona): goo.gl/u75tBl
"Watch These Millipedes Glow in the Dark" (Millipede footage) by National Geographic: goo.gl/VsBhTK
Video by 3Motion Creative
Full lyrics:
I'm a millipede.
I'm a New World milli-a-pede.
Glow like dim lights (only faintly).
But my cousins, you should see,
glowing like Christmas tree.
These species are luminescent. Bold and blue they’re so impressive.
And that glow sends a message
Predators are taught a lesson.
Cyanide carries a warning sign. But that's so complex
And evolution is so gradual. Glowing could have been a casual
Byproduct of their metabo. Data from the la-la-labo,
from V Tech and Arizona scientists, just might inform you
That a complicated feature like aposematic warning
Could have sta-sta-sta-started as something much more simple
I'm from San Luis Obispo, I know I don't luminous so
Well, but I am evidence of how a trait from our ancestor.
Could have become more complejo at so gradual a tempo.
Millipedes might kill. That's why we glow teal.
Each week, Tom chooses an article from the New York Times science section and translates it into a rap verse. This week, he explores what a bioluminescent millipede from California can tell us about evolution.
"What Glows in the Dark and Dispenses Cyanide?" by David Frank and James Goreman in The New York Times: goo.gl/mt8qvM
“Discovery of a glowing millipede in California and the gradual evolution of bioluminescence in Diplopoda," published in PNAS, by Paul Marek (Virginia Tech) and Wendy Moore (Arizona): goo.gl/u75tBl
"Watch These Millipedes Glow in the Dark" (Millipede footage) by National Geographic: goo.gl/VsBhTK
Video by 3Motion Creative
Full lyrics:
I'm a millipede.
I'm a New World milli-a-pede.
Glow like dim lights (only faintly).
But my cousins, you should see,
glowing like Christmas tree.
These species are luminescent. Bold and blue they’re so impressive.
And that glow sends a message
Predators are taught a lesson.
Cyanide carries a warning sign. But that's so complex
And evolution is so gradual. Glowing could have been a casual
Byproduct of their metabo. Data from the la-la-labo,
from V Tech and Arizona scientists, just might inform you
That a complicated feature like aposematic warning
Could have sta-sta-sta-started as something much more simple
I'm from San Luis Obispo, I know I don't luminous so
Well, but I am evidence of how a trait from our ancestor.
Could have become more complejo at so gradual a tempo.
Millipedes might kill. That's why we glow teal.
