Navigation Links
Ancient trans-Atlantic swarm brought locusts to the New World

Somewhere between three and five million years ago, a massive swarm of locusts took off from the west coast of Africa and made an unlikely voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize the New World, says an international team of researchers.

Using genetic evidence from more than 20 species of locusts, scientists from the Universities of Toronto, Arizona, Maryland, Cornell University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have answered a long-standing conundrum: why are the closest relatives of the African desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) found in the New World, rather than Africa? The desert locust is one of the world's most economically important insects, and is capable of forming massive swarms that devastate crops.

DNA shows that ancestors of the desert locust flew across the Atlantic and gave rise to a diverse group of New World species. "If we were standing on the coast of Africa, we might have these swarms of locusts heading off across the Atlantic," says Nathan Lovejoy, an assistant professor of in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, who led the research along with Sean Mullen, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland.

How the locusts made the trans-Atlantic flight is unclear, since the insects don't have enough fat to power a trip lasting several days. "One unlikely hypothesis is that while the locusts were flying across, as their brethren died and landed in the ocean, they formed huge floating mats of dead locusts," says Lovejoy. "The other locusts would land on these mats, rest and feed on the dead bodies, then take off and keep flying." Another possibility is that among the millions of swarming locusts were a few exceptional insects that somehow managed to survive the flight. Lovejoy adds that high-altitude winds would have been essential for the swarm's flight. There is a modern-day example of this phenomenon -- in October 1998, a swarm of desert locusts crossed the
'"/>

Source:University of Toronto


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Ancient olfaction protein is shared by many bugs, offering new pest control target
2. Ancient immune defense mechanism is no match for HIV-1
3. Ancient DNA helps clarify the origins of two extinct New World horse species
4. Researchers Discover Ancient Origins Of Tuberculosis-causing Bacteria
5. Ancient DNA confirms single origin of Malagasy primates
6. Ancient anthropoid origins discovered in Africa
7. Ancient humans brought bottle gourds to the Americas from Asia
8. Ancient DNA helps UF researchers unearth potential hemophilia therapy
9. Ancient DNA provides clues to the evolution of social behavior
10. Ancient ants arose 140-168 million years ago
11. Ancient fossil DNA found preserved in crystal
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Ancient trans Atlantic swarm brought locusts the New World

(Date:5/23/2013)... The tight wrapping of genomic DNA around nucleosomes ... gene expression. A team of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in ... DNA to be locally displaced from nucleosomes for ... is stored in the cell nucleus, wrapped around ... pairs of four different histone proteins and accommodating ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... (May 23, 2013) A new report from ... for helping pupils engage in at least 60 minutes ... day. , No more than half of American youth ... of vigorous or moderate intensity physical activity daily, according ... "Because children are in school for nearly half of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Frontiers, one of the world,s largest and fastest ... new journal, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology ... all specialties, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology ... diverse and emerging bioengineering and biotechnology research to ... in Bioengineering and Biotechnology will provide an ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Biochemistry: Unspooling DNA from nucleosomal disks 2Schools should provide students with daily physical activity, IOM recommends 2Frontiers launches new open-access journal in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2
... the Instituto Gulbenkian de Cincia, in Portugal, have uncovered a ... team, led by Florence Janody, show in the journal ... skeleton of the cell also acts to blocks activation of ... implications for cancer research, as they add to the puzzle ...
... Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and notoriously ... al. reveal that anti-melanoma drugs may, paradoxically, induce a ... and contribute to melanoma relapse. While cellular ... to combat uncontrolled cell growth, or cancer, recent studies ...
... Indiana University study that exposed older veterans with stroke to ... mind-body practice can help stroke victims cope with their increased ... pilot study involved 19 men and one woman, average age ... weekly hour-long group yoga class taught by a yoga therapist ...
Cached Biology News:Scientists uncover role for cell scaffold in tumor formation 2ACSM: Yoga helped older stroke victims improve balance, endurance 2
(Date:5/24/2013)... The Oklahoma tornado left the state ... mayor of Moore, one of the heavily damaged towns, proposed ... from cnn.com. Reaching out to also be of help, My ... Shield to counter the looming mold problem. , The ... 2013, caused 24 deaths, My Cleaning Products shared. Ten of ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... Vestiage, Inc. (stock symbol "VEST") a publicly ... and development, sales and marketing of premium branded ... that it is awarding exclusive Vestiage territories in ... Skin Illuminating Facial Care. Qualified applicants can request ... email to info(at)vestiageinc(dot)com and putting RELUMA in the ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... May 24, 2013 Quincy Bioscience, ... and development of calcium-binding proteins to support healthy ... safety assessment study of apoaequorin in ... published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. ... to investigate potential adverse effects, if any, of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... CAMBRIDGE, England , May 24, 2013 ... von Mundipharma angefertigt – Bei der ... Version , 91 % der Teilnehmer einer ... obwohl nur 20 % laut GINA [*] -Definition [1] ... zeigt, dass Menschen mit Asthma generell einer von vier ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Mayor of Oklahoma-Tornado-Impaired Town Proposes Storm Shelter Bill, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to Help Victim with Looming Mold 2Vestiage Announces Launch of Exclusive Territories for Reluma Brand Sales in USA 2Vestiage Announces Launch of Exclusive Territories for Reluma Brand Sales in USA 3Vestiage Announces Launch of Exclusive Territories for Reluma Brand Sales in USA 4Vestiage Announces Launch of Exclusive Territories for Reluma Brand Sales in USA 5Safety Assessment Study of Apoaequorin Published in Food and Chemical Toxicology 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 3Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 4Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 5Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 6Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 7
... SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 16 Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,a ... launched both ceftriaxone for injection, USP, and cefuroxime ... used to treat bacterial infections. Sagent,s ceftriaxone for,injection ... 250 mg and 500 mg single,dose vials, as ...
... 16 In a statement released today, Bud,Hayden, ... Inc., a privately,held Minneapolis-based integrative life science company, ... its new CEO on August 1, 2008., ... the company from CIMA Labs Inc., a Cephalon ...
... Lorus Therapeutics Inc. (TSX:,LOR, AMEX: LRP) ("Lorus" ... the research and development of pharmaceutical products ... announced that the,Corporation has received the $600 ... Lorus, corporate reorganization completed on July 10, ...
Cached Biology Technology:Sagent Pharmaceuticals Launches Ceftriaxone, USP, and Cefuroxime for Injection, USP 2Sagent Pharmaceuticals Launches Ceftriaxone, USP, and Cefuroxime for Injection, USP 3Raj Khankari Named Bioenergy, Inc., CEO 2Lorus Therapeutics Receives $600 Thousand From Escrow Account 2Lorus Therapeutics Receives $600 Thousand From Escrow Account 3
... Buffers are membrane-filtered isotonic and enzyme-free ... and cell-conditioning agents in either Ca2+- ... or Ca2+- and Mg2+-free phosphate-buffered ... cells from support substrates and each ...
... Dissociation Buffers are membrane-filtered isotonic and ... agents and cell-conditioning agents in either ... solution or Ca2+- and Mg2+-free ... mammalian cells from support substrates and ...
... Antibody Modification Services ... including antibody labeling and antibody fragmentation. ... provides signals for visualization and quantitation ... assays, it is preferable to use ...
Carbonate-Bicarbonate Buffer Capsules. For use in coating ELISA plates. Dissolve contents of 1 capsule in 100 ml deionized water to yield 0.05 M carbonate-bicarbonate buffer, pH 9.6....
Biology Products: