I didn’t need a lengthy, probably tax-funded research study to know why. All one has to do is examine the darned things when you remove them.
Stephanie Crofts and Philip Anderson of the University of Illinois put the spines of six species of cactus to the test to see how the spines’ structure affects their function, including their ability to puncture animal skin. Their results, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, show that the microstructural traits that improve a spine’s ability to puncture flesh also increase the level of difficulty required to remove it.
Okay, so what does this conclude? That you should avoid the darned things so you don’t get pricked. Doncha love stuff like this?
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