In addition to being an insect lover, I'm also a migraine sufferer. So, I was doubly excited to read about new research by biologists at Queen's University in Canada. Scientists have found a link between the brain disturbances experienced by migraine sufferers and those that occur in locusts under extreme conditions. Their findings could have implications for the treatment of migraines, as well as other conditions.

Queen's biologists are learning from locusts how the human brain may be manipulated to alleviate disease, including migraine.
Photo courtesy of Gary Armstrong

Certain brain disturbances, including migraines, strokes, and epilepsy, occur when nerve cells shut down. The Queen's research team noted a similar mechanism in locusts. When exposed to extreme conditions, such as high temperatures or low oxygen levels, the locust brain shuts down and the insect slips into a coma.

By using drugs that target one of the cellular signaling pathways in the brain, the researchers were able to prevent the locusts from falling into a comatose state. In other words, they successfully disrupted the mechanism that impacted the nerve cells.

"This suggests that similar treatments in humans might be able to modify the thresholds or severity of migraine and stroke," says Gary Armstrong, who is completing his PhD research in Biology professor Mel Robertson's laboratory.

Source: Queen's University

Follow me on Twitter.
Become a Facebook fan.

Find a new species and you earn the right to give it a name. Some scientists name their finds for themselves, ensuring their names and work live on in perpetuity. Others honor a favorite celebrity or mentor. But Bruce Walsh, a University of Arizona biologist, knew exactly who he would honor when he found a new moth high in the Chiricahuas range of southern Arizona.

This new moth species, Lithophane leeae, was named for the wife of the biologist who discovered it.
Photo: Bruce Walsh

Walsh found his new species using a light trap. Initially, he thought his find was a previously known silk moth and thought little of it. But upon further examination, he realized it belonged to a different family entirely. The new moth, a Lithophane moth of the noctuid family, has bright pink hindwings, unusual for the generally drab noctuids. DNA testing confirmed the pink moth is a previously unknown species.

Walsh's wife has an affinity for the color pink, and it's not every day you find a new species. So Walsh did the most romantic thing a biologist can do – he named his moth after his wife, Lee. The discovery was officially unveiled as Lithophane leeae in the journal Zoo Keys. Now that's love.

Follow me on Twitter.
Become a Facebook fan.

Another Wednesday, another mystery insect for you to identify. I post this weekly exercise, dubbed "Bug of the Week," to introduce you to insects you may never have seen before, and as a fun way to practice insect identification. This week's bug is a little tricky - it looks like one thing, but really is another. Need a few clues to help you ID it? Check the forum for hints. Post a comment with your answer to this challenge, and next Wednesday I'll let you know if you were right.

Last week's mystery bug was indeed a hickory horned devil, as Mobugs41, Moni, Nick, and ear541 answered. Congratulations to all of you. The hickory horned devil is the larvae of a moth which goes by several names, including the regal moth and the royal walnut moth. The caterpillar feeds on the foliage of several trees, including hickories and walnuts, as you might have guessed.

Photo: Flickr user Charles & Clint

Follow me on Twitter.
Become a Facebook fan.

Last May, a postal worker in the Philadelphia area grew suspicious of a package from Thailand that was making unusual scratching sounds. The box was labeled "jellies and toys," which just didn't fit the noises she heard. Postal inspectors x-rayed the package, and discovered 25 enormous beetles.

One of the enormous Asian beetles shipped to a Pennsylvania post office last May.
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Marc Dilullo, a 36-year-old man from Exeter Township, eventually pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing the exotic beetles. Experts from the Department of Agriculture say the enormous beetles, had they escaped from Dilullo's possession, could have done tremendous damage to fruit and vegetable crops. Mr. Dilullo received a sentence of 3 months' probation, and had to pay a $5,000 fine for his bug smuggling activities.

But what became of the beetles? They're no longer alive, but Mr. Dilullo's exotic collection will now reside at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The confiscated Coleopterans are quite valuable among beetle collectors, and entomologists at the museum are excited to have these specimens in the Smithsonian collection.

Follow me on Twitter.
Become a Facebook fan.