Dissolved to Be Remade

Inside a chrysalis, something almost unthinkable takes place. A caterpillar doesn't simply grow wings — it dissolves. The creature releases digestive enzymes that break down its own tissue into a rich, biological soup. Nearly everything that made it a caterpillar is liquefied. What remains are tiny clusters called imaginal cells — dormant structures present all along, waiting. These cells draw on the dissolved material to build something the caterpillar never was: a creature with compound eyes, new legs, and wings capable of crossing continents.…