It's always nice to get published. It's even nicer when it meets one's goals. With the acceptance of this mini-review, that's 3 out 3 of the papers related to my post doctoral research on Hemiptera digestion that are now available for the public to see. More collaborations with other members of the Bonning Lab at the University of Florida will eventually form part of other publications, but these are the ones that I penned myself. I am so proud of my scientific babies. Now, be a sport and go read them, there's some really interesting information in there, I guarantee. Extra oral digestion: outsourcing the role of the hemipteran midgut doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2020.07.006 Transcription and Activity of Digestive Enzymes of Nezara viridula Maintained on Different Plant Diets doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01553 Proteases and nucleases across midgut tissues of Nezara viridula (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae) display distinct activity profiles that are conserved through life stages doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103965
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Quarantine has the interesting side-effect of giving you time to delve by into old hobbies. In recent years, multiple professional activities have carved into the time I devoted to playing video games, and I’ve mostly played party games and short indie games. However, suddenly I find myself with some extra time at home, which has allowed me to rekindle my affair with the medium.
Originally posted 22/May/2019 for Más Ciencia por México As summer draws near, people begin to spend more time outside and travel to places where they can swim: lakes, rivers, or near the sea. It's possible that on these trips to wet places, people might come across a multitude of insects, among them dragonflies. Since they are not a nuisance, and they generally don't cause aversion, to many they pass by unnoticed and as just another element of the environment. Big mistake! Look closer. These little flying friends, who dart around like tiny helicopters, pack more than a few interesting characteristics to appreciate, and I hope to highlight some of them with this text.
Originally posted 22/Mar/2020 for Más Ciencia por México One the most know characteristics of insects is their ability to undergo metamorphosis (immortalized in literature by Franz Kafka's famous book). This means transforming from a soft and chubby caterpillar to a beautiful flying butterfly or a hard beetle. However, there are many insects that do not undergo a full transformation, instead transitioning through steps that never form a cocoon or pupa. They are called hemimetabolous. This includes all insects of Hemiptera and Odonota (i.e. true bugs and dragonflies). Other insects of this type are members of the order Orthoptera or, in simpler words, all relatives of crickets and grasshoppers, of whom I will talk this time.
Originally posted 18/Aug/2019 for Más Ciencia por México After reading the headlines of articles on transgenics and genetically modified organisms, if wouldn't be surprising if one was left with the impression that certain crops are the only organisms where molecular biology techniques have been used to change genes. This couldn't be further from the truth. In scientific research, microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, and other fungi have been the subjects of the vast majority of genetic modifications by mutations, alterations, insertions, and a host of other changes as part of scientific projects throughout the world.
The insect world also has its own celebrities for genetic studies, and by far the most notable is the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Originally posted 6/Apr/2019 for Más Ciencia por México Among insects popular with the general public there are those that, literally, outshine their competition: fireflies. These superstar insects have had more presence in Mexico in recent years due to the publicity of "firefly sanctuaries" as eco-friendly tourist destinations. You may have heard of sanctuaries in Puebla, Tlaxcala, or Michoacán. This fascinating display of thousands of flashes in the forest is a great draw to these sites, though tourism itself is a strong pressure on their conservation. On this occasion, I will write a little about these beautiful organisms, and I hope that what I write here leads to a greater appreciation of these bugs and a respect of their natural environment.
Originally posted 23/Sep/2018 for Más Ciencia por México Dear readers, I have a confession to make. Throughout my life and my career I've dealt with insects, spiders, and bugs of many types. Getting to know them from a scientific point of view, diving deep into their peculiar characteristics, and understanding the surprises they hold has allowed me to get rid of a great part of that repulsion we generally hold for our chitinized friends. Despite that, there is a group or arthropods that can still trigger that avoidance reflex if I find one of them when straightening a picture on the wall or moving some leaves around on the deck.
Originally posted 20/Dec/2018 for Más Ciencia por México As we approach the end of year festivities, we begin to think of celebrating with our loved ones, dinners and gifts, Christmas carols, and holiday decorations. For many people, that also means hanging ornaments on a pine tree in their homes. Our friendly pine trees bring us nice memories, pleasant smells, and some contact with the woods that we are missing in our daily lives. However, overharvesting is the not the only threat faced by pine forests. There is something else making its way through the trees, something that could permanently change the mountain landscapes of North America. This vast devastation is caused by the comparatively minute bark beetle of the Dendroctonus genus.
Originally posted 29/Oct/2018 for Más Ciencia por México In 1979, movie audiences were witness to the release of one of the masterpieces of science fiction: "Alien", by director Ridley Scott. Mixing the horror and interstellar travel genres, the plot follows the crew of the ship "Nostromo" in their encounter with an extremely dangerous predatory alien life-form. To reproduce, these beings introduce their embryos into a host, where they grow until they violently burst out into a new life stage.
For those with some entomological knowledge, the similarities of the reproductive process of the alien with that of the protagonists of this post are evident. This coincidence is not accidental. Originally posted 13/Aug/2018 for Más Ciencia por México In nature, organisms find many ways of defending from predators. Some show warning colors, produce disagreeable smells and flavors, or develop part of their bodies as armor, like the case for snails, turtles, or armadillos. On this occasion I will talk about a family of caterpillars that have an additional strategy: crafting their own protective box from scraps.
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Emiliano Cantón
Science is fantastic, and insects are marvelous too! As a scientist, I'm an accidental entomologist, specialized in molecular biology and biotechnology to control insect pests. I'm also an advocate for using science communication to showcase its value and power to reshape our society. Archives
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