Bat vs moth
October 19, 2009
Bats and moths are a classic predator and prey story, with lots of evolutionary twist and turns along the way. It has long been known that moths could detect the ultrasonic pulses that bats emit as part of their echolocation navigational system. Researchers have identified a variety of moth survival strategies, including their distinctive erratic flight patterns, which they employ when they hear an approaching predator. A Current Biology paper a couple of years ago even found that the yellow underwing moths can tune their ears to better hear the bats calls while being chased. It’s a constant evolutionary struggle for the bats to overcome these prey defenses to catch their daily full meals.
A new study, published in Science, identifies yet another innovative moth adaptation to avoiding bat predation: sonar jamming. Using a paired set of sound-producing organs known as tymballs, the moths can emit up to 450 ultrasonic clicks in a tenth of a second — a frequency that somehow disrupts the bat’s echolocation.
Whether or not this strategy helps the moths evade capture in the wild remains to be seen, but it certainly seems like it could buy them enough time to escape. What’s next in this evolutionary arms race?
Canine cancer
October 12, 2009
When tragedy strikes a family, it’s often hard to “look on the bright side.” But when it comes to having your pet pooch — your best friend and loyal watchdog — diagnosed with cancer, learning what we can about the disease from the unfortunate circumstances may be of some comfort.
A recently launched cooperative effort — the National Cancer Institute’s Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium — aims to do just that. By providing the infrastructure and resources needed to gather information from naturally occurring cancers, such as in dogs and other animals (as opposed to the more removed mouse models of cancer), the project hopes to inform the study of human cancer and aid the development of new drugs, devices, and imaging techniques.
I don’t at all mean to imply that these potential benefits can even begin to outweigh the heartbreak that comes along with a loved pet succumbing to this terrible illness, but perhaps it’s something to keep in mind if that tragic news should ever come. Would you be willing to enroll your pet in an experimental cancer treatment that holds hope for both your pet’s health and the future of human oncology?
