Binocular Zoom Stereo Microscopes

Beetle Dung Helps Forests Recover From Fire

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:13:11 +0000

It pays to think out of the box. Tyler Cobb, a forestry graduate from the University of Alberta ventured into the forest one day with a pair of tweezers, a fistful of beetle droppings and a hypothesis. This forestry graduate discovered that beetle droppings are an indispensable part in replenishing soil nutrients to help plants regenerate after being ravaged by fire. Cobbs studied the fire affected areas of a forest in northern Alberta that occurred in 2001. He scrutinized fire-loving beetles that were living in the burned and decaying trees under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes. He found that the beetle dung are an essential part of the soil as it rejuvenate after the fire. (more…)

How Chikungunya Virus Has Spread To New Vectors And Locations

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:08:28 +0000

Viruses are spread by all kinds of vectors, or disease transmitting organisms. Examples of vector borne diseases include Malaria, whose parasite is transmitted by a mosquito, and Lyme Disease, which is an infectious bacterial disease that is transmitted by ticks. These and other diseases prove to be quite harmful and sometimes fatal if not treated as soon as possible. (more…)

New, Rare And Threatened Species Discovered In Ghana

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:00:53 +0000

You would think that after all this time, after all this modern technology and after the hype about global warming and conserving the environment, that all forests have been explored, all rock have been turned and all species identified, if not explored to a certain degree. So it is surprising to find out that scientists are still finding new and undiscovered species in the tropical forests of Western Africa. An expedition to Ghana’s Atewa Range Forest Reserve by the Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) was able to discover new and unidentified, but sadly threatened species of wildlife. (more…)

Whitefly Secrets To Success: How To Become One Of The World’s Top Invasive Species

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:44:23 +0000

The animal world has all sorts of competition, but the most important competition of all is the survival of a species. How does the Bemisia tabaci, a whitefly, become the one of the most invasive pests in the world? Researchers embark on a quest to discover their secrets to success. The Bemisia tabaci species came to Australia and China in the 1990s through the importation of plants and ornamental things. It is considered to be one of the world’s worst agricultural pests, affecting many and varied kinds of crops and spreading viral infections from one plantation to the next. The result? Reduced crop yield, less income for farmers and crops that are below quality standards. Tomato farms in China suffered greatly, losing entire crops for the whole season because of the disease that the whiteflies transmit. China’s agriculture is far more fragile compared to other developing countries, so it is important for them to take a stand against these pests. (more…)

A Rarity Among Arachnids, Whip Spiders Have A Sociable Family Life

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:39:58 +0000

Arachnids are known to be tender towards one another. In fact, emotional spiders are a downright rarity. The Whip spiders, those scary looking creepy-crawlies are not as anti-social as people originally thought. A Cornell researcher, with the use of binocular zoom stereomicroscopes, was able to visualize the affection that is shared by the two species of the whip spiders. These spiders get their name from the two long pedipalps that are used to capture their prey, and can be described as whips. The first two legs of the spider are about three to four times longer than the other legs. These ‘whips’ are extremely flexible, moving as much as 360 degrees around their bodies and to sense the environment around them. (more…)