Central School
Session 2008-102

Application

School

Class

Project

Miscellaneous

Transcript

Connected on 2009-06-16 15:00:00 from , AB, CA

• 12:47 pm
• Bugscope Teamwaiting for time on the 'scope -- it's 12:46 and we have the 'scope at 1
• 1:02 pm
• Bugscope Teamokay now we have the 'scope and are getting ready to set up
• 1:21 pm

• 1:28 pm

• 1:33 pm

• 1:40 pm

• 1:46 pm

• Bugscope TeamAnd now I am almost done ma
• Bugscope Teamking the presets

• 1:57 pm

• Bugscope TeamOkay I have the presets done but will keep cruising around looking for cool stuff.
• Bugscope TeamHola...
• 2:02 pm
• Bugscope Team~How are you guys?
• 2:07 pm
• GuestWhat is this?
• Bugscope TeamHi Aditi.
• Bugscope TeamThese are a couple of wing scales from a moth
• GuestWhat kind of moth?
• GuestHi Scot.
• Bugscope TeamI don't know what kind of moth -- it actually looked like a wasp at first
• GuestWhat is a wing scale?
• GuestCool!
• Bugscope Teamwing scales are analogous to feathers, on a bird, from our perspective
• Bugscope Teamthey're the stuff that feels powdery, silky, when you touch the wing of a moth or butterfly
• GuestWhat does "analogous" mean?
• GuestHow big is the moth?
• Bugscope Teamanalogous means, in this context, the part that is very much like the similar part on another insect
• Bugscope Teamor bird
• GuestWhat class is it today?
• 2:12 pm
• Bugscope Teamthis will be a 2nd grade class in Alberta, Canada
• GuestWhere in the world can this moth be found?
• GuestCanada!
• Bugscope TeamI think the moth is local -- we supplied all of the critters today
• GuestOh.
• GuestWhat are moth wings made of?
• Bugscope Teamthey're made of chitin, like what the exoskeleton is made of, or like your fingernails, or like a shrimp shell
• Guest"Chitin" and "exoskeleton" ? What does that mean?
• GuestWhat do moth's eat?
• Bugscope TeamChitin is a protein that is like what your fingernails are made of. The exoskeleton is what the surface of most insects is called, since they have no skeleton; it's like a shell.
• 2:17 pm
• GuestNeat!
• Bugscope TeamI think mostly nectar, from flowers, stuff like that.
• Bugscope TeamHave you ever stepped on a bug...and heard a cracking sound...that would have been the chitin exoskeleton breaking...
• GuestPretty much the same as butterflys?
• Bugscope Teamyeah like butterflies; moths are nocturnal, most of them
• GuestI have heard that sound.
• GuestHow many kinds of moths are there in the world?
• Bugscope TeamI'm sure there are thousands
• Bugscope Teamdon't really know
• GuestThousands?
• GuestThat's a lot!
• Bugscope Teamlike a few thousand species -- we could look it up
• GuestAre any endangered?
• GuestOkay.
• Bugscope Teamthere are said to be 150,000 to 250,000 species of moths in the world, and you can be sure that some are endangered.
• GuestNow thats a lot!
• Bugscope Teamso Smiley had said 'kazzillions,' and she was close
• Bugscope TeamHello Mrs R!
• TeacherHello!
• 2:23 pm
• GuestHi, Mrs.R!
• Bugscope Teamyou have control of the 'scope now, and please let me know when you have questions
• GuestHow much is a "kazzillion" ?
• TeacherThank You! My students wont be here for another 1/2 hour but I wanted to check things out.
• Bugscope TeamSmiley used to work with us here, and now she lives in Florida, goes to school there. Aditi logs on once in a while.
• TeacherNeat
• TeacherNeat
• Bugscope TeamWell you can try driving, changing presets, changing mag, focussing.
• Bugscope TeamHello Mrs R =)
• Bugscope Teamit is better to click to center, sometimes, than to drive

• GuestI like bugscope so I go onto some of the sessions, mostly in the summer because of school.
• Bugscope TeamScott, one of the presets is an ant comb...what is that?

• GuestYeah, what is an ant comb?
• GuestHi, Smiley
• TeacherCan I click on different presets at any time?
• Bugscope Teamthe comb is part of the forelimbs
• Bugscope Teamyes try any preset
• Bugscope Teamat any time
• GuestThank's Scot.
• Bugscope TeamThanx
• Bugscope TeamHi Aditi

• 2:28 pm
• Bugscope Teamants need to clean their antennae, and they have a built-in comb that they can run over their antennae to get the dust and dirt off of it
• GuestThank's should be written like that, Smiley!
• Bugscope Teamthis is a pile of moth scales
• Bugscope TeamThanks
• Bugscope TeamMrs R please be sure and let us know when you have questions.
• Bugscope Teamand if you have any trouble at all.
• GuestCan you see the scales with a naked eye?
• Bugscope TeamAditi they look like super fine powder.
• GuestThat's tiny!
• GuestHow many does each moth have?
• Bugscope Teamtoo many to count
• GuestWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• GuestWhat is a leafhopper?
• 2:33 pm
• Bugscope Teamhere you can see a pollen grain, kind of cool
• GuestAnd an assasin bug?
• Bugscope Teamat the lower right is a pollen grain
• GuestI can see it!
• Bugscope Teamassassin bugs attack other insects and suck the juice out of them; leafhoppers are also true bugs, and they drink sap from plants
• GuestAssasin bugs are mean!
• Bugscope Teamyeah that is their business; some insects feed on other insects
  Bugscope TeamIt is a frequent occurance in nature. Lions eat thompson gazelles, spiders eat flies, and assassin bugs eat other bugs
• Bugscope Teamladybugs and dragonflies also eat other bugs, and ambush bugs do, and ants
• GuestDo spiders drink the blood?
• 2:38 pm
• Guest"Ambush" bugs?
• Bugscope Teamspiders inject venom into their prey, and the venom digests the insides of the prey, and the spider sucks it all up like a milkshake
• GuestEww!
• TeacherWow this is all very interesting. I will be back with my students in 20 minutes.
• Bugscope Teamcool see you soon
• GuestI agree Mrs.R, this is interesting!
• Bugscope Teamambush bugs lie in wait on leaves and flowers, and they are often disguised, like the same color as the flower, or frilly looking like the edge of a flower
• Bugscope TeamMy friend showed me a sand lion, is that the name, the other day?
• Bugscope Teamant lion
• GuestOur class had some Praying Mantises and they ate each other.
• Bugscope Teamthey live in the sand, make little funnel-shaped traps
• Bugscope Teampraying mantises a pretty fierce; they eat a lot
• GuestEach other!
• Bugscope Teamyeah that antlion was still alive
• Bugscope Teamantlions have long trap-like jaws
• 2:43 pm
• Bugscope TeamSmiley could you send us some?
• Bugscope Teamif you don't mind catching and freezing them
• GuestThe one that we sent in?
• Bugscope Teamantlions, when they grow up, turn into predatory flying insects kind of like dragonflies
• Bugscope Teamyeah the one sent in was still alive, and we couldn't use it right away. it was alive and mad as well
• Bugscope Teambrb
• GuestWhat is their name once they become the dragonfly like thing?
• Guest"Mad" !
• GuestOkay Scot.
• Bugscope TeamAntlions?
• Bugscope Teamowlfly, for one
• Bugscope TeamI will try...
• GuestWhat's an owlfly?
• Bugscope Teamowlfly larvae look much like antlions; antlions often decorate their exoskeleton with debris, like sand and rocks, to disguise themselves
• Bugscope Teaman owlfly is a predatory fly with big eyes, kind of like a dragonfly
• 2:48 pm
• Bugscope TeamMy friend who showed them to me is leaving...I have to see if I can get to a sandy area...
• Bugscope Teamyeah Claudi if you have time...
• GuestG
• Guestoops didn't mean to say "G"
• Bugscope TeamI will try...I promise...from now on...I will carry film container with me whereever I go in order to be prepared when I see one...
• Bugscope TeamCool. Do you have a tan now, Claudi?
• Bugscope Teamor do you work in the lab all of the time?
• Bugscope Teama lab tan?
• GuestI will probably be back tomorrow
• Bugscope Teamwe will be here; tomorrow's session runs all morning
• Bugscope Teamlike from 8 am to 12 noon central
• Bugscope TeamNot really...
• GuestI will be there.
• 2:53 pm
• Bugscope TeamJust where the sun hits when I ride my bike home...I come in early before sun is really up...
• Bugscope Teamhey it's okay Claudi -- you know I never go outside in the daytime if I can help it
• Bugscope TeamI just kind of scurry from building to building if I need to leave here
• GuestI am sort of getting confused.?
• Bugscope Teamwhat's the matter Aditi?
• Bugscope Teamthe class should be on soon
• GuestNothing Scot.
• Bugscope Teamokay, just checking
• Bugscope TeamSorry...did I do something wrong, aditi?
• GuestNo, Smiley.
• Bugscope TeamSmiley used to work with us when she went to school here, and she used to help with Bugscope.
• GuestCool!
• Bugscope TeamNow she is going to school in Florida, and she helps when she has time but she has been very busy with school, which is as it should be.
• 2:58 pm
• Bugscope TeamAnd her real name is Claudia, or Claudi.
• GuestNeat.
• Bugscope TeamYup...far away now...and recently I have had no time to log on at all...
• Bugscope TeamNeat and super sweet.
• GuestMind if I call you by Claudi, smiley?
• GuestWhen is the class coming?
• Bugscope Teamthey should be on any minute now
• Bugscope TeamSmiley or Claudi/Claudia is fine...
• GuestI thought 20 minutes have gone by?
• GuestGot it Claudia.
• Bugscope TeamMy nickname is Smiley...so I usually use it as my log in...actually cannot remember that I ever used anything else to logon to Bugscope
• TeacherHello, the students are here! We are very excited!
• Bugscope TeamCool!
• GuestHello everyone!
• Bugscope TeamWelcome to Bugscope!
• Bugscope TeamHello everybody!
• TeacherThank You!
• TeacherThank You!
• Bugscope TeamBe sure and let us know whenever you have questions about anything!
• 3:04 pm
• TeacherSounds Goods!
• TeacherWhat are we looking at?
• Bugscope Teamthese are moth scales on the head of the second moth on the stub, today
• GuestStub?

• Bugscope Teamyou can see in the SW corner of the image we see now that there is a pollen grain
• Bugscope TeamThe bottom right corner has pollen grain

• Bugscope Teamnow we see more scales

• Bugscope Teamyou can decrease the magnification if you would like to see where you are

• Guestneat angle

• Bugscope Teamyou can go still lower
• Bugscope Teamha now we see the edge of the compound eye
• Guestomg they look like they are alive
• Bugscope Teamthat is cool
• TeacherIs that an eye?
• TeacherIs that an eye?

• Bugscope Teamthe tiny facets of the eye are called ommatidia
• Bugscope Teamyes that is the eye of the moth
• Bugscope Teamyou found it!
• Bugscope Teamif you decrease the mag again you may be able to see more
• Bugscope Teamto the right...all the little hexagons are individual omotitia

• Bugscope Teamsorry

• Bugscope Teammoths, butterflies, silverfish, and some weevils have scales
• TeacherAre we also looking at the nose?
• 3:09 pm
• Bugscope Teamnow you can see the other eye, and to the lower left we see the proboscis
• TeacherDo they have noses?
• Bugscope Teamwhich is kind of like a nose, but it is really the extensible mouthpart, like a straw
• Bugscope Teamthey have tiny setae (hairlike bristles) that can taste the air around them
• Bugscope Teamso they really don't have a single nose like people do
• Bugscope Teamyes they are nocturnal
• Bugscope Teammost of them, I think; there are always exceptions
• TeacherWhat is the curved part in the bottom left?
• TeacherWhat is the curved part in the bottom left?
  Bugscope Teamproboscis
• Bugscope Teamwhen moths are attracted to porch lights they are confused and think the light is the moon
• Bugscope Teamthat is the proboscis
• Guestwhat are the hexagonal things in their eyes called
• Bugscope Teamit is curled up so the moth can fly, but when it opens it extends like a long straw
• Bugscope Teamthose are ommatidia, Aditi

• Bugscope Teamthe moth forces hemolymph into the proboscis when it wants it to extend, and it rolls out like a party favor on New Years' eve.
• Bugscope Teamthis is the top of the head of a tiny beetle
• Bugscope Teamif you take the mag down here you can see its face, to the south
• TeacherWhat are the round things on the head?
• Bugscope Teamyou can see that some of the setae on the top of the head have fluid stuck to them
• 3:14 pm

• Bugscope Teamthose are droplets of fluid, some kind of oil perhaps
• Bugscope Teamsee its eyes now, and its proboscis?
• Bugscope Teamit is a tiny true bug
• TeacherWhat are we looking at now?
• Bugscope Teamthe eyes are on either side of its wide head
• GuestWhat i is the white hairy thing
• Bugscope Teamand down the middle of the head is part of the proboscis
• Bugscope Teamyou can see one of the claws to the left, lower middle
• TeacherWhat does the proboscis do?
  Bugscope TeamI think of it like a trunk/straw to drink nectar
• Bugscope Teamthe proboscis sticks into whatever the insect eats, like fruit or seeds
• Teacherso its like its mouth?
• Bugscope Teamit is like its mouth, yes!
• GuestwHAT ARE BUGS BODYS MADE OF?
• Bugscope Team'true bugs,' called Hemiptera, have piercing mouthparts like that
• Bugscope Teambedbugs have a proboscis like that as well
• TeacherWe are just wondering if you have discovered any new species of bugs at your lab?

• 3:19 pm
• Teacherinteresting
• Bugscope Teamooh now you can see where this little bug was pinned -- it was in someone's collection
• Bugscope Teamsee its legs?
• TeacherWhat is the black hole that we are seeing?
  Bugscope Teamthat is where the insect had been pinned when it was in a collection that someone gave us
• Bugscope Team insects always have six legs
• TeacherYes, we have been learning that.

• Bugscope Teamsee how the legs have tiny hairs (setae, pronounced see-tee) on them?
• Bugscope Teamand this, this is kind of scary
• TeacherThis is scary, we are all ohhing and ahhing.
• Bugscope Teamthe thing that looks like a spiny club is the head of a small assassin bug
• Bugscope Teamsee its eye?
• Teacherwe are just looking at a black screen
• Bugscope Teamand it has a powerful nasty proboscis that it sticks into insects that it bites
• Bugscope Teamhit F5 or refresh
• Teacherwe are looking at a black screen
• Bugscope Teamcan you see now?
• Teacherokay were back
• TeacherIs this a poisonous bug?
• Bugscope TeamI am not sure whether they inject a poison or not
• 3:24 pm
• TeacherAre they dangerous?
• TeacherAre we looking at a female or male?
• Bugscope TeamI saw something on the web that says it injects a toxin that liquefies the insides of its prey
• Bugscope Teamsometimes, like now, it is hard to tell if you are looking at a male or female
• Teachercool

• Bugscope Teamwith insects the females are sometimes larger, and wider, perhaps, because they carry eggs

• Bugscope Teamsome insects you cannot tell until you crack them open and use a light microscope to see them up close
• TeacherWhat are the spikes on the bugs head?
• Bugscope Teamor an electron microscope, like you are driving now
• GuestWhat are we looking at?
• Bugscope Teamthe spikes help protect it from bites

• Bugscope Teamhere we see the assassin bug on the left and a moth now in the middle
• Bugscope Teamthe moth is charging up with electrons, and it does not look good, does it?
• GuestCool!
• GuestNot at all!
• Bugscope Teamall of the insects/arthropods we look at need to be coated with gold-palladium to keep them from charging up like this
• 3:29 pm
• Bugscope Teamsometimes they still do not get grounded well
• TeacherWould the poison that this bug injects harm a person?
• Bugscope TeamI would try another preset
• Bugscope Teamit would probably make you itch, and it might make a red spot

• GuestHow long would it itch
• Bugscope Teamrecluse spider venom is the kind that will kill your flesh where it bites
• GuestWhat is this?
• Bugscope Teamthis is the ant com
• Bugscope Teamcomb
• GuestIt looks like feathers
• Bugscope Teamit is also charging up a little
• TeacherWhat is it's purpose?
• Bugscope Teamthis is how the ant cleans its antennae
• Bugscope Teamants depend on their antennae much more than their eyes to get information about their environment
• Bugscope Teamand it is important to keep the antennae clean
• Bugscope Teamlike when you see a fly cleaning its eyes
• Teacherneat

• Bugscope Teamyou can take the mag down here if you would like to see where you are, or you may want to go look at the head, for example
• Bugscope Teamcool!

• Bugscope Teamthis is one of the ant's forelegs
• Bugscope Teamonly the forelegs, from what we have seen, have these little built-in combs on them

• Bugscope Teamthe other thing we see is one of the antennae

• Bugscope Teamthere is the head

• Bugscope Teamto the upper left

• Bugscope Teamnow to the north
• 3:34 pm

• Bugscope Teamthis is the thorax, and guess what? there is another hole from a pin

• Guestwhere
• GuestI see it.
• Bugscope Teaminsects have exoskeletons. it would be like if you wore armor all of the time
• TeacherHow many hairs are on their antennae?
• GuestWhat is that y shaped thing?
• Guestnear the tpo
• Guesttop
• Bugscope Teamthere are hundreds of tiny hairs, called setae, on the antnennae
• GuestBye Scot
• GuestSee you tomorrow
• TeacherHow big can ants get?
• Bugscope TeamBye Aditi!
• GuestGot to go
• TeacherC-ya
• Teacherthanks
• Bugscope Teamsome ants do not have eyes, but they all have antennae
• GuestC-y Mrs. R
• Bugscope TeamBye Aditi
• GuestBye everyone
• TeacherAre queen ants bigger than other ants?
• Bugscope Teamchemosensory means that the setae can taste things
• GuestBye Claudia
• Bugscope Teamyes they are often much larger, and they may live longer, like for 10 to 12 years

• Bugscope Teamants are also different sizes depending on what they do for the colony

• Bugscope Teamso even in the same colony we could see large and small ants
• Bugscope TeamWow 10 to 12 years...really?!
• Bugscope Teamnow it is dark for me as well

• Guestthat's better
• Guestwow!
• TeacherWhat is this?
• Bugscope Teamthis looks like my friend the Gutenberger, but don't tell him
• Bugscope Teamthis is a leafhopper
• 3:39 pm
• Bugscope Teamsee its eyes? and its tiny antennae?
• Bugscope Teamit is also a true bug, and so it has a proboscis as well
• Teacherwhere are the eyes?
• Bugscope TeamI think the front of the head is shaped like that because it has a sort of pump inside to help it drink sap
• Bugscope Teamthe rounded bumps on either side of the head, below those little antennae
• Bugscope Teamthose are the eyes -- the rounded bumps
• Bugscope Teamyou could go see one at high mag if you would like
• TeacherAre leafhoppers like grasshopper? We have never heard of these before.
• Bugscope Teamnow we know why this guy has a hole in him as well

• Bugscope Teamthey are very small, and they are not related to grasshoppers; you see them if you sweep your hand across a bush, for example; they really do hop
• TeacherCan they fly?

• Bugscope Teamleafhoppers have tiny round waxy protein spherical or ovoid pellets on their bodies that no other insect has
• Teachercool
• Bugscope TeamI think some can fly, but I have never seen one fly for sure
• TeacherIs the specimen on a leaf?
• 3:44 pm
• Bugscope Teamthe little pellets are called brochosomes, and I did not find any today, yet
• Bugscope Teamthis is on carbon doublestick tape
• Bugscope Teamit does look kind of like a leaf

• Bugscope Teameverything we are looking at is on a stub 1.75 inches in diameter

• Bugscope Teamand it is inside the vacuum chamber of the electron microscope you are driving from your classroom
• Bugscope Teamthis is the mouth of the ant

• Bugscope Teamant mouths are often very busy - it looks like they have eaten a whole 'nother insect!

• Bugscope Teambut those are palps
• Bugscope Teampalp are like accessory mouthparts, like tiny extra legs that the ant uses to help it feed
• Bugscope Teampalps are accessory mouthparts, I should have said
• Teacherneato
• Bugscope Teamin the middle you can see a long scale, from a butterfly or moth

• Bugscope Teamants will eat almost anything but they love sweet liquids
• Bugscope Teamyou can see its jaws, at the top of the view here

• Bugscope Teamthe jaws open from side to side like a gate

• Bugscope Teamthey even seem to have hinges

• Bugscope Teaminsect mouths often open sideways compared to our mouths
• 3:50 pm
• Teacherwe didn't know that
• Teacherwe didn't know that

• Bugscope Teamwe see cool stuff all of the time! we are lucky to be able to do this, and we learn as well
• TeacherAre we looking at the thorax yet?
• Bugscope Teamthe thorax is where the forelegs are anchored, so yes!
• Bugscope Teamonce again you can see where this ant was pinned, after it died, for someone's collection
• Bugscope Teamand that pin went right through the thorax
• Bugscope Teamthe abdomen of an ant is called the
• Bugscope Team'gaster'

• Bugscope Teamha another moth!
• Bugscope Teamsee its coiled proboscis? and the palps, which are covered with scales?
• Bugscope Teamand one of the antennae, sticking up in back?

• Bugscope TeamI am sorry that it is charging up with electrons, but moths are very hard to make conductive because of all of those tiny scales
• Bugscope Teamthis looks great!
• Bugscope Teamall of thie little stick-like things are scales
• Teacherthis is really nest
• Teacherneat

• 3:55 pm
• Bugscope Teamif you had scales, and you flew into a spider's web, you could leave the scales and perhaps slip away

• Bugscope Teamthis is some of the carbon tape

• Bugscope Teamlooks like a fruit fly!

• Bugscope Teamyes!

• TeacherHow big do fruit flies get?
• Bugscope Teamthey stay pretty small, just a few mm long
• Bugscope Teamsee the scale bar on the left?
• Bugscope Teamvery small
• Bugscope Teamthey like the fungus that grows on fruit

• Bugscope TeamEven though they are very tiny...they make a good model system to study especially in genetics and neuroscience
• Teacheris there hair in its eye?
• Teacheris there hair in its eye?
• Bugscope Teamyes lots of tiny setae that help it gauge the speed of the wind
• 4:00 pm
• Teacherwhat are the spikes coming out of the eye?
• Bugscope Teamyou can see, also, a little dome on the top of the head that is one of the ocelli -- simple eyes

• Bugscope Teamlittle setae coming out of the eyes
• Bugscope Teamas Scott mentioned they help the flies navigate
• Teacherhow long have bugs been around?

• Bugscope TeamDid u select a preset?
• TeacherWe have to go Thank you so much we learned a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• TeacherWe have to go Thank you so much we learned a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Bugscope TeamI hope you had fun...
• TeacherIt was very interesting
• TeacherIt was very interesting
• Bugscope TeamWe enjoyed having you.
• GuestBye Mrs.R
• TeacherThe students said that it was fabulous and thanks for sharing!
• Bugscope Teaminsects have been around for millions of years; the Cenozoic is called the age of insects, but they are older than that
• Bugscope TeamBugs under bugscope are my personal favorite...they dont move any more =)
• Bugscope TeamThank You!
• TeacherBYE!
• Bugscope TeamBye...
• Bugscope TeamBye!
• GuestBye Scot
• GuestBye Claudia
• Bugscope TeamBye Aditi!
• GuestBye Everyone
• Bugscope TeamAlright I am shutting down.
• GuestSee you tomorrow guys
• Bugscope TeamThank you Aditi
• Bugscope TeamThank You Smiley!
• Guestyou to sot an claudia
• 4:05 pm
• Bugscope TeamBye Scott...was so nice logging on again =)
• Bugscope Teamahhhhhhhhhhhhh
• Guesti mean scot and claudia
• Bugscope TeamIts 94...and I get to ride my bike home...
• Bugscope Teamno problem Aditi
• Bugscope Teamokay be careful Claudi! Bye!
• Guesthope you enjoy your riide claudia
• Bugscope Teamover and out!