Thursday, March 28, 2024

 

Eyes open and toes out of water: how a giant water bug reached the island of Cyprus



PENSOFT PUBLISHERS
Giant water bugs 

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A COMBINATION PHOTO SHOWS GIANT WATER BUGS.

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CREDIT: HADJICONSTANTIS ET AL.




The island of Cyprus, although considered a hotspot for biodiversity in the Mediterranean, is more famous for its beautiful sunny coasts than for its insect fauna. Nevertheless, some visitors of its highly populated beaches, with their observations and curiosity, have provided important information for a species never recorded before on the island: a the giant water bug, also known as a toe biter.

Scientists Michael Hadjiconstantis from the Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of Cyprus, Iakovos Tziortzis from the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus, and Kadir Boğaç Kunt from the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute collected information and specimens from an increasing number of records of the giant water bug on the east coastline of the island in late spring and summer of 2020 and 2021. The species, known for inhabiting ponds and slowly moving freshwaters, had never been recorded on the island before, although established populations are known in adjacent Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Turkey, and Israel.

Also referred to as Electric light bug, this giant water bug is described as a vicious hunter, praying on invertebrates, fish, turtles, and even birds. What is even scarier, as the largest European true bug and the largest European water insect and measuring up to 12 cm, it has a reputation of inflicting very painful bites when handled carelessly.

Its appearance, mainly on the eastern coastal front of the island, was initially recorded by swimmers, who were surprised by the fearsome looks and size of the bug. They either directly contacted the experts or published photos and videos online, mainly on Facebook groups related to biodiversity. The authors collected some of the specimens for further study. They also proceeded with an extensive online search on relevant online observation platforms (i.e. iNaturalist) in order to track any other reports of the species on the island. In addition, they sampled nearby wetlands, but did not spot the bug. End to end, a total of seven sightings were eventually recorded: five from social media and two after direct communication with the author team. Two specimens were obtained and examined morphologically to verify the species. The observations were recorded in a research article in the open-access journal Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa”.

Having in mind that the toe biter is an iconic species accompanied by creepy stories concerning its encounters with humans, the authors assume that it is unlikely that it had gone unnoticed for too long. They consider it possible that several migration events might have been triggered in a short period of time by nearby countries hosting the species, such as Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The specimens could have been transferred by wind or sea currents, as assumed by other researchers, or could have been driven by a decrease in food resources in their initial area of distribution.

Despite the number of recordings in a short timeframe, no conclusions can be drawn for the moment on the establishment of a population of the species on the island. This is further to be investigated, and as the initial recording of the species, citizen science can have an important role in this. The authors urge the public to be alert: “Naturalists looking for alien-like critters can provide valuable information on the presence and a possible establishment of the species through citizen science.” Until then, they warn: “Cypriots should keep their eyes open and their toes out of the water”.

Original source:

Hadjiconstantis M., Tziortzis I., Kunt KB (2023). On the importance of citizen-science: first records of the Giant water bug Lethocerus patruelis (Hemiptera, Belostomatidae) in Cyprus. Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” 66 (2): 291–299. https://travaux.pensoft.net/article/94457/


Scientists discover how Diadem butterfly mimics African Queen



UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Diadem and African Queen butterflies 

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THE DIADEM (BOTTOM BUTTERFLY OF EACH PAIR) TASTES GOOD TO BIRDS AND THEREFORE MIMICS THE AFRICAN QUEEN (TOP BUTTERFLY OF EACH PAIR) WHICH IS DISTASTEFUL AS IT FEEDS ON MILKWEEDS. AS THE AFRICAN QUEEN DIFFERS IN EACH PART OF AFRICA, THE DIADEM ALSO HAS COLOUR MORPHS THAT CAN MIMIC EACH FORM OF THE QUEEN, THUS LOCALLY REINFORCING THE CORRECT LOCAL WARNING COLOURATION.

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER




Scientists have discovered how female Diadem butterflies have evolved to look like African Queen butterflies to repel predators.

African Queens are toxic, making them poor food for predators such as birds.

Diadems are actually good prey for birds – but they have evolved colours and patterns that closely match those of African Queens, making them appear toxic.

The new study – by a team including the universities of Exeter, Edinburgh and Cambridge, and Mpala Research Centre in Kenya – found that, surprisingly, different genes control these patterns in the two species.

“Since the time of Darwin, Wallace and Bates, people have wondered how different butterflies have evolved to appear the same – and now we know,” said Professor Richard ffrench-Constant, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“Our findings present a compelling instance of convergent evolution, whereby species independently evolve similar traits.

“We also find evidence of adaptive atavism in the Diadem – when a species reverts to a state found in its ancestors.

“In this case, Diadem butterflies have re-evolved an ancestral wing pattern and repurposed it to mimic the Africa Queen, providing a major advance in our understanding of how tasty species mimic those that are toxic.”

Different patterns are found on African Queen butterflies in north, east, south and west Africa – and the patterns on female Diadem butterflies in each area match these.

In contrast, male Diadems have distinctive dark wings with large white patches – possibly because the need to be recognised by the female outweighs the need to hide.

“This is amazing, as the males and females look like totally different butterflies, even though they share the same genome,” said Dr Dino Martins, who was the director of Mpala at the time all the butterflies were collected.

The study used “haplotagging”, a linked-read sequencing technology, and a new analytical tool called Wrath to study the genomes of multiple butterflies from the two different species.

“These new techniques can give us unique insights into the molecular population genetics of this fascinating example of Batesian mimicry,” said Dr Simon Martin, from the University of Edinburgh, one of the coauthors on the study.

Among the different funders was a Discovery Grant from the National Geographic Society, showing how blue skies research into butterflies can fundamentally change our understanding of evolution.

The paper, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, is entitled: “Transposable element insertions are associated with Batesian mimicry in the pantropical butterfly Hypolimnas misippus.”

 

A method has been developed to protect and manage personal data on the internet


A URV research team has created a system that allows users to keep track of who has their information and what it is used for at all times by means of a smart contract



UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI

From left to right, Alexandre Viejo, Jordi Castellà and Cristòfol Dauden, researchers involved in the study. 

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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, ALEXANDRE VIEJO, JORDI CASTELLÀ AND CRISTÒFOL DAUDEN, RESEARCHERS INVOLVED IN THE STUDY.

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CREDIT: URV




Entering a website and accepting cookies is a very common and oft-repeated gesture when navigating the Internet. But this small action, which is often done automatically and without thought, entails security risks: by consenting to cookies, you lose control over your sensitive information, as you cannot review the conditions you have just accepted. In order to avoid this vulnerability, a research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has developed an innovative environment based on blockchain technology that allows users to control what happens to their personal data and what it is used for at all times.

Accepting cookies gives permission for sensitive information to be shared, which puts at risk the privacy of users, who are uncertain how it will be used and for what purposes. To mitigate these risks, the European Union proposed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), whereby service providers need to obtain explicit consent from data subjects to collect and process their personal data. The response of many web providers to this requirement has been to present users with a form when they access a service: the cookie acceptance form. But the law does not define how these providers should transparently demonstrate that they have this consent and most users do not know what rights they have over their personal data or have efficient methods to be on the lookout for what third parties do with their data.

The study led by the URV has consisted of creating a personal data management platform based on blockchain technology. It generates smart contracts which are published for life on the block chain and cannot be interfered with; that is to say, the terms agreed cannot be modified and the binding nature of the contract cannot be denied.

In order to use this smart contract, the user must install a programme in the browser that intercepts the request for consent and responds in accordance with their preferences. “Taking this small step makes browsing more agile and secure and complies with the main requirements of the European data protection law,” says Jordi Castellà, a researcher at the URV’s Department of Computer Engineering and Mathematics, who took part in the research.

In addition, all the consents accepted can be controlled and managed from a mobile application to keep track of who has them, when they were granted, what they are being used for and how to modify the details at any time.

For web service providers, this environment enables them to demonstrate, in the event of an audit, that they have obtained consent from users. Information is accessed through a secure access control system.

This research makes the management of personal data more secure and gives users more and better control over their information.

SPACE

Curtin research unlocks supernova stardust secrets


CURTIN UNIVERSITY






Curtin University-led research has discovered a rare dust particle trapped in an ancient extra-terrestrial meteorite that was formed by a star other than our sun.

The discovery was made by lead author Dr Nicole Nevill and colleagues during her PhD studies at Curtin, now working at the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute in collaboration with NASA’s Johnson Space Centre.

Meteorites are mostly made up of material that formed in our solar system and can also contain tiny particles which originate from stars born long before our sun.

Clues that these particles, known as presolar grains, are relics from other stars are found by analysing the different types of elements inside them.

Dr Nevill used a technique called atom probe tomography to analyse the particle and reconstruct the chemistry on an atomic scale, accessing the hidden information within.

“These particles are like celestial time capsules, providing a snapshot into the life of their parent star,” Dr Nevill said.

“Material created in our solar system have predictable ratios of isotopes – variants of elements with different numbers of neutrons. The particle that we analysed has a ratio of magnesium isotopes that is distinct from anything in our solar system.

“The results were literally off the charts. The most extreme magnesium isotopic ratio from previous studies of presolar grains was about 1,200. The grain in our study has a value of 3,025, which is the highest ever discovered.

“This exceptionally high isotopic ratio can only be explained by formation in a recently discovered type of star – a hydrogen burning supernova.”

Co-author Dr David Saxey, from the John de Laeter Centre at Curtin said the research is breaking new ground in how we understand the universe, pushing the boundaries of both analytical techniques and astrophysical models.

“The atom probe has given us a whole level of detail that we haven’t been able to access in previous studies,” Dr Saxey said. 

“Hydrogen burning supernova is a type of star that has only been discovered recently, around the same time as we were analysing the tiny dust particle. The use of the atom probe in this study, gives a new level of detail helping us understand how these stars formed.”

Co-author Professor Phil Bland, from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences said new discoveries from studying rare particles in meteorites are enabling us to gain insights into cosmic events beyond our solar system.

“It is simply amazing to be able to link atomic-scale measurements in the lab to a recently discovered type of star.”

The research titled “Atomic-scale Element and Isotopic Investigation of 25Mg-rich Stardust from an H-burning Supernova” will appear in the Astrophysical Journal and will be available here once published.