...confidence set to "maximum", who’d alternate between smashing balls and furiously typing on his Macbook laptop.
Whenever there was a lull in the game or the feasting, he’d jump into conversations like a beetle diving headfirst into... well, let’s just say unconventional hydration methods. I finally blurted out, "Who are you?" The answer? Kenneth Veland Halberg, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, a man who spends his days uncovering the secret lives, and hidden superpowers of the most species-rich creatures on Earth: insects. Armed with a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Renal Physiology, he casually dropped the most mind-blowing fact I’d heard in years: "Beetles drink through their butts."
Turns out, Kenneth is a bug whisperer who’s uncovered one of nature’s most rear-guarded secrets. While we’re busy chugging water bottles, beetles are out there, sipping moisture through their rectums with such efficiency that their stool comes out drier than a comedian’s humor. Their secret? A multi-organ superpower, a modified rectum and kidneys that work like a built-in desalination plant, pumping salts and sucking moisture from the air or even their own waste. A gene in their rectums, sixty times more active than anywhere else in their bodies, makes this possible.
We bonded over my aggressive, borderline illegal driving to the padel courts (he survived, so I call it a win). Since then, I’ve visited him at the university to geek out over his research, and occasionally, we still meet up for a game of padel or a night out at a mutual friend’s private club.
But why should you care? Because Kenneth’s work isn’t just about beetle butts - it’s about finding smarter ways to stop pests without poisoning the planet, an idea he’s now turning into reality through his spinout company, Yngvi Bio (yngvi.bio).. By understanding how these insects stay hydrated, we could develop eco-friendly insecticides that target only the bad guys (like crop-destroying beetles) while sparing the bees and butterflies. In other words, this research could help us save our food supply and our conscience.
So next time you’re parched, spare a thought for the beetle. It’s out there, thriving on nothing but air, grit, and the occasional rectum-based sip. Hydration goals, anyone?
Read more about Yngvi Bio here