A Question For The Lone Ranger

[Crumb]

Those are cute! What are they?

[JoeP]

A question: can you get Kit Foxes at Ikea?

[ceptimus]

Is it true that if you inject an axolotl with iodine, it turns into a salamander?

[The Lone Ranger]

In a word, yes.

As I'm sure most people know, most salamander species undergo metamorphosis from a larval form that breathes via gills to a sexually-mature adult. In most salamander species, individuals lose their gills during metamorphosis and grow a pair of lungs which they use for respiration -- though many salamanders are lungless as adults and absorb oxygen across their skin surfaces.

This is true of most species of Mole Salamanders (genus Ambystoma), with a noteworthy exception, Ambystoma mexicanum, the Axolotl.

In other salamander species, the metamorphosis seems to be triggered by a surge in production of the hormone thyroxine, produced by the thyroid gland. All vertebrates produce thyroxine; it regulates metabolism, growth, and development. Because each thyroxine molecule contains 4 atoms of iodine, if there is insufficient iodine in the diet, thyroxine cannot be manufactured in sufficient quantity. (This is why iodine deficiency leads to metabolic disorders in humans.)


The axolotl is a textbook example of neoteny, meaning that it retains juvenile characteristics into adulthood. The most obviously neotenous feature of the axolotl is that it retains its gills and remains aquatic even after reaching sexual maturity. Most other members of the genus Ambystoma lose their gills, grow lungs, and become terrestrial as they reach adulthood.

If there were any doubt that the axolotl were descended from ancestors that underwent metamorphosis into terrestrial adult forms, the fact that they can still be forced to undergo metamorphosis through injection of iodine -- or more directly, by injection of thyroxine -- removes it. An axolotl that has been forced to undergo metamorphosis looks like an otherwise unremarkable salamander in the genus Ambystoma.

Cheers,

Michael

[LadyShea]

If there were any doubt that the axolotl were descended from ancestors that underwent metamorphosis into terrestrial adult forms, the fact that they can still be forced to undergo metamorphosis through injection of iodine -- or more directly, by injection of thyroxine -- removes it. An axolotl that has been forced to undergo metamorphosis looks like an otherwise unremarkable salamander in the genus Ambystoma.

That is cool.

[erimir]

Why do you think that there are so few insects that live in marine environments (and only 5 that actually live in the ocean, away from the coast)?

[The Lone Ranger]

Ironically, perhaps, modern insects appear to be descended from aquatic (specifically, freshwater) ancestors. Insect wings appear to be modified gill covers. Of course, many insects are aquatic as larvae, but only a few are aquatic as adults. And, of course, virtually none are marine.


Well before modern insects evolved, there were crustaceans occupying pretty-much any marine niche that could be occupied by an insect. Indeed, crustaceans are a far, far more abundant and diverse group of organisms than most people realize -- malacostracans, cirripedes, remipedes, decapods, euphasids, etc., etc., etc.


One of the most basic of ecological principles is the "Competitive Exclusion Principle." Briefly stated, it maintains that no two species can occupy the same ecological niche.

So at a guess, I'd say that the reason there are so few marine insects is because virtually any niche that could be occupied by a marine insect is already occupied by some crustacean or other.


Cheers,

Michael

[erimir]

So basically they just suck compared to crustaceans, cuz with the opposite direction, they couldn't stop the roly-polies from coming onto land.

[Qingdai]

What shapes to viruses come in? From my 6 year old.

[Doctor X]

Many different shapes from . . . oh, wait, I am not TLR

--J.D.

[The Lone Ranger]

Doctor X is correct: viruses come in lots of different shapes. More precisely, virions (which are the infectious particles that most people think of when they think of a "virus") come in lots of different shapes.

An individual virion consists of an inner portion of genetic material -- either DNA or RNA -- and an outer, protective coat of protein. In some, the protein coat is itself enveloped by a phospholipid coating, similar to the phospholipid membrane that surrounds every living cell.

Viruses are sometimes divided by general shape into four categories, but the boundaries between the different categories are kinda fuzzy. (And indeed, a "complex" virus is basically just any virus that cannot be called "helical," "polyhedral," or "enveloped.")



In a helical virus, the nucleic acid core is surrounded by a hollow cylinder of protein (a capsid) that is wrapped around it to form a helical structure.

Illustration of a helical virion. The capsid is made up of
individual protein subunits known as capsomeres.


Illustration of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, a helical virus. (1) represents the genetic material (in this case, RNA).
(2) represents an individual capsomere, and (3) represents the capsid.

In a polyhedral virus, the nucleic acid core is surrounded by a polyhedral (usually icosahedral) capsid.

Illustration of a polyhedral virion.


Transmission electron micrograph of several adenovirus virions, illustrating their polyhedral structure.

An enveloped virus is a helical virus or a polyhedral virus in which an individual virion is surrounded by an envelope consisting at least partially of phospholipids. The envelope is usually derived from the membrane of the host cell from which the virion budded.

Illustration of an enveloped helical virion (left) and an enveloped polyhedral virion (right).


Transmission electron micrograph of an Influenza A virion.

Finally, there are binal viruses (also known as complex viruses). In a complex virus, the capsid is neither distinctly helical nor polyhedral in shape. Instead, it is irregularly-shaped or complex in structure.

Illustration of a T-even Bacteriophage virion, demonstrating its complex structure.


Transmission electron micrograph of several virions of the Coliphage T4 virus.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Michael

[Qingdai]

It does and my son will love the pictures. I'm familiar with the binal/complex virus, but couldn't think what other shapes they come in.

[Doctor X]

Ebola:



HIV:



Herpes:



--J.D.

[SharonDee]

Look what crawled out of my lunch!!



Never mind how grossed out I am that this ... THING ... crawled out of my Wendy's salad. I just want to know what it is and where it's typically found. I have already lodged a complaint with Wendy's but I figured it wouldn't hurt to know more about this critter.

Little help, TLR?


Also .... EW!!!

[LadyShea]

That appears to be a moth, and I believe Mr. Ranger has started his summer travels.

[SharonDee]

Well, poop.


I figured it was a moth but I was hoping it was a breed from some exotic land, i.e., NOT Tennessee, so I could prove it had hitched a ride in my lunch.

[LadyShea]

LOL, TLR will help you as soon as he can I'm sure.

[Crumb]

What horrible service! He should have a beeper that goes off any time this thread is bumped!

[Qingdai]

Well I'm not TLR, but I am really really familiar with those moths. The are most likely Indian meal moths, or dusty miller moths (Plodia interpunctella). They love grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds.


They can be controlled by freezing suspected or possible foods by freezing for over 24 hours (some say a week) and by buying these really cool parasitic wasps, called Bracon hebetor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracon_hebetor

[Doctor X]

My Cape Sundews find them tasty. . . .

--J.D.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

LOL, TLR will help you as soon as he can I'm sure.

Please hold All our Lone Rangers are currently busy. You are currently #1 in the queue.

What's worse than those meal moths is their little maggots that bloop through your oatmeal and the entire pantry cupboards, and even across the ceiling of the kitchen.

[Qingdai]

They are a bitch, I've seen the maggots hatch and then crawl up to the most inaccessible crack in a ceiling to hide.
I think oatmeal is their favorite.

[LadyShea]

When we lived in Colorado we had so many miller moths there was a moth trap contraption in the attic. Also, for like a week, the moths set off the motion detectors at the store I worked at so often one of the managers had to sleep there to answer the alarm company calls.

We didn't have a moth problem in Vegas, nor here, but yeah Colorado was terrible.

[freemonkey]

What is causing the particular set of notes I keep hearing in my stuffed up head?

I've had a cold for more than a week, and one of the things that's really bugging me is the short tune I've been hearing constantly. It kind reminds me of a "wee woo" siren, "weeeeee woooooo, wee woo, wee woo, wee woooooo". WHY??!!

[Qingdai]

OMG. Obviously a brain tumor! Just kidding.

Is it something that happens when you breath or is it more like tinnitus/ear ringing?
Phlegm in your ears can compress the systems that attach to your auditory nerves and cause auditory changes, there are little hair like things in you cochlea that wave to register noises to your auditory nerve. Pressure or changes in pressure can cause weird ringing and other noises.
Sorry I'm not TLR, nor can I diagnose anything, but that's likely if you have a cold with copious phlegm.