Monthly Archives: January 2011

Malpighi & His Tubules

Posted on January 24, 2011 by jjneal

The Malpighian tubules are a series of tubular structures that filter insect hemolymph and produce urine. Their function is similar to that of the human kidney. Insect hemolymph fluid enters the Malpighian tubules at their distal end. Fluid flows within … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

Cancer Research in Insects

Posted on January 23, 2011 by jjneal

Cancer is a disease that occurs when cells of the body reproduce and grow uncontrollably. The uncontrolled growth is often due to problems in the signaling pathways that control growth or cells that no longer respond appropriately to regulatory signals. … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | 7 Comments

Imaging Inside the Insect

Posted on January 22, 2011 by jjneal

Studies of insects, such as the fruit fly, Drosophila, have provided a wealth of scientific knowledge of genetics, biochemistry and physiology of living organisms. Much of what we learn from Drosophila is directly applicable to humans and other vertebrates. Advances … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomaterials, Education, Food | Leave a comment

Living With WikiLeaks

Posted on January 21, 2011 by jjneal

WikiLeaks bills itself as: a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for independent sources around the world to leak information to our journalists. We publish … Continue reading →

Posted in Pest Management, Policy | 2 Comments

The Plight of the Bumblebees

Posted on January 20, 2011 by jjneal

Our pollinators are under stress. Recent issues with parasites, pathogens, pesticides and weather may all contribute to the stress. Crop pollination is incredibly important to crop yield. Growers may pay beekeepers to bring their honeybee hives to their orchards to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Invasive Species, Pest Management, Policy | 3 Comments

Living With Insect Pets

Posted on January 19, 2011 by jjneal

In the previous post, I noted the enthusiasm that Japanese have for insect pets. Among the most prized pets are the large stag beetles. Size of the beetle is an important attribute and the largest ones can fetch thousands of … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Invasive Species, Policy | 3 Comments

Insects and Pokemon

Posted on January 18, 2011 by jjneal

Pokemon, a video game first released in 1996, will be 15 years old this year. Pokemon, or “pocket monster”, was invented by Satoshi Tajiri. As a young boy, Tajiri spent a lot of time in the nearby forest collecting insects. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | 6 Comments