Meet the Bug You Didn’t Know You Were Eating | Deep Look

The cochineal is a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico. Female cochineals spend most of their lives with their heads buried in juicy cactus pads, eating and growing. After cochineals die, their legacy lives on in the brilliant red hue produced by their hemolymph. Dyes made from cochineal have been used in textiles, paintings, and even in your food! Please join our community on PATREON! DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED in San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. — The cochineal, a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico, is known for the vibrant crimson color it produces. This color comes from carminic acid in its hemolymph, a fluid equivalent to blood in other organisms. As nymphs,