Starfish Eject Microchips

I imagine it’s very uncomfortable to have a foreign body injected into you. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could maneuver the darned thing without harming your organs, and then safely spit it out through a finger?

Well, that’s what starfish are doing. Researchers injected magnets and tracking devices into starfish and observed how the echinoderm moved it around its body, eventually eliminating it via one of its arms. You can watch the video and read the abstract of the publication. Many unanswered questions remain, suggesting that we can learn a lot from these beautiful creatures about maintaining biological integrity.