Welcome to The Sciku Project – the latest scientific and mathematical discoveries, thoughts and ideas as scientific haiku.
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Sonic Booms Fired from the Reef by Douglas J. Lanzo
spit-fired flames
by Douglas J. Lanzo
the coral-creviced crackling
of shrimp
If you’ve ever snorkeled over a reef and heard strange crackling sounds, chances are that you were tuning in to one of the most remarkable creatures of the reef: snapping shrimp.
As soon as a reef snapping shrimp spots its prey, such as a small goby, hermit crab or bristle worm, it springs into action, pulling back its upper claw into an open position akin to cocking the hammer of a pistol. Upon releasing a specialized, latching joint, its claw finger slams shut in less than a millisecond, ejecting water from its socket at speeds of up to 100 km/hour. The intense speed of this water jet shears the water apart, creating a cavitation bubble whose implosion produces a sonic shockwave of over 200 decibels in acoustic pressure, instantly killing the stunned prey.
As if these feats of physics were not enough, the shrimp’s snap also produces an intense burst of light called sonoluminescence whose temperature for a few nanoseconds approaches the temperature on the surface of the sun.
Further reading:
To learn more about this spectacular hunting technique, check out BBC Earth (Weird Nature): Pistol Shrimp Superheats Water!, BBC Earth (Richard Hammond’s Invisible Worlds): Pistol Shrimp’s Cavitation Bubble and the incredible footage capturing over 10,000 frames per second of The Patek Lab (Duke University).
Author bio:
Doug is an award-winning writer whose novel The Year of the Bear and novella I Have Lived were named 2023 and 2024 books of the year, respectively. 589 of Doug’s poems have found homes in 79 literary journals, 9 anthologies and 2 books all around the world. His Author’s website is www.douglaslanzo.com.
Plum Blossom by Sarah Das Gupta
Blossoming plum in a moonlit garden
by Sarah Das Gupta
flower falls lightly on a royal forehead
even a princess’s beauty enhanced
| Botanical name: | Prunus mume |
| Popular names: | Plum Blossom, Meihua (China) |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Origin: | Area round Yangtze River, spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam |
| Habitat: | Found in sparse forests, at edge of trails up to 3,100m. Sunny position, fertile soil, no water logging, blossom subject to frost damage. |
The national flower of China, the Plum blossom, starts to flower in late winter, early spring. Colours range through white, pink and red. The blossom has a characteristic fragrance. In China there are over 300 recorded cultivars.
Plum blossom plays an important symbolic role in Confucianism and Daoism. It represents the Five Virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. The trees often bloom in adverse conditions which perhaps explains the flowers’ association with resilience and perseverance.
In Chinese art and calligraphy this blossom is often celebrated. It is the subject of classical poetry in the work of Wang Anshi and Lin Bu.
Further reading:
‘The Plum and Its Cultivation’, 2011, Bagenal, N.B., Cope Press, ISBN: 9781446537268
Author bio:
Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.
The Sound of a Worm by Kelly Westhoff
in this noisy world
by Kelly Westhoff
robins tune out everything
and listen for worms
Robins can often be seen hopping around the grassy lawns of parks and homes hunting for earthworms. But worms live underground, so how do robins know where they are? Robins can hear them! Well, not exactly. Worms don’t make noise, but their movements underground do stir up soil and roots and leaves, and that’s what robins can hear.
If you watch a robin hunt, you’ll likely notice that it will often pause and cock its head. Researchers think this is when a robin is “listening” for worms. In the past, scientists thought robins could see grass shift as a worm passed underneath and that this was how they found their prey.
However, in the 1990s, scientists captured some robins and created a variety of scenarios, like hiding worms deep in dirt under a layer of cardboard and playing loud music while robins hunted. The robins had the hardest time finding worms when their hearing was compromised, leading the scientists to believe the birds rely on their ears more than their eyes while seeking worms. When the study was done, all the robins were released back into the wild.
Further reading:
‘How Do American Robins Find Worms? Behold the Rich Sensory World of Birds’, 2026, McGlashen, A., Audubon Magazine, available: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-do-american-robins-find-worms-behold-rich-sensory-world-of-birds
Author bio:
Kelly Westhoff loves fitting words into the 5-7-5 format of traditional haiku. For her, haiku is a practice in mindfulness. She enjoys discovering parallels between her life and nature. She lives in Minnesota where the ever-changing seasons are a constantly-renewing source of inspiration. Find more of her haiku on Instagram @KellyWesthoffWrites.
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