“Death stench: Ancient warning signal to avoid disease, predators - Thaindian.com” plus 4 more

---

• Death stench: Ancient warning signal to avoid disease, predators - Thaindian.com
• Effects of Arctic warming seen as widespread - The Guardian
• Biologists discover 'death stench' is a universal ancient warning ... - Science Centric
• People in Business - Jackson Clarion-Ledger
• Scientist Modify Dandelions For Latex - Post Chronicle

Death stench: Ancient warning signal to avoid disease, predators - Thaindian.com Posted: 12 Sep 2009 01:42 AM PDT Toronto, Sep 12 (IANS) Dead animals, from insects to crustaceans, emit the same death stench. This smell acts as a signal to other insects to avoid disease or predators, biologists have discovered. David Rollo, professor of biology at McMaster University, found that dead insects emit the same death stench produced by a blend of specific fatty acids. Rollo and his team made the discovery while studying the social behaviour of cockroaches. When a cockroach finds a good place to live, it marks the site with pheromone odours that attract others. In trying to identify the precise chemicals involved, Rollo extracted body juices from dead cockroaches. "It was amazing to find that the cockroaches avoided places treated with these extracts like the plague," says Rollo. "Naturally, we wanted to identify what chemical was making them all go away." The team eventually identified the specific chemicals that signaled death. Furthermore, they found that the same fatty acids not only signalled death in ants, caterpillars, and cockroaches, they were equally effective in terrestrial woodlice and pill bugs that are actually not insects but crustaceans related to crayfish and lobsters. "Because insects and crustaceans diverged more than 400-million years ago it is likely that most subsequent species recognise their dead in a similar way," a McMaster's release said. "Recognising and avoiding the dead could reduce the chances of catching the disease, or allow you to get away with just enough exposure to activate your immunity," Rollo said. Likewise, he added, release of fatty acids from dismembered body parts could provide a strong warning that a nasty predator was nearby. The findings were published in Evolutionary Biology. Sphere: Related Content Related Topics on NewsChurner The Wanted Related Stories Animals give off "stench of death" to warn their living relatives about fatal diseases - Sep 10, 2009 Mites living on hissing cockroach may harbour allergy cure - Apr 30, 2009 Meet roach Heathcliffe, contender for World's Heaviest Insect title - Aug 28, 2009 Waitress swallows cockroach to prove its harmlessness! - Jul 28, 2009 How wily cockroaches trick their predators - Nov 14, 2008 Scientists discover first protein-based amphibian toxin in Chinese tree frog - Aug 18, 2009 Ants promptly dispose off dead to protect colony - May 06, 2009 How ants identify dead nestmates - May 06, 2009 Study finds cockroaches not so resilient after all - Jun 24, 2008 Study finds cockroaches not so resilient after all - Jun 24, 2008 131

Effects of Arctic warming seen as widespread - The Guardian Posted: 12 Sep 2009 07:12 AM PDT [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] AP Science Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) â Arctic warming is affecting plants, birds, animals and insects as ice melts and the growing season changes, scientists report in a new review of the many impacts climate change is having on the far north. As ...

Biologists discover 'death stench' is a universal ancient warning ... - Science Centric Posted: 12 Sep 2009 05:17 AM PDT The smell of recent death or injury that repels living relatives of insects has been identified as a truly ancient signal that functions to avoid disease or predators, biologists have discovered. David Rollo, professor of biology at McMaster University, found that corpses of animals, from insects to crustaceans, all emit the same death stench produced by a blend of specific fatty acids. The findings have been published in the journal Evolutionary Biology. Rollo and his team made the discovery while they were studying the social behaviour of cockroaches. When a cockroach finds a good place to live it marks the site with pheromone odours that attract others. In trying to identify the precise chemicals involved, Rollo extracted body juices from dead cockroaches. 'It was amazing to find that the cockroaches avoided places treated with these extracts like the plague,' says Rollo. 'Naturally, we wanted to identify what chemical was making them all go away.' The team eventually identified the specific chemicals that signalled death. Furthermore, they found that the same fatty acids not only signalled death in ants, caterpillars, and cockroaches, they were equally effective in terrestrial woodlice and pill bugs that are actually not insects but crustaceans related to crayfish and lobsters. Because insects and crustaceans diverged more than 400-million years ago it is likely that most subsequent species recognise their dead in a similar way, that the origin of such signals was likely even older, and that such behaviour initially occurred in aquatic environments (few crustaceans are terrestrial). 'Recognising and avoiding the dead could reduce the chances of catching the disease, or allow you to get away with just enough exposure to activate your immunity,' says Rollo. Likewise, he adds, release of fatty acids from dismembered body parts could provide a strong warning that a nasty predator was nearby. 'As explained in our study, fatty acids - oleic or linoleic acids - are reliably and quickly released from the cells following death. Evolution appears to have favoured such clues because they were reliably associated with demise, and avoiding contagion and predation are rather critical to survival.' The generality and strength of the phenomenon, coupled with the fact that the fatty acids are essential nutrients rather than pesticides, holds real promise for applications such as plant and stored product protection or exclusion of household pests. Source: McMaster University

People in Business - Jackson Clarion-Ledger Posted: 12 Sep 2009 03:08 AM PDT The Clarion-Ledger • September 12, 2009 Digital Imaging Group Lea Barton has joined the firm as an account executive. She is a visual artist who specializes in mixed- media painting. Barton has a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Millsaps College and a master's of fine arts degree from the Pratt Institute. Smart Synch Tyler Smith joined the company as a firmware design engineer. He is responsible for designing and developing firmware. Smith has a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Mississippi State University. Jacob Magee has joined the company as a firmware design engineer. He is responsible for designing and developing firmware. He previously worked for Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose, Calif. Magee earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Mississippi State University. East Central CC Patrick E. Stokley Jr. has joined the staff as a biology instructor. Stokley has an associate degree from East Mississippi Community College and a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Alabama.

Scientist Modify Dandelions For Latex - Post Chronicle Posted: 12 Sep 2009 05:31 AM PDT A fungus killing rubber trees in Southeast Asia and South Africa is forcing scientists to re-examine latex from dandelions, German researchers said. The infection is so widespread in South America that large-scale rubber cultivation has nearly come to a standstill, said researchers who fear the natural latex industry worldwide could collapse if the fungus becomes a global epidemic. Researchers looking for alternatives are analyzing the Russian dandelion, used during World War II to make natural latex, which is used in everything from car tires and catheter tubes to latex gloves and tops for drink bottles. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, in Aachen, Germany, have genetically modified the Russian dandelion to obtain four to five times more latex than would normally seep from a dandelion, Dr. Dirk Prufer said. So far, the dandelion latex has not caused any of the allergies seen in rubber obtained from trees, which would make it ideal for hospital use, he said. (c) UPI

You are subscribed to email updates from Biology - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610