veryy interesting. shows a completely new side of history i was blind to
Question:
Why didn’t insects evolve to be bigger?
Answer from ChatGPT:
Insects didn’t evolve to be significantly larger primarily due to several biological, environmental, and physiological constraints:
1. Respiratory System Limitations
- Tracheal System: Insects breathe through a network of tiny tubes called tracheae, which directly deliver oxygen to their tissues. As an insect’s size increases, the efficiency of this system decreases because diffusion, the primary method of oxygen transport in tracheae, is effective only over short distances. Larger insects would struggle to get enough oxygen to their cells.
2. Exoskeleton Constraints
- Structural Integrity: Insects have an exoskeleton made of chitin, which supports and protects their body. As size increases, the exoskeleton would need to be thicker and heavier to support the insect’s weight. This would make the insect less mobile and require more energy to move, which could be unsustainable.
3. Circulatory System Limitations
- Open Circulatory System: Insects have an open circulatory system, where blood (hemolymph) is not confined to vessels but bathes the organs directly. This system is less efficient at transporting nutrients and removing waste in larger organisms, placing a limit on how large insects can grow.
4. Environmental Factors
- Oxygen Levels: During the Carboniferous period, around 300 million years ago, atmospheric oxygen levels were much higher (around 35% compared to today’s 21%). This allowed insects like giant dragonflies to grow much larger. However, as oxygen levels decreased, the size of insects also reduced because the lower oxygen levels could not support larger body sizes.
5. Predation and Competition
- Vulnerability: Larger insects would be more vulnerable to predators due to their slower movements and the energy demands of maintaining a larger body. Additionally, they would face more competition for resources with other large organisms, making survival more challenging.
6. Developmental and Reproductive Challenges
- Metamorphosis: The process of molting, where insects shed their exoskeleton to grow, becomes more difficult and risky as size increases. Larger insects would take longer to mature and could face higher mortality during molting, making it less likely for large size to be a successful evolutionary strategy.
These factors combined have prevented insects from evolving to be much larger, keeping their sizes relatively small compared to other animal groups.
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And the epic music in this one makes it actually exciting to watch rofl 
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I just learned a new term, the “Office Siren” lmao…