I See Through You

For decades, scientists have been baffled by insects' respiratory system.  For decades, scientists knew that insects did not have any lungs, which raised questions such as "how can they breathe without lungs?"  Due to advances in technology, they have been able to see insects' respiratory system in action.

Before scientists could see how insects breathe, they had to figure out how to see through the insects exoskeleton.  To do this, they used a synchrotron.  A synchrotron is a type of cyclic particle accelerator in which a magnetic and electrical field are synced with the beam of particles.  The synchrotron produces the world's most intense X-rays, which is perfect for seeing through the insects' exoskeleton.  Synchrotrons are mostly used in chemistry and for medical imaging.

By using the synchrotron, scientists were able to observe the insects' respiratory system.  They concluded that insects use a system of breathing tubes, called tracheae, to transport oxygen to and from different parts of their body, similar to the way our blood transports oxygen though our arteries.  The tracheae connect  breathing holes on the insects' exoskeleton.  In addition to the tracheae and the breathing holes, insects also have small air sacs that help pump air throughout the body. 

This advance has opened many windows in entomology, the study of insects.  This kind of technology will allow scientists to see how insects' circulatory system works.  Unfortunately, this kind of technology won't be used on "advanced" animals.

Image of insect in  synchrotron.

http://ipm.osu.edu/trans/013_242.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchrotron