Once again, It’s time to celebrate the little animals that… facilitate plant sex by moving plant sperm around.

I’ve discovered over time that a lot of people don’t actually know what pollination is, other than it’s something that’s needed to get fruit. That’s certainly true; apples, bananas, blueberries, melons, peaches, pumpkins, almonds, and a whole bunch of other plants need to be pollinated for us to get the food we like.

That’s the what of pollination.  But the WHY seems to be left out.  Plants need lovin’ too, and the options for them to get their freak on are somewhat limited.  It’s tough to “throw a leg over” when you don’t actually have any legs.

Pollination = sex for plants.
There. I’ve said it.

Sure, you can toss your pollen out on the wind and hope it lands in the right place.  And for a lot of plants, evergreens in particular, this works just fine.   Most spring days my car looks like there was a pine tree bukakke fest.

That methodology results in a lot of wasted gametes (plant sperm) though, so for nearly all flowering plants, insects or other pollinators are needed for plant nookie.   Think of bees and other pollinators as little flying plant wangs.

Most flowers contain both male and female sexual parts, and while plants can self-pollinate, it’s a lot more enjoyable productive to have a second (or third…or fourth…) party involved. Cross-pollination also reduces inbreeding.

Plants attract insect pollinators with lovely colorful displays, special smells, and gifts of nectar or extra pollen that makes a nice snack. And in return plants receive a sort of sexual courier service.  This partnership has been going on for over 100 million years, and has resulted in amazing modifications in both plants and animals.

Without pollinators, some of the finest things in life would not exist:

Chocolate.
Coffee.
Tequila.

All brought to you by a bug-facilitated bonk.

The Xerces Society has many free and wonderful publications on how to plant habitat for pollinators. Why not check those out and establish a horizontal hula zone in your backyard?  And don’t forget to give your sweetheart a bouquet of plant genitalia.

(yes, this is a repost of last year’s Pollinator Week essay, mostly because I didn’t have time to look up new euphemisms.)

From the SciOnline13 session description:

The perennial discussion about scientists ‘doing’ outreach intensified this year, with lots of opinion and some data about who’s doing it, who’s fault it is that so few do it, what the roadblocks are, and how to alleviate them. Rather than host yet another tiresome round of the blame game (e.g. Scientists should do more outreach! Scientists suck at outreach!), the goal of this track is to create a…resource for scientists hoping to do more and/or better outreach, or trying to drum up enthusiasm for outreach in their departments/institutions and for those hoping to recruit more scientists to do outreach.”

Emily and I moderated a session called “Outreach in Unusual Places” to focus on ways scientists can find new audiences. When many scientists talk about outreach, they mean a small subset of activities — blogging and formal education, for example. That has a pretty standard audience–people who are already interested in science, and that have the economic ability to connect online; students already enrolled in an educational program; folks with leisure time to consume a course in a topic they are already interested in.

What about the rest of the population?

Our session focused on how to go beyond traditional venues for science outreach.  One of the themes that I’ve written about over and over here at the Bug Blog is how we need to re-think our model of science education. A lot of science communication operates within a Push Model.

But how do we GROW that audience?

I think we need to change our outreach model to more of a two way-transfer of information. I create content here to draw an audience in and start a conversation; the audience will provide feedback.  My readers may say “that didn’t make sense” or “that’s cool, but that’s not what I’m interested in.  Here’s what I really need to know.”

It’s a conversation, not a lecture.

It isn’t just public outreach; it’s public engagement.  It’s not enough to write interesting stuff and toss it onto the internet waters.  You have to actually engage people in conversations.  You have to start talking with them, not at them.

An example of the Pull Model in action

One of the hardest parts of being a science communicator is finding an audience.  Cities can fill a stadium for a sports event; not so much for a scientist.  Basically, by partnering with groups that have already done the hard work of bringing people together, scientists can have a bigger impact.

Science Fiction Conventions are some of the largest and longest running meetings around. South by Southwest and Netroots Nations are some of the largest social media gatherings in the US.  In our session, we talked about how scientists and science educators can work with some of those audiences to broaden the scope of our outreach efforts.  All of these groups have to put together an engaging program for their attendees.   Scientists have interesting things to say and show. It’s a win-win!

DragonCon has a regular science track that Emily participates in yearly, and also hosts vaccine outreach efforts. DragonCon annual attendance is over 50,000 people.   I’ll be participating for my 4th year at ConVergence, a large midwest science fiction convention that usually has around 5,000 attendees.  I usually am on an “Ask a Scientist Anything” panel.  We offer panels on evolution, climate change, and other hot science topics.  For some panels we have up to 100 people in the audience, all engaged and asking questions.

Having a real live scientist answer your questions makes a difference. Having a real live scientist talk about spiders, or genetically modified organisms, or rumors of genetically modified spiders*, makes them slightly less scary.  It’s harder to see science as evil incarnate when it’s represented in person by a small, round, middle-aged woman with glasses.

If you happen to be a small round woman in a fluffy green insect suit, that makes science much less threatening, and conversations much easier to start.  Here I am on a bus in my insect costume.  Just walking around dressed like this starts conversations.

I had great discussions with hotel maids, bus drivers, taxi drivers, Starbucks baristas, and a whole bunch of people at a real estate convention happening concurrently with the ScienceOnline conference.

It is personal connections that make change. Those personal connections can be virtual or IRL, but they have to happen for a conversation to occur.

It can be difficult to convince a department chair that you need to travel to what is, basically, a giant nerd party. With booze and costumes.  I have personally paid my way to all these events, rather than try to explain them to my boss.  But it is absolutely the highlight of my year, and is invaluable at letting me see into the minds of people that are not bug specialists, or biologists. It’s really easy for me as a specialist to forget that I know a lot of stuff that other people don’t.  And, also, that a lot of the stuff that I know is completely irrelevant to the rest of the population.

It isn’t something that you can easily assess, although you can indirectly get some measurements of impact with head counts, or how much literature you hand out.

Take your Science To The People (Examples)

• Sidewalk Science: A Different Approach To Outreach by Jason G. Goldman
• Push vs. Pull Strategy for Science Outreach
• Understanding push-pull market forces and promoting science to under-served audiences
• Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Handbook of Research Findings
• Wonderfully creative Vancouver Science Museum ad campaign
• Live-streaming Climate research to an airport
• This is not the petition you are looking for: The White House brings the Nerdy
• ReefTeach: instead of making visitors travel to a remote education center, this group rents snorkels on the beach…and delivers a spiel about not walking on corals.

Research!  There is a huge body of research about informal science.  Some examples:

• Database of informal science research
• List of National Academy Commissioned papers on Science Outreach and Learning
• Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments. Marilyn Fenichel, Heidi A. Schweingruber, National Academies Press. 2010.
• Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: A handbook of research key findings and results from National Audience Survey.  2010. J. Fraser and J. Stickler.
• Bowler M.T., Buchanan-Smith H.M., Whiten A. & Chaline N. (2012). Assessing Public Engagement with Science in a University Primate Research Centre in a National Zoo, PLoS ONE, 7 (4) e34505. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034505.s001
• Holmes J.A. (2011). Informal learning: Student achievement and motivation in science through museum-based learning, Learning Environments Research, 14 (3) 263-277. DOI: 10.1007/s10984-011-9094-y
• Fisher M.L., Kruger D.J. & Garcia J.R. (2011). Understanding and Enhancing the Role of the Mass Media in Evolutionary Psychology Education, Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4 (1) 75-82. DOI: 10.1007/s12052-010-0302-5
• Artz K. & Wormer H. (2011). What recipients ask for: An analysis of ‘user question generated’ science coverage, Journalism, 12 (7) 871-888. DOI: 10.1177/1464884911412826
• Pergams O.R.W. & Zaradic P.A. (2008). Evidence for a fundamental and pervasive shift away from nature-based recreation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105 (7) 2295-2300. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0709893105
• Khalil K. & Ardoin N. (2011). Programmatic Evaluation in Association of Zoos and Aquariums–Accredited Zoos and Aquariums: A Literature Review, Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 10 (3) 168-177. DOI: 10.1080/1533015X.2011.614813
• NSF Handbook for informal outreach evaluation

Things to read from other SciOnline sessions:

• What is outreach, and what do you need to do it?
• List of obstacles for practicing scientists to do outreach

What examples of unusual outreach can YOU add to the list?

*Because I know someone will ask, no there are no genetically modified spiders AFAIK.  Although some spider genes have gone into other animals.

The Hatterpillar.

Where do they get all these extra heads, anyway?

Moths and butterflies are just flying gonads that make new caterpillars. Caterpillars are feeding machines with one primary purpose: eating enough food to build the body of a future moth or butterfly. A caterpillar stuffs itself with food, but eventually is limited by its exoskeleton, which is rigid and can’t grow. ‘Pillars deal with this by splitting their external skin, shedding it, and making a new, bigger exoskeleton so they have room to grow.  For some reason, this species of moth caterpillars keeps their heads and build themselves a strange “hat” that gets taller as they grow.

Why do they build themselves a hat? Are they headed to Ascot?  A royal wedding?  No one really seems to know WHY the caterpillars keep their old heads hanging around. From a 1980 paper describing the biology of the caterpillars:

“It is hard to imagine what, if any, purpose the retention of a stack of head capsules might serve. Perhaps it might attract the first one or two investigative pecks from a bird or lizard; the predator would initially obtain only a mouthful of dry exuviae [BG note: exuviae =shed skins]. However, the dense, hairy coat alone would probably serve as an adequate repellent for most birds. If a bird really desired to consume one of these larvae, it is unlikely that it would be deterred by a stack of rather easily-dislodged exuviae attached to one end of the morsel.”

If you do happen to see one of these, you should not touch it! Apparently these caterpillars are covered with highly itchy and irritating spines–which seems to make their chapeau of old heads a bit redundant.

Most newer publications about this insect focus on its status as a pest of Eucalyptus, rather than it’s strange headgear. Clearly this is a thesis in search of a graduate student!

Side view of a Hatterpillar

By the way, some related Nolid moth caterpillars have balloon heads, which is freaky in an entirely different and wonderful way.

Reference:

McFarland, N. (1980). Retention of cast head capsules by some nolid immatures in four Old World countries. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera., 17 (4).

Thanks very much to nuytsia_pix for letting me repost these photos!

Mediated Matter Group used a combination of art and mathematics to create a unique structure made by computers and silkworms.

MMG studied silkworms spinning their cocoons and silk on different hexagonal platforms.  You can watch some of the videos of those tests;  time lapse photography of caterpillars spinning silk at high speed is kind of hypnotic.   Inspired by silkworms’ ability to generate a 3-dimensional cocoon out of a single silken thread, the researchers created an algorithm to make a computer think like a silkworm.  They then used that model to instruct a robot to weave a structure.

The language they use to describe this really cool project is…well, pretty dry academic speak, actually.   Here’s an example:

 The primary structure was created of 26 polygonal panels made of silk threads laid down by a CNC (Computer-Numerically Controlled) machine.  Overall density variation was informed by the silkworm itself deployed as a biological “printer” in the creation of a secondary structure…. Specifically, we explored the formation of non-woven fiber structures generated by the silkworms as a computational schema for determining shape and material optimization of fiber-based surface structures..”

Skip that. Just watch. I love the idea of caterpillars as 3D printers.  Make sure you watch all the way to the credits, because it’s way cool.

Random Factoid:

In this video and the one I linked earlier, you might notice that the caterpillars themselves appear to be sort of strobing.  What you are seeing is their heart beating!

All insects have one long “heart” that runs along their back.  These caterpillars are more transparent than the adult insect shown in this diagram, so we can actually see inside.  When the video is sped up, the rhythmic contractions of the heart turn into a rapid flicker.  You can even see how the contractions pulse up the back of the insect in a wave!

This particular one is pretty standard; note that the template has some non sequiturs where the template breaks.  (Also, SNORF at “related to the niche of our sex shop.”)

The typical setup if you agree is the spammer provides a blog post that is shot through with links to their shop or to marketing partners. That creates more links for them and more Google Juice, as well as increases their exposure. They don’t want to pay for this, of course.

The letters I get are usually from pesticide companies, although I did get a bunch like this right after I wrote my post about SpiderMan’s penis.  I’ve found that if I reply with a completely off-the-wall request, but make it seem serious, they run away and never come back.  You want to sound like you are both in earnest and completely unhinged.

This was my reply.

Have never heard from this company or person again

I’m not sure if I would recommend this as a method of dealing with all the spam requests I receive, but it amuses me, and probably wastes some of the spammer’s time. So we’re even.

Artist James Gurney paints a portrait of a 17-year cicada which rested alongside its empty larval exoskeleton. He uses a DIY tripod-mounted painting rig that holds his sketchbook above a palette for mixing casein paints.

You can see the finished painting here.  Lovely.

Thanks to Mindy Weisberger for finding this!

You all know that I am One. Bad. Moth-er.  So I’m here to remind you that once again it’s time for mothing!

July 20th to 28th, 2013
National Moth Week Events in the US

“Citizen scientists around the world will be setting up white sheets and lights in backyards, woods and fields July 20 through July 28 for the second annual National Moth Week, a global science project begun last year to encourage the public to observe and document one of nature’s most diverse creatures…

Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, National Moth Week
participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe.”

Moth week has many partner organizations that are repositories for data and photos about moths. These include Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA), and BugGuide, among many others. Last year, these partner organizations received more than 3,500 submissions as a result of National Moth Week Moth spottings! You can participate too–just take photos of the moths you see, and upload them to one of the partner organizations with location and other data.

You don’t have to identify your moths–they have experts that will help.  The photo you upload with your observations lets a specialist confirm ID. Then that information is used to compile species checklists, and distribution maps. And that data, over time, becomes an invaluable record of species distribution. Science!

What happens at a moth night? It’s a lot of fun!  Basically, you put up a sheet and a light with a bunch of your friends, and sit around and wait for moths.  So, yes, YOU can do science by sitting around on a beautiful summer night; alcoholic libations may be consumed (although whether or not it is an essential part of mothing varies, depending on who you talk to).

Tips on Mothing

World Moth Week Locations

“…all this emphasis on these BIG names bothers me more than that. Big names are fine. Everyone wants someone to look up to. But small name researchers make great communicators too. I know I’m not winning any big prizes soon, but I’d like to think I write a witty, educational blog post now and again. Why is fame the most important thing here? Why do we need a big scientific name? Why can’t we make our names, say, through the outreach we do (and some solid, but perhaps lesser known science)?

If no one knows who these big name scientists are anyway (as the article implies), then why is it necessary that they be the ones to do the outreach? After all, many of the science communication success stories the author cites GOT THEIR NAMES through their outreach. Who were the Mythbusters…before Mythbusters? No one outside his field knew who Neil deGrasse Tyson was before he started doing outreach. These people made their names THROUGH their outreach. The emphasis on Big Names that are ALREADY big seems really elitist.”

I’ve said this before, but it’s especially relevant to me now, as I’m in what seems to be the twilight of my career:

I will write this shit even if no one but me reads it.

I love insects, I love to write, and I love to find ways to get people to share my OMGBUGZ moments.  I’m busting my ass here and on social media every day, not because I am getting famous, and certainly not because it makes me any money. I do it for love.

We know, from decades of research, that what makes a good teacher is passion.  Why were Sagan, or DeGrasse Tyson, Nye, or Attenborough successful? Because they love what they do, they love their science, and it shows. (Also, they started in a completely different media environment. And are dudes. But let’s not go there right now.)

There are people out here online with me, passionately writing, podcasting, or videocasting their hearts out. A few lucky ones make a living at it. But just because I don’t have name recognition, that doesn’t mean that I’m not successful. I measure success one comment and one retweet at a time.  I don’t have a klout score as high as John Cusack anymore, but that’s not the point.

One person says they changed their mind about hating spiders.
I said something kind to a graduate student and encouraged her.
A local newspaper corrects a mangled insect factoid.

That?
That is what online science communication success looks like now.

With the advent of the internet, ideas or passions bring people together, rather than physical locations or media channels. Scientists that do outreach online–even when it’s looked down upon by fellow scientists? We are modeling positive deviance.  It’s not so much what we write that is important, but THAT WE WRITE AT ALL.

We are creating a model for a new kind of science communication.  And we are having a bitchin’ time doing it, which invites new people over to have fun with us. We are modeling different ways to share science online to our friends, our friends’ friends, and to the random strange people who keep searching my blog for “sex with insects.” (You know who you are.)

It’s personal relationships that really change the world. I was inspired by Sagan and Attenborough…but it was my not-famous teachers and mentors that helped me get through school and believe that I could be a scientist too.  Small individual creative acts (tweets, blog posts, or just chatting on Facebook) can become a thing of lasting value.  Shared and random effort can produce useful and meaningful results.

The beauty of the web is that we don’t all have to have the same motivations or professional level of skill. We don’t all have to be working toward the same goal.  We can still make change happen simply by putting our ideas out there. The beauty of the web is that scientists can get online and screw around together, playing with ideas.

Who cares if we’re “doing it right.” We’re doing it.

Which is exactly how Insect Carl Sagan Happened. Enjoy.

This is what started #insectsagan. MT @bug_girl I wear turtlenecks, but sadly have not been anointed as insect Sagan. #billionsofinsects—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

Then came this. #insectsagan MT @Alex_Parker @bug_girl Wouldn't turtlenecks block Insect Sagan's spiracles and lead to asphyxiation?—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

Then this. #insectsagan MT @bug_girl @Alex_Parker I don't wear pants, so it all works out.—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

And then things started to get really awesome:

Science as a Lightning Bug in the Dark #insectsagan—
Leah Crane (@DownhereonEarth) May 28, 2013

We're made of star stuff… and chitin. #insectsagan—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to scurry away when the light is turned on." #insectsagan @kejames @bug_girl @DrMRFrancis—
Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) May 28, 2013

The Dragonflies of Eden. #InsectSagan—
Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) May 28, 2013

"For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love and picnic crumbs." #insectsagan @kejames @bug_girl @DrMRFrancis—
Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) May 28, 2013

Recently, we've waded a little way out, maybe tarsus-deep, and the water seems inviting. #insectsagan—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

Broca's protocerebrum, deutocerebrum, and tritocerebrum. #InsectSagan—
Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) May 28, 2013

Consider again that bot. #insectsagan—
Karen James (@kejames) May 28, 2013

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever." #InsectSagan #ActualSagan—
Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) May 28, 2013

Related Posts:

How to become a social media goddess in 4 not very easy steps

You might recognize Mr. Bailey from Black Books, which I confess I am rather a fan of.  Thanks so much to the awesome Ed Yong for bringing this to my attention!

Cicadas spend most of their life underground sucking on the the roots of trees, until it is time to emerge as flying adults. There are over 1,000 species of cicadas around the world, with varying life cycles.  Periodical cicadas are known for their 17- or 13-year synchronized life cycles and loud singing choruses. These cicadas have black bodies, red eyes, and the wonderful Genus name Magicicada.  They are indeed magical, and being in the middle of a periodical brood emergence is a special experience!

What’s a brood? Periodical cicadas exist in different regions, and have cycles of emergence that are not in sync.  There are 12 groups of Magicicadas with 17 year life cycles, and 3 groups of Magicicadas with 13 year life cycles.  Oh, and to make that more confusing? There are 7 species of Magicicada.   Brood II is emerging this year–you can see the full US Brood II Map here.

There is a wonderful video about the periodicial cicada life cycle that is up at Kickstarter; enjoy!

Don’t live on the east coast, or in one of the emergence areas? You still might have dog-day cicadas! While the 17-year cicadas get a lot of press, there are also yearly cicadas. In the US, these are all in the Genus Tibicen (Latin for “flute player”). The species I hear most is Tibicen canicularus.  These cicadas have life cycles of about 3 years, but broods overlap so adults emerge each year. They don’t emerge in large numbers like the periodical cicadas, and they are more cryptically colored (and bigger!).

Entomological Trivia:
Possibly the only time cicadas have been used in a felony?

I hope that someday I can write a sentence as  wonderful as “Two men walked in brandishing a cicada.”

Related posts:

• Info and movies about annual cicadas
• List of US cicada species, and their songs!
• Cicada Man! A very strange sci-fi film from Japan.
• Music video from someone who has HAD it with cicadas