Locusts May Hold Key to Treating Migraines
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
Biologist Honors Wife with New Moth Find
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.
Bug of the Week - July 1, 2009
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
Smuggled Beetles Sent to the Smithsonian
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.
Another Home Blown to Bits by Bug Bomb Use
A tenant in Citrus Heights, California successfully removed the cockroaches infesting his apartment by setting off no less than 10 "bug bombs." Unfortunately, he also successfully removed his apartment from the town of Citrus Heights, along with the homes of two other families living in the building.
Fire officials believe a refrigerator caused a spark that ignited the highly flammable pesticide in the air. The resulting explosion sent glass flying across the street, and separated the walls from the roof of the multi-unit dwelling.
How many times can I say this, people? If you're using one of those indoor "bug bombs," you must both read and follow the directions on the label. They aren't recommendations. They aren't suggestions. The directions are both legal requirements of the product's use and important steps to insure your safety.
So let's review what went wrong here. First, unless you just bought Aaron Spelling's mansion, you will never need 10 bug bombs in one residence. Apartments typically require just a single defogger, and larger homes might require two at most. Second, any and all potential sources of sparks must be turned off prior to detonating these flammable pesticides indoors. That includes stoves and water heaters, as well as appliances that cycle on and off, like air conditioners or refrigerators.
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Source: The Modesto Bee
NYC Beekeepers Want "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy Changed
For decades, beekeepers have maintained hives on rooftops and fire escapes throughout the Big Apple. Most people don't even notice the honey bees coming and going from their hives in the sky, headed to forage on flowers in neighborhood parks and vacant lot gardens. Some urban beekeepers even sell their honey at local farmers' markets.
Technically, these urban beekeepers are breaking the law. A NYC ordinance bans anyone from keeping certain exotic animals, and the law includes bees among the forbidden. But until now, the City and its beekeepers have functioned under a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" system of enforcement.
Recently, a handful of complaints from residents have prompted the City to fine some otherwise law-abiding beekeepers, and to remove their hives. The urban apiarists think it's time to overturn "don't ask, don't tell" and make beekeeping legal, once and for all.
To this end, a dozen or so beekeepers outed themselves at City Hall on Tuesday, as they rallied to demand the legalization of their honey bee hobby. They hope New York City will soon join other cities that permit beekeeping, usually with a licensing requirement.
What do you think? Should cities be able to ban beekeeping?
More Headlines About Beekeeping Bans:
Source: Associated Press
Bug of the Week - June 24, 2009
This week's bug of the week is a beauty, isn't it? If you know the name of this unusual caterpillar, post a comment with your answer here. Not sure what it is? I've posted a few clues in the forum to help you with the ID. As always, check back next Wednesday for the correct answer. Anyone who identified the bug of the week correctly will be acknowledged in the next challenge.
Congratulations to Mobugs41 and to Greg for correctly identifying last week's mystery insect, the death's head cockroach, Blaberus craniifer. This unusual looking roach is a native of Cuba, but is now established in Key West, Florida and other parts of the Caribbean, too. It gets its name from the "death mask" markings on the pronotum. Death's head roaches are quite large, and are often raised for use in insect exhibits and museums for this reason.
Photo: Tom Coleman, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org
Bite Me With Dr. Mike Premiers Tonight on the Travel Channel
Bite Me with Dr. Mike, a new show premiering tonight on the Travel Channel, brings a new twist to the "science guy risks life and limb to film dangerous critters" genre of television shows. Think National Geographic meets Jackass.
Photo courtesy the Travel Channel
Dr. Mike Leahy, a former motorcycle mechanic who earned a Ph.D. in virology from Oxford, travels the globe in search of critters that want to suck, bite, sting or feed on his body. And when he finds them, he lets them do it. I hope this guy has had a lot of vaccinations and carries a big first aid kit on location.
The premier episode takes Dr. Mike to Brazil, in search of the worst that country has to offer an adventurous traveler. Among the insects and other tiny terrors Dr. Mike encounters in Brazil: fire ants, which send him to an emergency room; a wandering spider, whose bite causes an embarrassing side effect which I won't describe here; bullet ants, believed to cause the most painful sting on Earth; and assassin bugs, vectors of Chagas disease.
Watch a sneak preview of Dr. Mike on Youtube, and then tune in to the Travel Channel tonight at 10 pm to see the premier of Bite Me with Dr. Mike.
Calcium Crucial to Long Term Memory in Honey Bees
Calcium provides the trigger enabling honey bees to remember what they have learned, according to research just published in the journal BMC Biology. Researchers manipulated the concentration of calcium within cells of the honey bee brain to see how calcium ions might affect memory and learning.
Photo: © Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images
Scientists studied a learned behavior in the bees, extension of the proboscis in response to olfactory stimuli associated with food. Three days after decreasing calcium levels during learning, the bees stopped responding to the odor, and three days after increasing calcium during learning, bees' response to the odor were stronger.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the CNRS, the Université de Toulouse and the French Calcium Research Network, led by Jean-Christophe Sandoz.
Giant Water Bug Named Father of the Year
The giant water bug received this year's "Bug Father of the Year" honor, emerging from the stagnant pond where he lives just long enough to accept his award.
This mud-dwelling member of the family Belostomatidae earned the paternal title for his dedicated care of his young. His female partner lays their eggs on his back. He is then charged with their protection and upbringing.
Daddy water bug keeps his progeny safe from predators and free of fungal infections. He also oxygenates the eggs in his keeping, by doing repeated push-ups near the water's surface. His commitment to the well-being of his children is a rarity in the insect world, and one that deserves commendation on this Father's Day.
Photo: Flickr user NoiseCollusion