Donate

Justin O.Schmidt

Bullet Ant

Can you describe the pain of an insect bite? A new book could help.

Science

Do you remember the last time you were stung by a honeybee? Would you say that it felt “burning and corrosive?” Or more like “a flaming match head quenched first by lye, then by sulfuric acid?” Could you assign the pain a numerical value? A new book ranks the pain associated with bee and ant stings and provides helpfully poetic ways of describing them.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.

This is The World

The World is a public radio program and podcast that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter.

Follow The World

Subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast for free using your favorite podcast player: