#sting science

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

The Sting of the Wild, by Justin Orvel Schmidt

Let’s cut to the chase. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book and I believe it has something to offer for aspiring biologists, entomologists, insect hobbyists, researchers and people who have a great interest in the wonderful world of bugs! Due to the many mentions of pain throughout the book, the use of some technical language from biology research, alongside mentions of insects mating (ha ha ha), I would best recommend this book for a high school reading level or to those VERY interested in entomology. As well, there are funny (and cautionary) insect and nature exploration stories in the pages that would be quite suitable for children. Various excursions around the world and investigations into Ant digs or poking around Nests come to mind. Though serious in the moment, Schmidt tells his stories with a good dose of silliness to lighten the tone. He does not dwell in the moment of pain, instead championing the knowledge to be gleamed from it and how the experience led to happy moments to look back on. And he did live through them all after all. As such, the stories with may spark newfound interest in wilderness exploration to learn about the little creatures of the earth or serve as a guide on which insects should be kept away from small hands, such as the Velvet Ants, which are in fact wingless Wasps. The fuzz may be attractive, but that’s a warning advertisement, indicating that the stinger is primed! Anyways, while I’ll largely be keeping the contents under wraps so you can experience this book for yourself, here’s what this book has to offer. 

The Sting of the Wild offers great insight into the mind of Justin Schmidt and his fascination with insects. It dives into his childhood adventures, his academic journey and his excursions in the field to document insects within the order Hymenoptera. He weaves these tales and journeys while exploring the history, intricacies, evolution and biodiversity within insects that are equipped with a stinger. There is thoughtful examination of the differences between social insects and solitary insects (especially how their behavior drives and forges them) and discussions of the perceptions different cultures have towards their stinging insects; e.g. Bulldog Ants of Australia aren’t as strong as they seem, meanwhile Bullet Ant stings are painful but are used in adulthood rituals in some nations! Furthermore, he dispels many myths about these insects, not labelling them as vicious, rambunctious aggressors, but rather as animals to be respected and treat as friends given their ecological significance and also the benefits they can provide humanity. For example: while we are inclined to think of Honeybees as gentle, vegan gatherers, they can be both monstrous and resourceful when it comes to protection of their hive and stores of honey (as can be read in Chapter 11).

Intermission: For additional insect literature, you may visit the Blog Resources page.

For cohesive examples of how best to consider the scope, tone and lessons from this book, please refer to Pictures 8 and 9. He does not castigate Wasps are our enemies, but also offers practical advice should you ignore their warnings and meet their sting. A bit tongue in cheek at times, but it gave me a good chuckle. If you desire a real hoot, refer to the pain index at the back of the book with all the descriptions of pain sensations felt as a result of Schmidt’s adventures. Yes, this is the man who created the Schmidt Pain Index that attempts to quantify pain levels from insect stings! Consider those descriptions before you go bug-hunting for Wasps and decide to try handling them (unless you are sure they are male). To conclude: it’s worth noting that this book doesn’t offer much in terms of insect identification beyond a few specimens and several pictures from the field. However, the quality of research in this book is superb, all listed in the index with sources readily available for further reading. And finally, and to be as clear as possible, this book is not a fully memoir or autobiography. While parts of his life are covered and reflected on, it’s the insects that make up the chapters of the book. The insects of the Sting of the Wild are put on full display, interpreted though the eyes, experiences and research of a daring man who took a hands on approach to these little creatures.

It must have been an amazing time to travel all over the world searching for insects, and I must speak in past tense as Justin Schmidt is no longer with us, having passed this year in the February of 2023 at 75 years old. His passing is actually how I found this book, and it was all the more ironic (but coincidental) that I shared a Paper Wasp post shortly after. While the insects were enough to draw my interest, it was Schmidt’s adventures, humor, passion and insights into entomology and stinger/ovipositor evolution that held my attention. Thank you Justin Schmidt! This post is for you. Thank you for a great read that I will revisit when I can. I’d also like to dedicate this post to my grandfather who also passed away earlier this week at the age of 89. He was a gentleman of patience, wisdom, care and intellect. He passed on a lot of knowledge to me and encouraged me to consider the bigger picture whenever he could and to be mindful. I miss him very much already. May both these men’s lives be celebrated fondly and eternally into the next just as the social insects within Hymenoptera build great cities and societies year upon year, regardless of the obstacles in their way. Peace and joy forever more, to the next world. You will both be remembered dearly.

[humanoidhistory]

Dune poster from Japan, 1984.

[protectoursharks]

I heard that sharks and rays are super closely related. Are skates an approximate bridging “group” between them? Or are they outside of both groups

They are all really closely related- there in all the same class known as Chondrichthyes, or cartilaginous fish. Sharks evolved first, approximately 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. Skates and ray came around at approximately the same time as each other 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period.

So skates aren't really a "bridging group", they're actually most closely related to rays!

[jellyfish-scientist]

Don’t fucking piss on your jellyfish stings. It will NOT make it better. There’s a high chance it will make it worse. So just don’t pee on it. I SWEAR to GOD if i hear about yall peeing on stings i will SCREAM

[themadbiologist]

Are you looking for an interesting and potent — but not lethal —toxin? Well, I happen to be an evil botanist and I have a candidate for you. I’ve peppered links to relevant information throughout, because evil science is not sloppy science. Citations, citations, citations.

Plants and fungi have been experimenting with poison for much longer than humans have, and that means they’ve come up with some interesting options. One of my favourites comes from an Australian relative of stinging nettle (Urticaceae family), Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known as the Australian stinging tree or gympie-gympie. Between the common name and the fact it’s from Australia, you can infer it’s quite something.

Gympie-gympies are covered in hairs called trichomes up to 7 mm long, which act as needles and inject a chemical cocktail into the skin upon contact. This cocktail includes delights such as formic acid, histamine, and a class of compounds all their own called gympietides. It sounds like fun, doesn’t it? The pain caused by the stings is lasting and exacerbated by cold, in one case lasting two years. Oh, and even morphine won’t save anyone unfortunate enough to be stung. I reckon this would send a clear message.

Like any good (well, evil) scientist, you’re likely wondering what exactly it is about gympietides that cause so much pain. They’re chemically similar to compounds found in cone snails’ and some spiders’ venom. Gympietides interfere with neuron function and increase the activation of nociceptors (responsible for pain). In slightly more technical terms, they delay voltage-gated sodium channel inactivation. You can read about the isolation process and mechanisms here — it’s a bit too far from botany for me to delve into.

Plant-derived toxins are objectively cool, and gympie-gympies produce a spectacularly potent option on par with cone snails that will leave a lasting impression on your enemies. Let me know how they react…heh.

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet-and fight for her family’s survival-when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.

[reneesbooks]

24 & 28 for the weird writer questions !

(--@space-writes)

thank you <3

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

it really depends? my wips usually start with a vibe or an idea that a character gets involved in, and then a setting around that, and then i just start writing and see what happens. with the raedoran cycle the prep has gotten more detailed and it's been nice to have that structure, but i definitely still go off the rails once i get into the groove of actually writing, so i can never really spend too much time on prep work because i know it will all be ruined by a character slapping me awake at 3 am because fuck the outline, they decided they don't want to be doomed by the narrative

it was fun to think about my prep work process so here's a wip by wip breakdown:

the raedoran cycle: originally was between three and five short scenes that i wrote in college for a creative writing exercise where we looked at paintings and wrote a scene based on it. birdie was in one, arthur and jack in another, and finally emilia and fabin in a third. i remember the paintings so vividly but g-d damn me if i can find them again :( so we were all vibes at first. and then nanowrimo was happening and i started writing out what all three stories together as one intertwined novel would look like, then abandoned it for two years until i took a novel writing class and revived it. most of the prep work happened there and i made a bunch of plot notecards (still my favorite prep method) but that was back when the story was a little less complex

lacuna: started once again with vibes--wanted to give a maura prequel backstory and came up with the character of keelan. and then he grabbed the steering wheel out of my hands.

thieves: planned out diligently. plot notecards, outline, the whole shebang. maybe this is why i've been stalled out in the drafting process for months :(

dragons: i don't know what the plot is yet

the witch: see above note about the cycle as a whole. also more recently all that has gone out the window as birdie snatches the steering wheel from my hands so you know. grain of salt!

hurts, doesn't it? (low sci-fi dystopian drama, shelved atm): i started writing this in eighth grade bc i thought the idea of a paint smuggler who threw knives was cool and wanted an excuse for her to exist. i never prepped anything and it showed lol--i just started writing and once i had a draft i went back and figured out what the hell the story was about.

log date persephone (high sci-fi story told through the transcripts of the audio logs of an astronaut stranded on an unknown planet, looking at getting back into it): got inspired for this by a combination of a book i read for a class and a sandbox video game. no prep no plan just vibes and then editing it until it's presentable for the thesis committee. yes this was my senior honors thesis yes i did pass no i did not ever have anything to tell my advisor when she asked me about my process

sting (sci-fi romance about gays on a boat studying aliens, shelved until i looked at it again this morning and fell back in love with iris): had a dream about aquatic aliens and woke up thinking that was a banger vibe. two nanowrimo plot worksheets later i got sick of prep work and started writing

i don't generally love the prep work process? it's fun to decide where the story is going, but for me the meat of the process is always in the actual writing, and that's honestly where i have my best ideas

28. Who is the most delightful character you've ever written? Why?

this is such a cruel question it's like asking me which of my children i love best so i'm going to cheat and take multiple definitions of delightful

delightful (would want to interact with them on a daily basis in real life): will moore -- hurts, doesn't it?

we stan a jewish king. he's got bad jokes for days and will absolutely let you crash on his couch if you're having a rough go of things. goofball extraordinaire loves his mom and his friends more than himself. he's just a florist!!

delightful (writing about them is very fun): vonnie mallory -- the raedoran cycle

i love vonnie she's such a hot mess. middle aged lesbian allergic to commitment but a big softie deep down. has a drinking problem but still manages to be better at her job than 95% of the men she works with. turns every scene she's in into a sitcom. has been ruining the tonal consistency of the third acts of lacuna and the witch of the west but i don't even mind bc at least she's fun

delightful (pinch their cheeks at the family reunion): iris adenaur -- sting

dumbass lesbian knows so much about biology and aliens and is so smart but cannot comprehend that kiri thinks she's pretty. gets excited about science and will ramble about her research for hours if you let her, sweetest person at the party/the drunk girl that tells everyone she loves them, lets her friends drag her to the gay bar but dreams about her lab the whole time she's there. requested a sample alien corpse to study and got laughed off bc the company that owns them wouldn't give her one and decided right then and there that she would just get a boat and catch one herself, dammit. never mind that they're incredibly dangerous and if she gets stung she'll be dependent on their venom for the rest of her life and also she doesn't know how to operate a boat. none of this can stand in the way of science!!

this got so long but u know what i got weird about it and isn't that the point? thank you again for the ask <3

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

THAT ONE TIME STING ALMOST BECAME KYLE REESE -- WELCOME TO 1984.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on American film actor Michael Biehn in full costume as human resistance fighter Kyle Rees, from the 1984 sci-fi/action "The Terminator," written & directed by James Cameron.

PIC #2: English musician Sting (decked out in his infamous codpiece) as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in David Lynch's "DUNE" (1984).

OVERVIEW: "The Austrian Oak wasn’t the only star who almost missed out on his iconic role. When casting Reese, the human protector who travels back from the future to thwart the Terminator, pop star Sting was considered for the part that would eventually go to Michael Biehn. “I even met with him,” says Cameron of the former Police frontman. “I was fascinated by his look. He seemed slightly otherworldly – or at least not of this time. I felt vindicated when Sting played a major role in David Lynch’s "Dune" (1984) as the malevolent Feyd-Rautha."

"However, he wasn’t interested. I was too much of an unknown as a director at the time. I remember riding down in the elevator with him after our meeting and him sneering "So, Piranha 2, huh?" I didn’t want to tell him I had gotten fired off that film after a few days of shooting, so it wasn’t my movie at all, because frankly I was better having even a bad credit than having no director credit. Or that’s what I thought at the time.""

-- BFI, "The Terminator came to me in a dream: a new interview with James Cameron," published April 21, 2021

Sources: https://milleniumcondor.tumblr.com/post/157358762391, www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/terminator-james-cameron, & Picuki.

[bpod-bpod]

Driving the Damage

Patients with mutations in a gene called STING suffer lung disease. This study reveals cells that line vessels (endothelium) bearing the mutation are initiating the lung pathology and could be exploited as a potential treatment target

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Kevin MingJie Gao and colleagues

Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Published in Cell Reports, April 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[roxysretrodrive-in]

Retro Trailer: The Bride (1985)

Warning: Flashing Lights Throughout.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with the uploader nor the creators of this trailer.

[shouga-nai]

One is meek, down-to-earth and good-hearted while the other is twisted, ruthless and unhinged.

[attacus-atlas-moth]

I will never stop thinking about the contrast between entomology and chemistry

Because in chem lab it's like: "here's goggles and gloves and you have to wear long pants or leave. Today we're mixing food coloring!"

And in insect identification (which I think also counts as a lab) they're like: "here's a jar full of ethanol acetate vapors. Here's the net you're going to use to catch tiny animals full of venom who will get really angry at you catching them. Have fun!"

[stuff-i-watched]

Sting / 2024 — IMDb, TMDb

[sophaeros]

big fan of this as well

this from the guy who wrote the sting pain index, a scale he constructed after letting himself be stung by insects

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet-and fight for her family's survival-when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.

Mod Z: This is out already?!

[thatsleepymermaid]

Reblog if you love elasmobranchs

(sawfish, rays, skates, and sharks)