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Category Archives: Physiology
Why is Oxitec using tetracycline for a genetic switch? Why not something else?
Written by Joe Ballenger Here’s where we get to the meat of the question our follower asked…why use the antibiotic tetracycline as a switch? Why not something else? Last week, we discussed a system which could potentially work for this … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Pest Management, Physiology, Research
Tagged Biochemistry, Genetic Control, GMOs, Mosquitoes, Oxitec, Pest Control, Physiology, RIDL, Tetracycline
7 Comments
So let’s talk about another type of GMO for a minute…
We’ve gotten this question, and it’s a really good question, but I didn’t initially understand what the person was asking. I knew what they were getting at-why is Oxitec using a tetracycline dependent system-but I wanted to wait for them … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Education, Evolution, Insect Rearing, Pest Management, Physiology, Research
Tagged Biochemistry, genetics, Genomics, GMOs
1 Comment
So what’s the deal with Zika virus? What’s going on in Brazil?
In the recent few weeks, the news has been filling up with stories about a new epidemic called Zika virus. Since it’s a hot topic, and potentially very important, I wanted to write something explaining what this virus is from … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Education, News, Pest Management, Physiology
Tagged Education, Insects, Mosquitoes, Parasites, Physiology, Viruses, Zika
10 Comments
How can you tell how old a caterpillar is?
Written by Joe Ballenger For the final entry of the year, I decided to tackle a question that is something that I have a lot of experience with, but one is also really challenging to answer at the same time. … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental Biology, Physiology
Tagged Bees, Butterflies, Butterflies and Moths, Development, Physiology
1 Comment
How do butterflies make boys and girls?
Written by Joe Ballenger We’ve gotten a lot of questions about boy and girl bugs. Nancy wrote a post titled Is that Bug a Boy or a Girl, which covered some general rules about how boy and girl bugs are … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental Biology, Evolution, Physiology
Tagged Butterflies, Butterflies and Moths, Physiology, Sexual Dimorphism
2 Comments
Why don’t spiders have wings?
Your Name: Anarely Your Bug Question: Hello, I was wondering, why are the exact reasons that spiders don’t have wings? Is it possible for them to evolve and get them or what is stopping this from happening? I’m sure the … Continue reading
Mythwits podcast: How do parasites do the whole mind-control thing on their hosts, and does this happen in people?
Written by Joe Ballenger Recently, we had a chance to do another awesome podcast with the wonderful guys at Mythwits. First, I should probably mention that this is a very casual podcast…which means it’s Not Safe for Work. Besides the … Continue reading
Posted in Physiology, Podcast
Tagged Acanthocephalans, Biochemistry, brain, Cockroach, Ophiocordyceps, Parasites, Pathogens, Wasps
1 Comment
Symbionts in insects part 1: What do they do?
@BugQuestions I was asked today about bacterial symbionts in insects, very disappointed I could only think of half a dozen. Any good ones? — Jimmy Conway (@InsectophileJim) January 22, 2015 This is a question we received a very long time … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Ecology, Physiology
Tagged Microbial ecology, Physiology, Symbiosis, Symbiotes
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Why can’t male bees (or wasps) sting?
@BugQuestions I heard male bees don’t have stingers. Is that true of all bees or just some species? — Kristen Bower (@krbower) September 6, 2015 This question came to us over Twitter, and given my recent post about bee genetics … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental Biology, Evolution, Physiology
Tagged Bees, Beneficial Insects, Defenses, Human Evolution, Hymenoptera, Sexual Dimorphism, Wasps
3 Comments
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