Connected on 2011-09-29 10:00:00
from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
- 8:57 am
- Bugscope Teamgood morning!
- 9:02 am
- Bugscope Teammicroscope is pumping down
- Bugscope Teamalmost ready to bring up the beam
- 9:08 am
- Bugscope Teamnow we are making presets
- 9:14 am
- 9:20 am
- 9:26 am
- TeacherOkay, I'm here. My kids are at PE
- Bugscope TeamCool.
- Bugscope TeamThis will be a good sample, Mrs Morgan
- TeacherHow cool is that earwig!
- Bugscope TeamI just got your email message.
- Bugscope TeamI have a few more presets to make, but please feel free to drive for a while if you would like
- TeacherCan we get any of these images to use on our district website for PR?
- Bugscope Teamthese will all be saved on your member page
- Bugscope Teamhttp://bugscope.beckman.illinois.edu/members/2011-064
- Bugscope Teamalong with the chat
- 9:32 am
- Bugscope Teambut I can also take a few high-res images and give you a link to them
- Bugscope Teamthis is a rare occasion in which we have actually found a beetle grasping something in its claws, and it's a aphid
- Bugscope Teampretty nice
- Bugscope TeamJapanese beetles often seem to be making intricate gang signs with their claws
- 9:38 am
- Bugscope Teamthis is awesome, also -- the brochosomes on the leafhopper's exoskeleton
- 9:44 am
- TeacherWhat are we looking at here?
- Bugscope Teamthis is a mold spore on the face of a silverfish
- Bugscope Teamthere's the face
- Bugscope Teamsilverfish are kind of nerdy looking
- 9:50 am
- TeacherI was thinking that they look really monster-like
- Bugscope TeamI'm sure it would be happier to hear that.
- TeacherWhat are the scales?
Bugscope Teamthe scales are what it shares with mosquitoes, butterflies, moths, and very few other insects. They help all of those insects escape from webs.
- Bugscope Teamscales are modified setae -- the tiny hairs. they also have a thermoregulating function, we think, and they provide color to butterflies, of course
- TeacherI've got to go get the kids. They are going to love this.
- Bugscope Teamthese are the iridescent blue scales of a butterfly
- Bugscope Teamsweet
- 9:55 am
- Bugscope Teamthis is the head of a flying aphid. about a year ago we had them all over campus
- 10:02 am
- 10:11 am
- TeacherWhat is the segmented piece that is going off the slide to the left?
- Bugscope Teamthat is the one remaining antenna
- Bugscope Teamsomehow we lost the other one!
- Bugscope Teamyou can see the compound eye below the base of the antenna
- TeacherOh, no! There is an antenna on the loose!
- TeacherWhat is this?
- Bugscope Teamnow we are looking at the antenna, up close
- Bugscope Teamtiny hairs called microsetae
- Bugscope Teamplease feel free to drive and also to click on any of the presets to get the microscope to drive you to one of those places
- Bugscope Teamthis is the earwig's compound eye
- Bugscope Teamthe individual facets of the eye are called ommatidia
- TeacherWe'd like to see the beetle claw with the aphid
- Bugscope Teamthis, now, is one of the six claws of the Japanese beetle
- Bugscope Teamit has grabbed an aphid
- Bugscope Teamthe head of the aphid is sort of triangular
- 10:17 am
- TeacherWhat is the hole in the aphid?
Bugscope Teamthat is where one of its limbs broke off
- TeacherAlison wants to know what are the big spikey parts on the claw?
Bugscope Teamthe spikes that stick out of the claw are setae that help the beetle sense when it is touching something
- Bugscope Teaminsects have an exoskeleton, like a shell, or like if you were wearing a coat of armor
- Bugscope Teamif you had a coat of armor, it would be hard to tell if something was touching you
- TeacherSo the setae are like our fingers when they are touching something?
Bugscope Teamyes! the setae on the claw were also much like cat or rat whiskers
- Guesthello
Bugscope TeamHello MYP!
- Bugscope Teamnow you are looking at the compound eye of a fly
- GuestIs the bumpy thing the eye?
Bugscope Teamyes it is!
- GuestThat looks cool!
- Bugscope Teamyou can see that the fly has sensory (mechanosensory) setae around its eye, just like the beetle had on its claw
- 10:22 am
- TeacherHow many mini eyes are there?
Bugscope Teamthere can be several thousand, easily
- Bugscope Teammany flying insects also have three simple eyes on the top of the head, arranged in a triangle, called ocelli
- Bugscope Teamthe ocelli are more like light sensors than eyes, and they help wasps and bees and flies keep their orientation with respect to the sun, for example
- Guesthi
- TeacherWhat are the dents in the eye? Is that normal?
Bugscope Teamwhen the fly was alive, its eye would not have been dented like that; it is now a bit dry and shrunken
- Guesthi
- Guesthi
Bugscope TeamHi Martin!
- Guesthola!
- Bugscope Teamif you had compound eyes like this, you would have very good peripheral vision; other insects and animals would have difficulty sneaking up on you
- TeacherMark was hoping we could zoom in and see some of the mini eyes close up.
Bugscope Teamyou can do that if you wish, Mrs Morgan; or I can drive for you
- Guestwhat is that
Bugscope Teamthat is a fly's eye, Martin
- Guestwhat are those?
- Guestwhos controlling
Bugscope TeamMrs Morgan is controlling. This is her class's Bugscope session today.
- 10:27 am
- Bugscope Teaman ant!
- Guesto bye srry to bother
Bugscope TeamHey no problem. Please feel free to watch!
- TeacherSaige wants to know about the circle in the middle made of bumps
Bugscope Teamthat is the ant's compound eye
- Guestt
- Bugscope Teamalmost all ants we see are female
- Bugscope Teamonce in a while you see an ant with wings, and unless that is a flying queen ant, it is a male
- Bugscope Teamlet's look at the compound eye
- Bugscope Teameven it has a few tiny setae sticking out of it
- TeacherSaige wants to know about something near the mouth.
Bugscope Teamok!
- Bugscope Teamthis is the ball and socket joint at the base of the antenna
- Bugscope TeamSaige there is something caught in the mouth
- Bugscope Teama flake of something
- Bugscope Teamthe thing we see on the bottom is one of the mandibles -- one of the jaws -- which open left and right rather than up and down like ours
- 10:33 am
- Bugscope Teammandibles on an insect open like little gates, from side to side
- TeacherColin wants to know what is in the background?
- Bugscope Teamthe background is carbon tape, sticky on both sides, and also silver paint, to help the insects stick better and make a conductive pathway for the electrons to get away
- Bugscope Teamthis is the spur on the ant's foreleg that has a built-on comb on it.
- Bugscope Teamso this is how the ant cleans its antennae
- TeacherDaulton wants to know what is your favorite insect to view?
Bugscope TeamI like earwigs, leafhoppers, and weevils
- Bugscope Teamthis is another comb
- Bugscope Teamleafhoppers have pointy head
- Bugscope Teamheads...
- Bugscope Teamthis one is quite dirty, though
- 10:38 am
- TeacherWhere is the eye?
Bugscope Teamthe eyes are on the side of the head
- TeacherLooks like another compound eye.
Bugscope Teamyes it is!
- Bugscope Teamit is terribly dirty
- TeacherDo bugs have eyelashes to keep out the dirt?
Bugscope Teamno -- they have to brush stuff off of their eyes using their legs/arms
- Bugscope Teamit's a rock!
- Bugscope Teamand tiny crystals
- TeacherWe're interested in the wings of the butterfly
Bugscope Teambutterfly wings are covered with scales, which makes them feel silky smooth to us
- TeacherColin says that looks like a sea urchin
Bugscope Teamyes it does!
- Bugscope Teamscales do lots of things for butterflies, moths, mosquitoes, and silverfish, all of which have them
- TeacherRegan says when he holds butterflies in his hand, he gets dusty stuff on them. Is this the scales?
Bugscope TeamExactly! That is what the dust is.
- 10:44 am
- Bugscope Teamif a butterfly flies into a spiderweb, the scales will stick to it, and the butterfly has a chance to slip out, leaving scales stuck to the web
- TeacherWhat do the scales do?
Bugscope Teamthey also help the insect keep its body temperature constant
- Bugscope Teamalso, of course, scales are often brightly colored -- so butterflies and moths can recognize each other
- TeacherIf the big pieces are the scales, what are the little boxes in each scale?
Bugscope TeamTo be as light as possible (so they can still fly!) they have that pattern of holes to reduce weight while remaining strong.
- Bugscope Teambrightly colored scales on a Monarch butterfly are also a warning to birds, for example, that Monarchs taste bad.
- TeacherSo the holes are like netting?
- Bugscope Teamthe dimensions of the the little boxes reflect light of different colors
- Bugscope Teamdepending on those dimensions and the angle from which they are viewed...
- TeacherBrady wanted to see this Japenese beetle.
Bugscope Teampretty cool!
- Bugscope Teamthis is the underside of the head
- Bugscope Teamthe things that look kind of like maracas, or submarine sandwiches -- or pistachios -- are the antennal lobes
- TeacherWhat are the pistachios at the ends of the segmented parts?
Bugscope TeamThose are antennae
- 10:49 am
- Bugscope Teamthose lobes are lamellated, and they can fan out
- Bugscope Teamthe little dots we see inside are not holes in cheese, if this was a submarine sandwich -- they are chemosensors that help the beetle taste the air and what is near it
- TeacherWe've got to go. The kids are interested but restless.
Bugscope TeamThank You!
- Bugscope TeamIt was fun to connect with you today!
- TeacherWe LOVED this. Can you send us the digital pictures?
Bugscope Teamhttp://bugscope.beckman.illinois.edu/members/2011-064
- Bugscope TeamI will take a few more images as well and send you a link.
- Bugscope TeamThank You, Mrs Morgan!
- GuestThat was interesting
Bugscope Teammyp I gave you control if you would like to go to a few more presets and or drive
- Bugscope Teamyou can collect more images for Mrs Morgan's class
- Bugscope Teamfor example they did not get to see the mites
- 10:54 am
- Bugscope Teamyou can see that one click is enough to activate the preset
- Guestok
- Bugscope Teambut just have fun cruising around
- Guestthanks!
- Bugscope Teamall of the images -- like this! -- will go on the class's member page
- Bugscope Teamthis is totally cool
- Bugscope Teama mite on the shoulder of the earwig
- Bugscope Teamyou can see a mite behind it as well
- Guestwhat are the pointy things on the mite?
Bugscope Teamits arms and legs, with tiny setae that help it feel what it is touching
- Guestcool
- Bugscope Teamits head is very small, and you cannot really see it now
- Bugscope Teamsometimes the forelegs have a flattened spoonlike portion that may help it absorb food
- GuestWhere is the head?
Bugscope Teamit's right in the middle but obscured by those big central legs
- GuestWOW!
- GuestThose legs are big
- 10:59 am
- Bugscope Teamthe head looks kind of like a Chiclet with tiny antenna sprouting from it
- Bugscope Teamit is indeed in the center here but kind of nondescript
- GuestI see the head I think.
Bugscope Teamthat
Bugscope Teamthat is it, there
- Bugscope Teamthis kind of mite does not have eyes
- Bugscope Teamyou are doing a good job driving
- GuestThanks
- Guestwow
- Guestthats cool
- Bugscope Teamit also has to be on a part of the earwig in which it won't be brushed off or crushed
- Guesthow many species of mites are there?
Bugscope TeamI'm sure there are thousands, and it is likely many have not been named
- Guestthis is cool
- Guestwhat is that
Bugscope TeamYoyo this is the head of a mite, barely visible between its forlegs
- 11:04 am
- Guestcool
- Bugscope Teamthe bar to the lower left reads 5 microns, which is about 2.5 bacteria long
- Guestwow
- Guestapproximately how many species have no eyes?
Bugscope TeamMYP I am sorry I don't know much about them, really.
- Guestit's ok
- Guestabout how long are the antenaes?
Bugscope Teamlooks like about 20 to 30 microns, or micrometers
- Guestant enaes
- Bugscope Teamthe antenna is right in the middle here, and behind the other stuff
- GuestI think it's the right leg
- Guestwhat are the bumps on its legs
Bugscope Teamthat is an oily liquid
- 11:09 am
- Guestwhat is that sort of glob on the right leg?
Bugscope Teamjust some juju -- some fluid we don't recognize
Bugscope Teamit may be some kind of cellulosic material, like from a plant or the surface of a mold spore\
- Bugscope Teambe sure and try some of the other presets\
- Guestare mold spores common?
Bugscope Teamyes, and especially once the samples get old
- Bugscope Teamhere we see some pretty plump bacteria on the sponging mouthparts of a fly\
- Bugscope Teamalso, the thing to the right, top is a mold spore, looks like
- Guestwhat one is the bacteria, the flaky ones, ore the big ones?
Bugscope Teamthe one in the NW corner that looks like a capsule
- GuestThe one that I just centered?
Bugscope Teamjust to the lower left of it is a bacterium
- Bugscope Teambacteria come in different shapes, of course
- GuestThat one?
Bugscope Teamyes it is some kind of bacillus
- GuestThat looks cool!
- Bugscope Teamwhen we use the microscope for Bugscope, like today, we keep the sample far away from the polepiece, where the electrons come from
- 11:14 am
- Bugscope Teamif the sample was closer, we would see better resolution\
- Guesthow much batceria have you seen in bugscope in your work in bugscope?
Bugscope Teamfewer than you might expect. we do see them often on ticks.
- Bugscope TeamI found out recently, talking with a tick expert, that ticks occasionally burst when they become engorged with blood, but they can heal themselves -- they can form new cuticle to scar over the broken areas
- Guestcool!
- Bugscope Teamwhat I think that shows us is how dangerous ticks can be, and how immune they are to the bacteria they host
- GuestNot cool.
- Guestare the black dots the aphids?
Bugscope Teamnot here
- Bugscope Teamoh I see -- the software is stuck on this ant
- GuestAre there any aphids on this fly?
Bugscope Teamoops I mean fly
- Bugscope TeamMYP I can drive to the fly. Just a sec.
- Guestsure
- 11:19 am
- Bugscope TeamThere it is.
- Guestwhat was the previous thing?
Bugscope Teamwhere we were was another fly
- Bugscope Teamaphids are not always satisfying to look at because they shrivel up when they die
- Guestwith nothing on it?
Bugscope Teamthat was the fly with bacteria on its mouth
- Guestoh.
- Bugscope Teamthis is one of the lobes of the antennae of the Japanese beetle, up close
- Bugscope Teamthe little dot-like areas are what I believe are chemoreceptors
- Guestwhat are the bumps on the beetle?
Bugscope Teamsome of the bumps are just the shape of the cuticle
- GuestWow
- Bugscope Teamthis is an unstable area -- the beam is making it move a bit
- 11:25 am
- Guestwhat are the things inside a few of the bumps?
Bugscope TeamI am not sure. I think some of that is a waxy protein that has flaked off of the surface of the cuticle
- GuestIs the thing poking inside the picture an antennae?
- Bugscope Teamsometimes these are called 'sensilla'
- GuestDoes it have anything to do with their senses?
- Bugscope TeamI believe they are chemoreceptors that pick up various odors and scents in the air
- Bugscope TeamI think, also, with insects, that there are different chemosensors for differents ranges of scents
- Guestso those are like our noses?
Bugscope Teamyes -- they use them to smell but of course in this case not to breathe
- Guestso how do they breath?
Bugscope Teamthey breathe through spiracles, which there are usually two of per segment, and toward the sides of the body
- Guestcool!
- 11:30 am
- GuestWhat is that?
Bugscope Teamthat is a haltere
- Guestwhat does the haltere do?
- Bugscope Teamusually there is a spiracle adjacent to a haltere, but we cannot see it here
- Bugscope Teamthe haltere is a modified hindwing that is found in flies (Diptera -- 'two winged')
- Bugscope Teamso we see the two large wings in flies, and the halteres are smaller but kind of heavy, and they beat opposite the motion of the wings
- Guest(smell wise)
- Guestwhy do they stink?
Bugscope Teamwhy do flies stink?
- Guestmay i have control
Bugscope Teamgot it, Yoyo.
- Guestwhat is that thing?
Bugscope Teamthat is the shaft of the haltere, and it has what one lecturer calls 'hypertrophied mechanoreceptors' on it that sense the movement of the halteres
- Bugscope TeamYoyo I am sorry that some of the presets are not working...
- Bugscope TeamYou like the mites, don't you?
- 11:35 am
- Guestyep
- Bugscope TeamMYP, Robin, and Yoyo I am going to have to shut things down. We share this microscope with other researchers, who sign up for time to use it.Researchers
- Bugscope Teamthose mites have crystals on their carapaces...
- Bugscope TeamAnyway -- see you 'guys' another time?
- Guestsure bye! Thankyou again!
Bugscope TeamThank You!
- Bugscope TeamBye you all.
- Guestbye
