via GIPHY

Imagine trying to bend an inflated bicycle tire tube in half. It’s a bit difficult, though not impossible. When you let go, the pressure inside snaps the tube back to its normal shape, as if spring-loaded.

What you’re doing when you bend the tube is essentially storing energy inside it, to be released all at once when you let go. The trick isn’t very useful when it comes to bike tires, of course, but scientists have found that a species of midge has a unique way to put this tech