Connected on 2009-04-02 12:30:00
from , MA, US
- 12:14 pm
- Bugscope TeamSetting up...
- 12:19 pm
- 12:25 pm
- Guestwhat is this
- Guestare these its teeth
- Bugscope Teamhello ms shapiro
- Bugscope Teamwe are looking at a sowbug at the base of a leg where the gills are supposedly located
- Guestwhat are we looking at?
- Guestwhere does a sowbug live
- Bugscope TeamA sowbug is also known as a roly poly
- Bugscope Teamit lives in damp places: under logs and leaves
- TeacherHi Can we log in more than one teacher?
- Bugscope TeamYes but only one teacher will have control.
- Bugscope TeamA sow bug is actually not a bug at all. It is actually more closely related to a lobster
- TeacherIs Scott with us today
- 12:30 pm
- Bugscope TeamYes I am console right now.
- TeacherHi Scot
- Bugscope TeamBut the deal is that lobsters are actually really big bugs.
- Bugscope TeamScott!!!
- Bugscope TeamHi Ms. Shapiro! Thank you for logging in last night.
- Guestwhat part of the sow bug are we looking at
- Bugscope Teamlobsters are bugs with double antennae
- Guestwhat is your favorite bug
- Bugscope Teamthis is the base of one of the legs
- Bugscope TeamLobsters are not insects. They have too many legs and too many antennae and no wings
- Bugscope TeamThe fail the insect test
- Bugscope TeamNo they're like Super Insects
- TeacherOne of our favorite bugs is the centipede
- Bugscope Teamthat taste good with butter
- Guestcan i control the microscope
- TeacherAre we ready to begin
- Bugscope TeamYes you may drive now if you would like Ms Shapiro.
- Bugscope TeamAditi we would like to let Ms Shapiro drive, unless she wants us to give you control.
- TeacherIt says the controls are locked
- Guestwhat part of the sow bug is this
Bugscope TeamThis is the base of the legs
- Bugscope Teamthey should be unlocked now
- Bugscope TeamSorry they are unlocked now...
- 12:36 pm
- TeacherI've got a pink strip that says please wait while that command executes
- Studentyo
- GuestI am from sutherland elementary school. Is our antlion still alive?
- Bugscope TeamFor the record so no one is confused, Lobsters are crustaceans, not insects. And sowbugs are not insects either; they are related to lobsters.
- TeacherDo I have too many computers logged on
- Bugscope TeamThe antlion is sleeping soundly now, Aditi.
- Bugscope Teamis it gone yet? you could try to refresh and see if it goes away
- Bugscope TeamNo that should be good, only 7 computers plus two teachers plus Aditi.
- TeacherYes its gone
- Studentare those the anteanas sticking out of the nostrils?
Bugscope Teamit does look like where a nose would be, but for ants they have their antennae come out of their head above their mouth. Ants don't have nostrils, though they do have spiracles on their body, which we cant see right now
- Guestis this its head?
- Guestare those jaws
- Bugscope Teamthis is the head of the leafcutter ant, and the serrated pincer like things are its jaws.
- TeacherWe're magnifying the eye
- Studentit looks like a lot of grapes
- Guestwhy are there bumps on the eye
Bugscope Teamthis is one of two compound eyes on the ant, which is made up of facets that we believe each gets an image and sends it to the brain
- Bugscope Teamants have pretty simple-looking compound eyes. Some ants dont have any eyes
- 12:41 pm
- Studentthen how can they see
Bugscope TeamMost ants spend a lot of time underground where it is dark. So they don't need very good eyes. Ants mostly sense their environment though taste and smell
- Guestccool
- Guestcate what is a facet
Bugscope Teamthe facets on a compound eye are technically called ommatidia, but they are the individual components of the eye
- Studentthat's cool!
- Bugscope Teameach bump is a facet
- Studentwhat is the purpose of the spikes on the ant?
Bugscope TeamI am not sure if anyone really knows...the can probably be used to defend the ant, it may also be a sort of tool to help the ant dig and move leaves around
- Guestwhat part are we zoomed in on
Bugscope Teamwe are on the top the head
- Studentwhat's the texture of the head?
Bugscope TeamIt is bumpy and hard...although it looks quite ridged, our fingers are too big to sense the ridges.
- Studentwhy does it have a hexagon pattern on its head
Bugscope TeamThe cuticle in ants often does have a hexagonal pattern, and we think it may make the cuticle stronger, rather than being smooth.
- Guestdo ants have hair on their heads
Bugscope Teamyes they tend to have hair all over, but on insects we are supposed to call the hair setae (see-tee). They are all attached to nerves which are beneath the hard exoskeleton so that they can sense what is around them in their environment
- Studenthow big is the leafcutter ant?
Bugscope TeamThis ant is probably a centimeter long. The worker ants can be much larger.
- Guestwhat kind of ant is this
Bugscope TeamTHis is a leafcutter ant
- Guesthow many ants do you think you have
- 12:46 pm
- Bugscope TeamAditi there is only one ant in the 'scope today -- in a field of salt.
- StudentAre the legs or claws sharp?
Bugscope TeamThey are sharp enough to hold onto your skin, but too small to hurt you.
- Bugscope Teamthey usually have sharp claws at the tips of the legs
- Bugscope Teamthe ends of the legs in insect -- the last several segments -- are called 'tarsi.'
- Bugscope Team'insects'
- Studentwhy do the feet look like suction cups?
Bugscope TeamIf you take the mag up you can see if they really do look like suction cups.
- Studenthow many joints does the leafcutter ant have?
Bugscope Teamyou mean on the leg? we can count them
- Bugscope Teamthis type of ant has very long legs
- 12:51 pm
- Studentyes the leg.
- StudentWhat is that big blob in the middle?
- Studentdo the claws help them stay on the ground?
Bugscope Teamif you watch insects walk you will see that some of them do not walk on their claws; the last few tarsi sometimes function collectively like a foot.
- Bugscope Teamit looks like there are about 10 joints. I think there are five tarsi, and I have to look up the other segment names -- one of which is a femur
- Studentcool
- Bugscope Teamif you take the mag down, when you have time, you can count the joints
- Guestwhat are all these spots around it
Bugscope Teamthat is the double stick carbon tape we stick the insects on. There are some squares around it as well that is the salt
- Studentsalt
- Guestwhy do leafcutter ants cut leaves
Bugscope TeamThey bring the leaves back to their nests and they grow fungus on the leaves. They use the fungus to feed the baby ants.
- Bugscope Teamthis is a big cricket in the scope
- Bugscope Teamif you watch a katydid, for example, when it is walking, you can see that it holds its claws above the surface of the ground.
- Bugscope Teamit has some scales all over it
- Studentare those vains on his head?
Bugscope Teamthose are the scales I just mentioned
- TeacherCan you please give the controls to Mrs. Leary
Bugscope Teammrs leary has control now
- Studentwhat's that long tube on it's head?
Bugscope Teamthat is one of its antenna
- StudentWhere are the eyes?
Bugscope Teamtheres a big eye to the very lower right
- 12:56 pm
- Studentdo they have joints in their antena
Bugscope Teamyes they have many joints in their antennae that allow the antennae to curve.
- Bugscope TeamThey look like veins, don't they? We think they are not veins but perhaps fungal fibers, or even web.
- StudentIs that hair on the anntenae or little spikes?
Bugscope Teamthey look like little spikes -- some of them are sensory -- sensitive to touch or tactile stimuli. and some are chemosensory -- they can smell chemical signals with them.
- Guestwhy does the antenna have spikes
- Studentwhat is the average life span of a cricket?
Bugscope Teamthe adults live around 2-3 weeks
- Studentwhat's inside of the antenna
Bugscope TeamInside the antennae are nerves, blood, and some muscles
- Guestthis is a cricket right
- Studenthow long is the antenna
- Guesthow do crickets chirp
Bugscope TeamThey can chirp in one of two ways...they can either scrape their leg against a part of their wing or they can rub their wings together
- Guestwhen do they mate
- Studentcool
- Studentwhy does it have little bumps on it
- Bugscope Teamwhat we think of as blood in insects is called hemolymph
- Guestdo you like your job
Bugscope TeamYes, I get to travel, to work outside, and to meet lots of interesting people
- Studentwhats there diet
Bugscope TeamCrickets will eat anything...rotten food, glue, garbage, other crickets, dog food...anything.
- Studentis that all hair
- Guestcan you show us their wings
- Studentwhat is this
- StudentWhat is this
- Studenthow many bones are there in a cricket
Bugscope Teaminsects and many other arthropods that resemble insects are invertebrates, meaning they do not have a backbone, and insects do not have bones at all. Instead, they have an exoskeleton, a shell.
- 1:02 pm
- Guesthow many eggs do they lay at one time
Bugscope TeamCrickets usually only lay one egg at a time
- Studentthis looks really weird
- Guesthow big is a cricket
Bugscope Teamthey are about two to three inches long
- Studentdoes flying get them exgausted
Bugscope TeamYes, flight is very energetically expensive for insects, especially for large insects like bumblebees and big katydids
- Studentthose look like little strings
- Studentis that a wing
- Guestwhat aare we zoomed in on
- StudentWhy is this
- Studentwhy is a part of it look darker
- TeacherCan you help us find the wing
Bugscope TeamI think we see the wing now, in the middle of the image.
- Studentwhat is the stuff that islike dandruff
Bugscope TeamThose are scales that have rubbed off of a moth
- Guesthow often do they lay eggs
- Studentis that the inside
- Guestwhat do crickets eat
- TeacherWhat's under the wings?
- Studentwhat is the period of time that they can fly for?
Bugscope TeamMost insects can only fly for short periods of time...maybe 10-20 minutes without becoming exhausted. There are exceptions of course, there are always exceptions with insects
- StudentWhy is the wing split up in to parts
Bugscope Teamsome insects have four wings, and some have two. flies are called Diptera because they have only two wings (the 'di' means two, and the 'ptera' means wing, like in the dinosaur pteranodon.
- Studentis there colony in the ground
- StudentHow biig is a baby cricket
Bugscope TeamPretty small...the first instars can be the size of a fruit fly.
- Studentdoes a cricet have any blood in it
Bugscope TeamCrickets and other insects have blood...but it is insect blood not mammal blood. Insect blood is clear or greenish. It is not red because it does not carry oxygen like our blood does.
- Studentis this the wing?
- Studentdo they eat other insects
Bugscope TeamCrickets will eat other insects if the other insects are dead.
- StudentHow big are crickets?
Bugscope Teamthey vary between species, but the average is anywhere from ½-1 inch
- TeacherCan you give me back the controls please
- 1:07 pm
- Bugscope Teamyou got it Ms S
- Guestwhat part of a cricket are we zoomed in on
- Studentdo they ever get sick from eating all of that garbage
Bugscope TeamNope, it is their job. I guess they could get sick if they ate some sort of insect pathogen, just like you could get sick if your food had a human pathogen in it.
- Teacherthanks
- Bugscope Teamhard to tell just where we are now
- Studentdo crickets get sick for eating anying
- Guestwhere do crickets like to live
Bugscope TeamThey like to live in dark damp places, like under leaves and rocks and in gardens. They hide during the day and come out at night.
- Bugscope TeamCool!
- Studentwhat is a palp
- Guestwhat is that tube like thing
- Studentwhere is the jaw on the cricket
- Studentwhats pathogen?
Bugscope TeamAn organism that causes a disease--like chicken pox or a cold
- Guestare those its legs
- StudentIs it flaky?
- Bugscope Teampalps are mouthparts that insects use to taste and manipulate their food
- Bugscope Teamthe tube-like thing was one of the palps, which are often, in other insects, not open tubes like that
- Studentwhat colors do they come in
Bugscope Teamthey come in black, brown, yellow-brown, reddish -- earth tones
- TeacherWhat is the cricket laying on?
Bugscope Teamall the insects are sitting on double stick carbon tape with a dab of silver paint. This helps to ground any charge there might be
- Guestwhat are a crickets main preadators
- Bugscope Teamapparently if you listen to how many chirps they emit each minute, divide this count by 4, and adding the number 40, you will arrive at the approximate Fahrenheit temperature outside.
- Guesthow many legs does a cricket have
- Bugscope Teama cricket is an insect, and insects, as adults, have six legs
- Studentwhat is that bump on it
- Bugscope Teamthis is one of the sowbugs
- Studentwhat is the average size of a sowbug
Bugscope TeamAround here sowbugs are usually 7 to 10 mm long
Bugscope Teammost are about an inch or so long
- Studentwhat is the stuff that looks like fungus
- Bugscope Teamit has dirt on its armor
- Studentis that fuz!!!
- 1:12 pm
- StudentHow is it attached ti its exo skeloten
- Studenthow many legs does it have on it
- Guestwhat do sow bugs eat
Bugscope Teamsowbugs eat decaying plants and animals, and some living plants
- Studentare those hairs on its legs?
- Studentwhers its eeye
- TeacherCan we see the gills
- Guestwhat colors do sowbugs come in
Bugscope TeamMany beautiful shades of brown, gray, and black
- Studentdoes it have a tail
- Studentdoes it have scaley skin
- Studentwhat does it eat
- Studentwhere do they live
- Guestis sow bugs one word or two
Bugscope Teamit technically should be one because they are not really bugs...so it should be sowbug
- Guestare they bad for the world
Bugscope Teamthey are not bad for the world. They are decomposers and the break down dead plants and help them turn back into soil.
- Bugscope Teamgiant isopods (a type of huge rolypoly that lives in the sea) gets to be 7.5 to 14.5 in long and 3 lbs heavy
- Bugscope TeamAditi I think it is more commonly two words.
- Studenthow many specie are there
- Studentwere is its mouth?
- StudentIs that a vain
- Guestdo you hae any other bugs for us
- Bugscope Teamit has a clump of dirt on it as you can see
- Student how many times does itmolt in its lifetime
Bugscope TeamI have read that they molt four or five times; it likely depends on the species.
- Bugscope TeamMs Shapiro the preset we have labeled as a 'slater' is another sowbug.
- Studentcan we see inside
- TeacherIs that the ovipositor
Bugscope Teamthose are called terminal exopods, and they may be able to sense touch and make the sowbug curl up.
- Guestwhat animals like to eat sowbugs
Bugscope TeamLizards, snakes, spiders, small mammals, birds (if they can find them)
- 1:17 pm
- Guestwhat is an ovipositor
- Studentdo isopods have teeth or something to chew food with?
- Studentdoes it have the same type of eye as an ant
- Guestis it true that antlions eat silver ants
Bugscope TeamI think antlions like all types of ants.
- Guestwhat is an isopods
- Studenthow long does it live?
- Studentwhere do they lay eggs
- TeacherWhat are we looking at?
Bugscope Teamthis is the last few segments of the sowbug body
- Studentwhat do those claw like things do
- Studentwhat is the texture of the isopod?
Bugscope Teamthe isopod would feel kind of like a fingernail to us
- StudentDoes there exoskeleton have hair
- Guestannie, I was asking because I read in a magazine that they do -just wondering
Bugscope TeamAntlions really like ants...silver, red, black..all ants
- Bugscope TeamIn most species , the female releases the eggs into a ventral brood chamber where they are incubated until after hatching. Some species incubate their eggs and juveniles in pockets of the body which open from the brood chamber, while others incubate them internally.
- Bugscope TeamMs Shapiro go to preset 15 if you would like.
- GuestCan I control the microscope
- 1:22 pm
- StudentHow strong is the exoskeleton
- TeacherThank you, but we need to leave.
- StudentThankyou for showing us these amazing pictures!!!
- Studentthank you
- StudentWe really enjoyed the experience
- Bugscope TeamOh I am sorry I wanted you to stay longer.
- Studentdo they alot of eggs
- Guesthow many schools have you done one of these for
- Bugscope TeamI guess it is alright. There is a professor here who would like to use the 'scope.
- TeacherThanks Scot Cate and Annie for your great answers
- Bugscope TeamAditi over 450 sessions, I think.
- TeacherHow can we access the pictures and chat
Bugscope Teamyou can visit your member page (http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2008-137/) at anytime to view chat and images from today
- Bugscope TeamThank you Ms Shapiro!
- Guestthank you
- Bugscope Teamit is found in the transcript, which you can view anonymized or not (by logging in at the bottom)
- Guestis our antlion dead-sutherland elementary
Bugscope Teamit might be by now
- Bugscope TeamOkay I am shutting down the 'scope... Thank you!
- Bugscope TeamGood bye!
- Guestbye
- Bugscope Teamif it's not dead, it is atleast frozen
- Teacherhope to see you again
- Teacherbye
- Bugscope TeamYes we will see you again. Thank you!
- Bugscope Teamplease do another session with us next year
- Guestyour scope and equipment looks really cool