Tsetse fly

The article "Sleeping Sickness Parasite has a weak spot in its tail” by Catherine Brahic, is a very brief summary about a parasite,Trypanosoma brucei, passed to humans from the tsetse fly. The sleeping sickness is responsible for 50,000 deaths a year in Africa. Brahic states that they have discovered that the parasite cannot reproduce if its whip-like tail or "flagellum" stops working. Although they are still unsure, as to why the flagellum exists. Keith Gull of Oxford University has a theory, that it assists the parasite to split in two when multiplying in the bloodstream. Brahic explains that these findings have opened the doors for more drug development. She stated that the current available drugs are out dated, and cause terrible side effects. Researchers have identified 330 proteins that make up the flagellum; they selected five and made them inactive. By making them inactive, the cells cannot pull apart as they divide, while leaving the human cells unaffected.…

Children, because they are considered at higher risk; consider lower threshold for vaccination.” Typhoid: “Bite of infected mosquitoes” Yellow Fever: “Fecal-oral route (contaminated food and water)” Mammal bites (including dogs, bats, and other carnivores)” (n.d.).http://www.mapsofworld.com/botswana/facts/). Here are some more possible risks that a person may face if traveling to Botswana. African sleeping sickness (African Trypanosomiasis): “A risk in rural sub-Saharan Africa.” Although there…

Progress summary With the termination of sterile insect technique efforts to limit the spread of Argentine Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, population management strategies, such as biological control, are being investigated. The parasitoid Apanteles opuntiarum, is believed to have co-evolved with C. cactorum. To assess the non-target effects of the koinobiont larval parasitoid on non-target pyralids, host specificity tests were implemented in quarantine laboratory conditions. Argentine…

from here. Fruit Flies. Dozens…

Determining the affects of natural selection on gall fly (Eurosta) larvae from different predators Ariel O’Neil Biology 1020H Abstract This lab was done with the objective of determining if directional selection causes early larvae death in the gall fly. By first examining the parasitoid wasp and birds predatory actions we can hypothesize and predict the smaller galls will be most likely to survive directional selection. To figure out if this is true or not a large variety of goldenrod galls…

The Fly Vile, repulsive, and yet ultimately benign; this is the life of a fly. In the Poem “The Fly” Karl Shapiro defines the operations of a mundane housefly in exorbitant detail. From searching for a mate to burying maggots in the dermis of a corpse to the fly’s demise, Shapiro holds no stray detail of the fly’s being from the reader. Karl Shapiro utilizes imagery and figurative language to express the underlying beauty and repulsion of an otherwise benign fly. First, Shapiro utilizes…

λ Black-billed Magpie Black-billed Magpies, which are easily found of western North America, are social creatures. They often move in congregation and utter various sounds, ranging from trills, cackle, to whistle calls. The body size of the Black-billed Magpies is comparatively larger than jays. Bearing the long tails, large and heavy bills, and short wings, black-billed magpies seem to be cumbersome in flight (See Appendix A). The long tail plays the role of guiding sudden turns. The bird is…

Sabrina Ginsburg Period 9 In March of 2005, Natural History authors Laura Session and Steven Johnson wrote a descriptive literary article about the Moegistorhynchus longirostris also known as the mega-nosed fly. In this article, this particular sub-type of southern Africa fly was compared to the universally known fabled boy Pinocchio. The comparison was because both Pinocchio and this particular species of fly both have very long noses. While the nose of this fly was overly extended and may…

Nothing can ruin a sunny afternoon quite like the incessant buzzing of mosquitoes. More than just obnoxious, they can bite you repeatedly, resulting in several days of itching and discomfort. Alabama summers provide the perfect opportunity to spend time outdoors, but many homeowners are kept from doing so by countless, pesky mosquitoes. Since knowledge is power, here is some quick information to help you win the fight against this nuisance. What Types of Mosquitoes Are in Alabama? Thanks to…

Even when the beauty surrounded me, The mosquitos would not forget about the scent, I then looked like a huge walking mosquito bite. The mosquitos gave me what felt like millions of bites even though there were probably at least 50. When the mosquito attached to my arm it felt like a paint brush swiping against my arm. Why do mosquitos and gnats have to be alive? I would be a lot more comfortable hiking right now if they were not living. The mosquitos and gnats were attacking me probably because…