Hidden Life Abounds; Microscopic Foray

Everywhere you look in your backyard, as far as the eye can see, life abounds. Much of this is obvious — plants and trees, insects and birds, turtles and snakes, and mammals — yet, just beyond the eye’s ability to see, there is a hidden world of living things thriving. This is the world of the microbes and they are everywhere.

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn, presents “Germ Safari: Discover the Wild Microscopic World In Your Backyard.” Dr. Kenneth Noll and his team of researchers in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology will lead the program on Saturday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to noon.

Join a team of microbiology researchers in this exploration of microbial life.

Bring in samples from your own yard and collect samples from around campus with a team of UConn Molecular and Cell Biology scientists. Then, learn to use laboratory protocols to determine the types of microbes lurking around your home. Dr. Noll and the other researchers will discuss what the presence of these microbes means to the health of your soil as well as the health of your family.

The program fee is $25 and advance registration is required. This program is for adults and children ages 10 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For registration information visit http://www.cac.uconn.edu/mnhcurrentcalendar.html or call (860) 486-4460.

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology are part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn.

Venom Packs A Wallop, Under Scrutiny

Yes, black widows are found in Connecticut.

NPR's Living on Earth recently featured a story on black widow spiders.

An excerpt: "By the time I saw the doctor I was feeling really queasy. He explained the hospital had antivenin but it's expensive, and they reserve it for the worst reactions. He said that when the pain arrived, even opiates were not going to help. He gave me some anti-convulsant and he sent me home. What happened next, I can only compare with childbirth . . ." Read the full story link here.)

Professor Glenn King, formerly of the University of Connecticut, recently joined The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, (IMB, Australia) where he will further develop his pioneering approach to insecticide discovery.

“Since spiders have been developing insecticidal compounds for almost 400 million years, I decided to study venoms to find natural toxins that might kill insects without harming vertebrates,” Professor King said.

He has since described three families of insecticidal compounds, and moved back to Australia with the help of a $576,000 Australian Research Council grant entitled “Safeguarding Australia against invasive arthropod pests."

“An increasingly serious public health issue for Australia is the emergence of infectious diseases spread by insects such as ticks and mosquitoes,” Professor King said.

Venomix is a company is based on the work of Dr. King. Under development are new insecticidal compounds targeted at the agricultural, specialty non-crop, and animal health markets, which have a combined market value (for insecticides only) of $15 billion. Venomix has a cooperative research agreement with Chemtura Corporation, a $3 billion specialty chemical company. Recently, Venomix completed a Series A financing with SWMF Life Science Venture Fund, LP for $2.25 million. See UConn R & D for more information.

For more about spiders and how to identify them, here.