News1 min ago
jumping beans
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right i want proof im not mad, about 20 years ago or so i had these little bean shaped things that moved and jumped when you held them in the palm of your hand, does anyone remember them and if so what made them move? (Hurry i hear a canvas jacket)
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I saw a great TV program on this once. They are the seed of certain Mexican shrubs, especially those of the genus Sebastiania, of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), that contain larvae of a small olethreutid moth (Laspeyresia salitans). The movements of the larvae feeding on the pulp within the seed, which are intensified by warmth, give the seed the familiar jumping movement.
bobtheduck - the modern equivalent is these. Don't think the caught on quite as well in the UK, Sainsbury's flogged theirs @ � price click 4 beans