Reader Digest Version Global
Oct 01, 2012 05:48 PM EDT

Teeny Barcodes Tracked Mating Habits of Bees

by Diane Dragan

Scan this: October 7 is the 60th anniversary of the barcode, those ubiquitous sets of black lines/white spaces that give manufacturers a way to track goods, and consumers a way to learn more about them. (Hello, QR code.) I’m a sucker for good tech trivia, and thanks to this handy infographic created by Wasp Barcode Technologies to celebrate the anniversary, I now know:

•The world’s smallest barcodes were attached to bees by researchers, in order to better track the insects’ mating habits.

Well, as anyone who’s used the Internet can attest, you can’t stop at just one factoid.

•If the bees carried the smallest bar codes, then this crop circle, cut by a Canadian farmer into a cornfield, marks the largest one on record (via Smithsonian.com).

•You can take your barcode into the afterlife. QR codes are now being engraved or set into headstones; visitors can scan with their smartphones to get a digital memorial of the deceased (via ABCNews.go.com).

•And, a fast pop-culture roundup, the DeLorean in Back to the Future sported a barcode license plate (it was rumored that Steve Jobs did, too); there are

We also recommend:

Mel Brooks Tells Funny Stories, and His Favorite Joke

Suddenly, Mel Brooks is hot …again! At age 86, the writer/director of such comedy classics as The Producers, Blazing Saddles… Read More >>

Larry the Cable Guy's Funniest Episodes

Larry the Cable Guy as an honorary beekeeper on the History Channel's “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy.” Thanks… Read More >>

Health Shocker: Why Water Is Making You Fat

You might not be surprised to see water at the top of the list of ingredients in soups. After all, soup does require a lot of… Read More >>

RD Recommends

Your Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus