An accidental explosion of luck!

Bombardier beetles are ground beetles that are found in every continent in the world except Antarctica. They have a unique defence mechanism: it squirts a boiling toxic chemical solution at its enemies from its rear! The chemical can cause injury, or atleast confuse bigger predators for a while.

The Bombardier beetle has two chambers within its abdomen: a large inner reservoir, where two chemicals- hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide collect; and a smaller outer “vestibule” or “explosion chamber”, which contains the enzymes(peroxidase and catalase) needed to activate the chemicals, and an opening to the outside near the anus.

When threatened, a small hinged door of muscle opens up between the two chambers, forcing the chemicals to mix with the enzymes, and this explosive mixture is then sprayed outside at a temperature of 212 O F or 100 O C.

Why doesn’t the beetle blow up? The chemicals do not react unless acted upon by the enzymes, and the environment within the reservoir does not provide sufficient energy for reaction.

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Jenny Sparks grimaced as her excited father held up her school report card. “This is wonderful, Jenny! I was always worried if you would ever make it this far!” he said. “You’re in the top 5% of your class—this means you can take the science stream in high school!”

Jenny’s heart sank. This was exactly what she had been dreading. She wasn’t extremely bad at math or science, but she preferred to study languages, culture and history, which her scientist father did not approve of. Her older brother, James, was already doing his Majors in Science, and he was quite smug about “following in his father’s footsteps”.

Jenny would have happily failed her science exams had it not been for the fact that she didn’t want to lose the chance of studying the course of her choice. So she had put in extra effort to be one among the class toppers— which, unfortunately, her father misunderstood as her passion for science.

“Dad”, said Jenny in a small voice. “I don’t want to be in the science stream. You know I’m much better at French, and History, and—”

“That’s enough, Jenny”, her father frowned, cutting her off. “We’ve gone over this a hundred times, and my decision is final.”

He got up and walked out of the room, annoyed. Jenny’s eyes filled up with tears. Why couldn’t Dad understand? She was not like James, who could rattle off formulae and elements of the periodic table in his sleep. She had had to work very hard just to score decent marks in her exams.

James sailed in just then. “Looks like you’re not that much of a loser after all”, he grinned. “But be prepared to fail in all your science exams!”

“Oh, just shut up, would you!” Jenny was in tears. She stormed out, while James’ taunts followed her all the way up to her room. Jenny spent the entire day crying. But her father would not budge from his decision. At last, tired of arguing, Jenny gave in.

Jenny’s knees shook as she walked into her science class on the first day of high school. Her father, who had come to drop her off, said, “You better do well”, with the usual frown on his face. Jenny walked in, praying that it shouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.

After three hours of lecture, of which Jenny understood nothing, the class was led to the chemistry lab outside in the school garden, a dank, musty place that had creepers growing in at the windows.“Now, class”, the teacher droned. “Watch me as I perform this experiment. Here we have a beaker of Hydrochloric acid…”

Jenny’s attention drifted. Her workbench was near the window, and she glanced outside. There was a lot of activity going on in the garden, and three or four gardeners were sweating it out. “Hey, cut those bushes there, you!” cried a tall, muscular man with an unkempt beard. “You there! Uproot those weeds! Turn over those stones!”

“Ah! Something’s stung me!” cried the one who had overturned the stones, as he hopped around on one foot. “It’s burning!”

“Stop playing the fool, Wilson!” rebuked the tall man. “There’s work to be done around here!”

The man named Wilson bent over a shrub again, cursing and muttering. His foot seemed to hurt him badly, but he limped around, trying to do his work. Jenny was just about to close the window when she saw a brown-and-black beetle crawling in. “Oh, how pretty!” she thought, as she watched it come in and settle down behind the flask of distilled water at the corner of her bench.

“Oh, the poor thing”, thought Jenny, “must have been driven away by those gardeners. Never mind, I’ll make its new home comfortable for it.” And Jenny proceeded to place a few more bottles containing chemicals in front of the flask, so that the beetle now had a neat little hiding place.

A few minutes later, another beetle crawled in, and Jenny watched as it joined the first. Then came a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth…

“Miss Jenny Sparks!” a shrill voice startled Jenny out of her reverie.

Jenny looked up to find the entire class staring at her, and the annoyed teacher walking up to her.

“You haven’t done any work so far! Explain the principle of this experiment!” the teacher thundered. Jenny hung her head. What could she do? She had not understood a word of it!

“Miss Sparks, we expect better from a student who has such a distinguished scientist for a father and an exceptionally brilliant ex-student as her brother. I’m sorry to find that you resemble neither of them in your intelligence or passion for the subject”, the teacher chided.

“You will complete this experiment today and only then, may you leave the class!”

The rest of the class giggled. Jenny felt miserable. Here she was, bungling up on the very first day!

Jenny started with her experiment, but unfortunately, nothing she did worked. The other students finished their work and traipsed out in twos and threes, and only poor Jenny was left at her workbench.

It was well past school time, and soon enough, James appeared. He turned on his charming smile at the teacher, and walked into the lab confidently.

“What are you still doing here in the lab, you dunderhead?” he hissed. “Everyone’s gone home. Can’t you do a simple experiment?”

“I can’t help it”, Jenny hissed back. “I didn’t understand a word of what was taught today. And this acid, it seems too strong; I’m scared to add it... ”

“Move aside you idiot”, said James, shoving Jenny to a side, and reached out for the flask of distilled water.

“No, don’t touch it”, said Jenny urgently. “There are beetles –“

But James paid no heed. “You need to—”

But before he could utter a word more, loud popping sounds were heard, like miniature explosions, and James screamed in pain. “Ah, my hand! It’s been burnt! Ooohhh !!” A bewildered Jenny stood aside. “You… you did this to me on purpose”, shouted James, seething in fury. “Wait till Dad hears about this!”

But unable to tolerate the sharp pain, James crashed into the table next to Jenny’s, upsetting several containers of chemicals. And what was worse, they caught fire!

“Fire!” cried the flabbergasted teacher, while Jenny and James made a quick exit. The fire engine arrived soon enough, and the blaze was doused out, but the school laboratory was gutted in the fire.

That night, Jenny’s father was graver than usual. “I send you for a course you do not like, so you take revenge by blowing up the entire school chemistry lab? What kind of behaviour is this? We’re lucky the school doesn’t want to press charges.”

Her father pointed to James’ hand which was now covered in yellowish- brown spots. “He says you set him up”, he continued. “Hydroquinone and Hydrogen peroxide. Think I can’t make out? What do you take me for?”
Jenny knew it was useless to explain. How could she say it was the beetles’ mischief? She trembled in fear, wondering what punishment she would have to face.

“Pah! Forget science. Go and learn your languages and history”, grumbled her father, as he marched off sullenly, and Jenny finally smiled.