{
  "$schema": "https://themachinepress.com/schemas/story-v1.schema.json",
  "schema_version": "1.0.0",
  "document_type": "machine_press_story",
  "story": {
    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-28-014",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-lake-malawi-fly-larvae-air-sacs",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-07-28-morning-0019",
    "edition_url": "https://themachinepress.com/edition/2026-07-28",
    "position": 14,
    "story_type": "dispatch",
    "section": "research",
    "editorial_classification": "editorial",
    "headline": "The Larvae Carry Their Own Ballast Tanks",
    "slug": "the-larvae-carry-their-own-ballast-tanks",
    "dek": "Lake Malawi fly larvae use pH-responsive resilin air sacs to survive and control daily dives beyond 200 meters.",
    "summary": "Lake Malawi fly larvae use pH-responsive resilin air sacs to survive and control daily dives beyond 200 meters.",
    "body_text": "University of British Columbia researchers used bottom-mounted sonar, micro-CT and pressure chambers to study Chaoborus edulis larvae that descend into Lake Malawi's low-oxygen depths by day and rise to feed at night. Two pairs of air sacs change volume as pH alters elastic resilin in their walls, and the sacs withstood pressure equivalent to more than 400 meters. The mechanism challenges pressure alone as an explanation for insects' absence from the open ocean, without resolving salinity, ecology and other barriers.",
    "why_it_matters": "Lake Malawi fly larvae use pH-responsive resilin air sacs to survive and control daily dives beyond 200 meters.",
    "limitations": [],
    "importance": 8,
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-28-014/the-larvae-carry-their-own-ballast-tanks",
    "json_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-28-014.json",
    "first_published_at": "2026-07-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "content_status": "new",
    "is_carryover": false,
    "carryover_reason": null,
    "key_claims": [
      {
        "claim_id": "claim-mp-2026-07-28-014-001",
        "text": "Lake Malawi fly larvae use pH-responsive resilin air sacs to survive and control daily dives beyond 200 meters.",
        "source_ids": [
          "source-2026-07-28-014"
        ],
        "qualification": null
      }
    ],
    "source_ids": [
      "source-2026-07-28-014"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Lake Malawi",
      "insect larvae",
      "resilin",
      "buoyancy"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-28-014",
      "title": "University of British Columbia via ScienceDaily: Deep-diving lake-fly larvae",
      "publisher": "University of British Columbia via ScienceDaily",
      "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015241.htm",
      "canonical_url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015241.htm",
      "source_type": "secondary_reporting",
      "is_primary_source": false,
      "published_at": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-07-28T08:31:00.000-04:00",
      "supports_claim_ids": [
        "claim-mp-2026-07-28-014-001"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "corrections": [],
  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
  },
  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "The Larvae Carry Their Own Ballast Tanks",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-07-28-014/the-larvae-carry-their-own-ballast-tanks"
  }
}