{"id":1634,"date":"2019-03-17T22:11:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T05:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/communicatingscience2019w211\/?p=1634"},"modified":"2019-03-17T22:14:55","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T05:14:55","slug":"snapping-shrimps-creates-plasma-with-its-claws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/communicatingscience2019w211\/2019\/03\/17\/snapping-shrimps-creates-plasma-with-its-claws\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapping Shrimps Creates Plasma With its Claws!"},"content":{"rendered":"

SNAP!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

A snap from a snapping shrimp<\/a> (Alpheus formosus, sometimes known as the Pistol Shrimp<\/em> ) can create extreme pressures<\/a> that will produce temperatures that can reach thousands of degrees Celsius, producing plasma (a state of matter beyond gas which can occur when gas is energized).<\/p>\n

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The menacing snapping shrimp staring straight ahead. Source: Rodger Klein\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The Stone Cold Stunner of the Sea<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The effects from a snapping shrimps claw creates shockwaves that can stun its prey instantly. As the claw closes, bubbles form and collapse shooting a stream of plasma that can even create a flash of light <\/a>with scorching temperatures! This technique is mainly used to stun prey or to hollow out rocks and coral for its home.\u00a0 These shrimps are quite tough, you better think twice before calling someone a shrimp.<\/p>\n

Researchers utilize this knowledge<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers can also create plasma underwater with the use of lasers; however, using a claw to generate plasma is about 10 times more efficient<\/a> than previous methods.\u00a0 From scans of a snapping shrimp’s claw, researchers recreated their own working claw with 3D printing technology that matches the snap of the real thing.<\/p>\n