Autotomy:
In the poem, Szymborska reflects on the creature’s process of autotomy, casting off a part of the body while under threat, through the lens of survival and mortality. [Poets & Writers]
Specializing in the whimsical selection of non-authoritative sources.
Noted in the Feedback column of NewScientist (24 September 2022, paywall), which, in this particular case, concerned itself, concerningly, with the Ig Nobel prizes for this year. Or perhaps 1986. I’m not sure.
The Biology prize went to Solimary García-Hernández and Glauco Machado. They studied whether constipation affects the mating prospects of scorpions and, if so, how. The scorpions’ plight arises when they respond to a predator’s attack by discarding their tail segments – an action called autotomy. García-Hernández and Machado explain: “After autotomy, individuals lose nearly 25% of their body mass and the last portion of the digestive tract, including the anus, which prevents defecation and leads to constipation.” Despite which, love, or whatever you call it, finds a way.
