Re: locust swarms and seratonin

[Guest guest]

Listmates,

Here¹s a dinner topic for you tonight... sort of off the subject but not

quite...

OK, I know this is a little bizarre, but it¹s also fascinating... there was

just a study published on locusts... scientists were trying to

pinpoint what triggers a change in them (from being loner insects who are

actively repelled by other locusts into the social swarming form of locust).

The change can occur within a few hours, and guess what the trigger seems to

be... seratonin! I just heard this study discussed on NPR today... here¹s a

teaser...

" When you down-regulate (locusts) serotonin, they turn into the solitary

form and when you up-regulate serotonin they turn into the aggregating

swarming form, " ...

and here are two links about the study...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100020125 & ft=1 & f=1007

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2478203.htm?site=science & topic

=latest

Anyway, I¹m glad that they also discussed that farmers cannot use seratonin

manipulating pesticides to control locusts because seratonin is important to

too many other living creatures (including us)!

Caroline G.

[Guest guest]

Makes you wonder what the far reaching implications might be for us and if any

correlations can be drawn to humans from this study.

That seratonin keeps popping up, doesn't it?

Robyn

> From: Caroline Glover <sfglover@...>

> Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

>

> Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 11:45 AM

> Listmates,

>

> Here¹s a dinner topic for you tonight... sort of off the

> subject but not

> quite...

>

> OK, I know this is a little bizarre, but it¹s also

> fascinating... there was

> just a study published on locusts... scientists were trying

> to

> pinpoint what triggers a change in them (from being loner

> insects who are

> actively repelled by other locusts into the social swarming

> form of locust).

> The change can occur within a few hours, and guess what the

> trigger seems to

> be... seratonin! I just heard this study discussed on NPR

> today... here¹s a

> teaser...

>

> " When you down-regulate (locusts) serotonin, they turn

> into the solitary

> form and when you up-regulate serotonin they turn into the

> aggregating

> swarming form, " ...

>

> and here are two links about the study...

>

> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100020125 & ft=1 & f=1007

>

> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2478203.htm?site=science & topic

> =latest

>

> Anyway, I¹m glad that they also discussed that farmers

> cannot use seratonin

> manipulating pesticides to control locusts because

> seratonin is important to

> too many other living creatures (including us)!

>

> Caroline G.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I heard about this on the radio yesterday.

And its triggered by them scratching their legs together!

I remember huge locust swarms in Australia during the summer wheat harvest

time – they clogged up the car radiator and covered the windscreen!

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Robyn

& Greg Coggins

Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 11:51 AM

Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

Makes you wonder what the far reaching implications might be for us and if

any correlations can be drawn to humans from this study.

That seratonin keeps popping up, doesn't it?

Robyn

> From: Caroline Glover <sfglovermac (DOT) <mailto:sfglover%40mac.com> com>

> Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

> groups (DOT) <mailto:%40> com

> Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 11:45 AM

> Listmates,

>

> Here¹s a dinner topic for you tonight... sort of off the

> subject but not

> quite...

>

> OK, I know this is a little bizarre, but it¹s also

> fascinating... there was

> just a study published on locusts... scientists were trying

> to

> pinpoint what triggers a change in them (from being loner

> insects who are

> actively repelled by other locusts into the social swarming

> form of locust).

> The change can occur within a few hours, and guess what the

> trigger seems to

> be... seratonin! I just heard this study discussed on NPR

> today... here¹s a

> teaser...

>

> " When you down-regulate (locusts) serotonin, they turn

> into the solitary

> form and when you up-regulate serotonin they turn into the

> aggregating

> swarming form, " ...

>

> and here are two links about the study...

>

> http://www.npr.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100020125 & ft=1 & f=1007>

org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100020125 & ft=1 & f=1007

>

> http://www.abc.

<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2478203.htm?site=science & topi

c> net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2478203.htm?site=science & topic

> =latest

>

> Anyway, I¹m glad that they also discussed that farmers

> cannot use seratonin

> manipulating pesticides to control locusts because

> seratonin is important to

> too many other living creatures (including us)!

>

> Caroline G.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Maybe we should eat some locusts when they're swarming.  Help with pest control

and get some good seratonin.

 

________________________________

From: Robyn & Greg Coggins <rngcoggs@...>

Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 1:50:53 PM

Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

Makes you wonder what the far reaching implications might be for us and if any

correlations can be drawn to humans from this study.

That seratonin keeps popping up, doesn't it?

Robyn

> From: Caroline Glover <sfglovermac (DOT) com>

> Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

> groups (DOT) com

> Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 11:45 AM

> Listmates,

>

> Here¹s a dinner topic for you tonight... sort of off the

> subject but not

> quite...

>

> OK, I know this is a little bizarre, but it¹s also

> fascinating. .. there was

> just a study published on locusts... scientists were trying

> to

> pinpoint what triggers a change in them (from being loner

> insects who are

> actively repelled by other locusts into the social swarming

> form of locust).

> The change can occur within a few hours, and guess what the

> trigger seems to

> be... seratonin! I just heard this study discussed on NPR

> today... here¹s a

> teaser...

>

> " When you down-regulate (locusts) serotonin, they turn

> into the solitary

> form and when you up-regulate serotonin they turn into the

> aggregating

> swarming form, " ...

>

> and here are two links about the study...

>

> http://www.npr. org/templates/ story/story. php?storyId= 100020125 &

ft=1 & f=1007

>

> http://www.abc. net.au/news/ stories/2009/ 01/30/2478203. htm?site=

science & topic

> =latest

>

> Anyway, I¹m glad that they also discussed that farmers

> cannot use seratonin

> manipulating pesticides to control locusts because

> seratonin is important to

> too many other living creatures (including us)!

>

> Caroline G.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm. I did read that in Nigeria they eat them and call them ³desert

shrimps². In Cambodia, they stuff them with peanuts (guess that one¹s off

the recipe list). The back legs are supposed to be the best part. BUT

they seem to cause allergies and even trigger asthma in some people, so

, maybe youŒll just have to stick to snacking on salami.

Caroline

From: <thecolemans4@...>

Reply-< >

Date: Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:24:09 -0800 (PST)

< >

Subject: Re: locust swarms and seratonin

Maybe we should eat some locusts when they're swarming.  Help with pest

control and get some good seratonin.