Connected on 2011-03-16 10:00:00
from New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- 9:35 am
- TeacherHello Bugscope team! This is Joyce Metger and her second grade team! We are logged in and ready to see some cool insect adaptations!
- 9:40 am
- Bugscope Teamhi we are almost ready on this end, just a couple more presets
- Bugscope Teamok we are ready for you to take control
- 9:50 am
- TeacherGreat! We are ready, too! My students have lots of questions for you. Any suggestions before I call the first microscope "driver"? Some parts of this look different to me from before.
- Bugscope Teamto get to different presets click on the arror to the left and you will see all the presets presented
- Bugscope Teamthe controls are above the image
- Bugscope Teamand to manually drive click on the image and it will center on where you click
- Bugscope Teamother than that everything "should" work. let me know if you do come across any problems
- Bugscope Teamso here we see a compound eye
- Bugscope Teamof the moth
- Bugscope Teamyou can see it kind of looks like a honeycomb
- Bugscope Teamthat is because a hexagon is the best shape to fit the curvature of the eye
- Bugscope Teamthere is also a small scratch on the eye, not sure if that happened before or after death
- TeacherEmily is our first driver.
- Bugscope Teamhi emily!
- 9:56 am
- Bugscope Teamour eyes each acquire an image, and like our eyes, the moth acquires images from each of its ommatidia, which are the individual components of the compound eye
- TeacherJaron asks, "How many bugs have you found in this year?"
Bugscope Teamnot too many. Most of our insects come from schools, but sometimes we do bring in spiders or ladybugs
- Bugscope Teamoh and in the stairwell of our building we seem to find a lot of dead wasps
- Bugscope Teamthe wasp tongue is very cool looking- and very clean
- Bugscope Teamthere are pollen grains all over this wasp, she must have been doing her job very well
- Bugscope TeamMost of the bees, wasps, and ants you see are females. They do most of the work in the colony/hive while the males' jobs are mainly to reproduce
- TeacherTreacy asks, "How long were you in college?"
Bugscope TeamI was in college for a little over 4 years. I received my bachelor degree in physics, but I find after doing bugscope for 6 years that I am like a jr entymologist
- Bugscope Teamwasps can sting you multiple times but it's a much lower concentration than the honey bee, which can only sting once. They try to make their sting count since their stingers get caught in the skin of mammals.
- TeacherJoseph asks, "How many wasps have you found in this year?"
Bugscope Teamabout 6 or so.
- 10:01 am
- Bugscope Teamhere is a tiny spider that an entymologist gave to us at some point.
- Bugscope TeamThis spider would most likely not harm you, too small
- TeacherAshlyn wants that spider!
Bugscope Teamyou could have one as a pet I suppose, but I think they would be easy to lose since they are so small
- TeacherWe are looking at the hairs on the spider's back. We are thinking that its adaptation is to keep it warm.
Bugscope Teamthey very well could be, though insects are cold blooded so they tend to not be too trifled with temperature. Some of them also could help the spider to feel around.
- TeacherAdam asks about what the spider is sitting on.
Bugscope Teamwe have all the insects sitting on double stick carbon tape, which is the bubbly stuff
- Bugscope Teamand sometimes we put a little glob of silver paint down to help them stick better
- TeacherKendal asks, "Have you looked at a praying mantis?"
Bugscope Teamyes but we prefer the smaller ones. With the bigger ones, all we can really look at are the heads
- Bugscope Teamhere is a little millipede, which, like the spider, is not an insect- they don't have 6 legs
- 10:07 am
- TeacherLogan asks, "How many bugs have you tested?"
Bugscope Teamwe have looked at a variety of insects, like the basic ones you find, but in the full scope of things, we have only looked at a small number of species. There are so many that exist in the world!
- TeacherDarcy will be our next driver.
- TeacherGeorgia asks, "Why did you get that Science job?"
Bugscope TeamI like science, and this job is very exciting because we see so many aspects of science here in the lab. We have many different microscopes that users come in and use to image their samples with. It never gets boring
- Bugscope TeamHi Darcy!
- TeacherDominick asks, "What kinds of insects do you look at on the microscope?"
Bugscope Teamwe like to see insects that are specialized. We received some cool ants earlier, sorry they aren't on here. We've seen stick insects (which are kind of boring), cicadas (which are often huge!), grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, different stages of butterflies (larva, chrysalis), wasps, bees, praying mantids...you name the general familes of insects and we have probably seen it
- TeacherEmily asks, "How much money is the SEM?"
Bugscope Teamwe purchased this microscope about 12 years ago for $600,000
- Bugscope TeamThis microscope can see things as small as 2 nanometers when the microscope is set up well and the sample is good
- Bugscope Teamthat is much smaller than any visible light wave
- 10:12 am
- Bugscope Teamhere are some small scales on the moth
- Bugscope Teamyou can see they are ridged, and if you zoom in you will see little holes
- Bugscope Teamthey are ridged like ruffle potato chips
- TeacherVincent asks, "What was the first bug you looked at?"
Bugscope Teamto tell you the truth I have no idea. That was 6 years ago for me, and I knew almost nothing about insects at the time!
- TeacherLook at the little holes!
- Bugscope TeamThe ridges give the scales structure and also bend the light and give the scales structural color
- Bugscope TeamThe holes help make the scales lighter and also sometimes contain pigment granules, but I didn't see any earlier
- Bugscope Teamthe scales can also act as a defensive mechanism. If a moth or butterfly gets caught in a spider web, they can sometimes shake a few loose and get away!
- Bugscope Teamit doesn't hurt the butterfly or moth to lose a few scales since they have so many.
- TeacherAdam asks, "Are the scales hard or soft?"
Bugscope Teamthey are hard to other insects but to us, they are the same powder soft stuff that comes off when you touch their wings
- 10:17 am
- TeacherClaire asks, "Have you looked at a praying mantis egg sac?"
Bugscope Teamno, but we have looked at spider sacs, which are kind of cool sometimes
- TeacherAdam is also our new driver.
Bugscope TeamHi Adam!
- TeacherLogan says, "It looks like something is inside the roly poly."
- TeacherSeth-Michael asks, "How does the roly poly get on its back?"
Bugscope Teamfor bugscope we put them all on their backs, because their backs aren't usually interesting to look at. All their faces and legs are on the ventral side. The roly poly can usually roll to it's front if it accidentally flips over
- TeacherAdam is trying to find the mouth.
- TeacherAshlyn asks, "Is it nasty sometimes looking at the insects?
Bugscope Teamyes, but I usually have problems with the live ones. Every now and then a school will send a live insect. We usually throw them in the freezer- allows them to go to sleep and die, without any pain
- Bugscope Teamthe mouth is right in the middle of the screen- you found it!
- TeacherTreacy asks, "How many years have you been studying insects?"
Bugscope Teamfor me- 6 years. Scot, who is usually on to help but is sick today, has been doing it for longer- since bugscope started 12 years ago!
- 10:23 am
- TeacherJaron is the driver now. What critter will he choose?
- Bugscope TeamHi Jaron!
- Bugscope Teamoo here is a green lacewing
- Bugscope Teamthey have wings that to the naked eye looks like lace
- TeacherDarcy asks, "How long did it take to make the SEM?"
Bugscope Teama company in the US made it and shipped it here in a couple parts. I'm not sure how long it would take to make, but there are a lot of components that have to be careful with, so I'm sure it wasn't easy
- TeacherJaron wants to get closer to the eye...he sees little holes.
- Bugscope Teamlacewings have giant round eyes that allow them to see almost 360 degrees around itself- it's helpful when they can't really turn their heads too much
- Bugscope Teamyou will see they are just round ommatidia- hexagons again! There also looks like there was some liquid that got on top of the eye
- TeacherAshlyn says the top of the eye looks like sand. Emily says dust.
Bugscope Teamit looks like dried liquid
- Bugscope Teamhere is a true bug- maybe an assassin bug- unfortunately it has a leg right in front of its face. Maybe it's camera shy!
- TeacherWyatt asks, "Do other planets have insects?"
Bugscope Teamnot that we know of, but it's very possible!
- 10:29 am
- TeacherSarah asks, "Is it hard being a scientist?"
Bugscope TeamI think that it is more fun than hard. Sometimes there are challenges that you come across, but it makes it all the better when you overcome them and learn from them
- TeacherKaitlynn asks, "How old were you started this stuff?"
Bugscope TeamI started working here when I was still in college when I was 20
- Bugscope TeamI like this claw. It is very clean. A lot of the insects we come across are dirty, like they were collected from a garage or dusty corner. Insects like to keep themselves clean, especially their antennae
- TeacherWe are trying to figure out what the special body feature is on this critter.
- TeacherJaron thinks it is the muzzle.
- TeacherChloe asks, "What was the first bug made?"
Bugscope TeamI'm not sure, but roaches have been around- same species, since prehistoric times. They haven't changed for millenia! Other insects changed since prehistoric times- they got smaller
- TeacherJaron thinks the face is at the top.
Bugscope Teamyes that's right
- Bugscope Teamthis is a hide beetle that museums sometimes use to clean off the bits of leftover flesh from skeletons for their collections
- 10:34 am
- Bugscope Teamthey've used them a couple times in the show Bones
- TeacherAshlyn asks, "Do you use tools to help you?"
Bugscope TeamI mostly use a pair of tweezers/forceps to pick up insects and put them on stubs
- TeacherKendal asks, "What kind of bugs do you look at?"
Bugscope Teamwe like to look at the insects that aren't very big for bugscope. We try not to use cicadas or those big grasshoppers because then we wouldn't be able to fit many other insects for you to see. We do bugscope about twice a week, and the other times the microscope is used for research purposes.
- Bugscope Teamwe like looking at insects, but we only really look at them a small portion of the week
- TeacherKaitlynn is our next driver.
- Bugscope TeamHi Kaitlynn!
- Bugscope Teamhere is a palp that is used for tasting and moving around food
- Bugscope Teamin this palp there are little tastebuds
- TeacherTreacy asks, "How wide is the SEM?
Bugscope Teamthe main component is as big as a fridge. There is also the computer component that is about the size of a large desk
- TeacherThat doesn't look "clean".
Bugscope Teamnope, there's little fluff all over it. This was dried a special way that sometimes get extra stuff dried on it
- TeacherWe want to know what it is. Ashlyn says it looks like a spider egg case.
Bugscope Teamit is a palp- a mouthpart, used for tasting and manipulating food
- 10:39 am
- TeacherThe children are wondering if this is hair or fur.
- TeacherAdam asks, "What is the most dangerous insect you have ever had?"
Bugscope Teamwe've received a black widow and some scorpions in the past. They were dead
- Bugscope Teamscorpions in the united states aren't very deadly to adults. The most they do is numb the area of the sting for up to 12 hours, I think
- Bugscope Teamblack widows are pretty dangerous, and so are brown recluses. I believe those are the deadliest in the US
- TeacherEmily asks, "Do you look at egg cases?"
Bugscope Teamwe have looked at a few. It is fun to see the little eggs
- Bugscope Teamthese are fly compound eyes, but they are a little dried out so they look crinkly
- TeacherIt would be cool to see the Black Widow.
Bugscope Teamyes but it was sadly smooshed and wasn't very good to look at. A nice preserved specimen would be ideal
- TeacherSomeone else says this is a compound eye.
- TeacherKaitlynn says, "Those are a lot of eyes."
Bugscope Teamyes there are hundreds on just one compound eye here
- 10:44 am
- TeacherGeorgia asks, "What was the first bug that you did Science with?"
Bugscope TeamI'm really not sure. It might have been a fruit fly or mosquito. When I first started out I knew little about insects, so I probably didn't even know what i was looking at
- TeacherDerek wants to know, "Does Alaska have bugs?"
Bugscope Teamyes they do, it gets to be very beautiful in the summer. It's not cold all year round
- TeacherJaron asks, "Why do you look at bugs?"
Bugscope Teamwe look at bugs because they are the most interesting for students too look at. They like looking at the things they see on a day to day basis.
- TeacherWyatt is the next driver.
Bugscope TeamHi Wyatt!
- TeacherDarcy asks, "How many scientists do you know?"
Bugscope TeamI know a bunch! We have a lot that uses this scanning electron microscope for imaging their research. We also have lots of other instruments in the lab they use
- TeacherClaire asks, "How many bugs have you found?"
Bugscope TeamI tend to squish them, so only of the ones I don't squish I bring in
- TeacherWyatt also asks, "Why do flies have red eyes?"
Bugscope TeamNot all flies do, but it is just a trait they have, I don't think it means anything. Some have black.
- 10:49 am
- TeacherAdam asks, "What kinds of bugs do you like?"
Bugscope TeamI like ants and wasps. They both can have stingers and they often have cool heads to look at
- TeacherSarah asks, "Are there over one million insects?"
Bugscope Teamyes I would say there are billions if not more!
- Bugscope Teamthere are tons of insect species that have yet to be discovered
- TeacherWe are interested in how the leg looks to be little pieces connected. Wyatt wanted to look inside.
Bugscope Teamwe can't see inside too far but they are segmented so that they can move their leg around. If it weren't segmented, it would be like if we didnt have joints
- TeacherAshlyn wants to know what the pointy things are.
Bugscope Teamthose are hairs, big hairs!
- Bugscope Teamhere are some pollen grains
- TeacherJoseph asks, "Have you seen the black widow that was alive?"
Bugscope Teamno we aren't in a region with them :(
- Bugscope Teamwe are more likely to see brown recluses
- 10:55 am
- TeacherLogan asks, "Do bees have poison?" Some say no and some say yes.
Bugscope Teamthey have venom, which is different than poison. The allergy response we get is from the histamine in the venom
- TeacherChloe is our next driver, and Wyatt wants to know why the Black Widow has the hour glass shape on its back.
Bugscope Teamyou know I'm not entirely sure. Maybe they show as a marker to other insects to stay away. Though it's not bright red or orange, so I doubt it
- TeacherVincent asks, "Where do Black Widows usually live?"
Bugscope TeamIn the US they can be found in florida, and the SW
- Teacher...oops...ties
- TeacherThey look like pokey hairs or little bow times.
Bugscope Teamyeah they reminded me of pasta as well
- Bugscope TeamI'm not sure what the crystals are from
- TeacherChloe wants to investigate the hole and the crack.
- TeacherChloe sees a hole.
Bugscope Teamyes that could be where a hair was. A pore for the hair
- Bugscope Teamand yes there is a small crack
- TeacherJaron asks, "Are tarantulas dangerous?"
Bugscope Teamthe bite of a tarantula is generally not dangerous to humans
- 11:01 am
- Bugscope Teamvenom is injected from a spider or other animal. poison means that they are toxic to be consumed or touched
- TeacherAnd our next driver is Derek.
- TeacherAdam asks, "How does pollen stick on wasps?" Chloe thinks they have sticky feet.
Bugscope Teamthey kind of do. They usually have spikes that make them easy to attach to hairs. Some are easy to get stuck in hairs, especially bee hairs which are forked
- TeacherGeorgia asks, "Where did you get the dead bugs?"
Bugscope Teamwe usually find them around the house or the lab
- TeacherHere are our last questions. I know that we are about at the end of our time. Here we go!
- TeacherEmily asks, "What is you favorite thing to do as a scientist?"
Bugscope TeamI like looking at all the different samples that come through and imaging them. It is fun to see new technology before most of the public has yet to see them. We have seen flexible silicon that could be used as a cell phone so you can roll it up and put it in your pocket
- TeacherWhy do you find dead bugs? Why can't you just look at them alive?
Bugscope Teamwe put the insects in a vacuum and beam electrons at them. If they were to somehow survive that process than to image them would be difficult because they would be moving around
- TeacherWhat is your name and the other scientist names?
Bugscope TeamMy name is Cate and Scot is usually on but it sick today. Sometimes we get a guy, Alex that helps, and Annie sometimes logs in and she is an entymologist
- 11:06 am
- TeacherThank you for letting us talk to you today.
- TeacherHow do you use the SEM?
Bugscope TeamWe put the samples on double stick carbon tape that is attached to an aluminum disk. The disk gets mounted into the chamber that can then be pumped to a vacuum. We beam electrons at the sample and image from there!
- TeacherWe like how you can put the bugs so you can see them.
Bugscope Teamyes they are fun to look at most often
- Bugscope TeamThanks for using bugscope this morning. It's always fun to do bugscope
- TeacherWhat is the SEM made of?
Bugscope Teammostly metals and plastics. Since xrays can be produced too, we have lead shielding around the chamber so we won't be exposed to them
- TeacherWe'll be back when we get home and go online.
- Bugscope Teamsure thanks for joining us today!
- TeacherSee you next time when we get home. Hope you have a good day.
- TeacherWe really liked how you got the bugs to zoom in and zoom out.
- TeacherWell, Cate. Another great Bugscope lesson. Thank you so much for offering this experience to my students. You all are "da bomb"!
- TeacherWe like to be like the Founding Fathers by saying, "Huzahhhhhhhh!" Bye.
- Bugscope Teamthanks!
- Bugscope Teamhere is inside the chamber
- Bugscope Teamthe electrons come from the top
