Popular Science Stories in 2016

I think you forgot the link.

The story is by a telepath.

Mite jumping onto honeybee from flower....

http://www.futurity.org/varroa-mite-bee-video-1326512-2/

The next time your mom calls you by your brother's name (or even your dog's name), don't be offended — she's probably not doing it because she thinks you look like him, a new study finds.

http://www.livescience.com/54612-misnaming-family-siblings-pets.html

that poor little honey bee. what a way to end this year.

We need to infest the honeybees with mite killing fungus....er GMO fungus maybe...

..."Naturally-occurring entomopathogenic fungi could be an effective, biologically-based control method. They are non-toxic to humans and can be mass-cultured," explains Mollah Md. Hamiduzzaman, a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Environmental Sciences and lead author of the study.

Hamiduzzaman and colleagues looked at gene expression in honey bee larvae exposed to regular mites and mites inoculated with fungus. Infection with Varroa typically leads to lower expression of genes involved in the bee immune response, leaving bees less able to fend off the parasite. When mites were first inoculated with the fungus, however, expression of three important immunity genes jumped 2-3 fold over normal levels. "The results suggest that the fungi could reduce damage from Varroa mites by both infecting the parasites, and preventing the mites from suppressing the bee's natural immune response," says Hamiduzzaman.

Because the fungi are natural insect pathogens, however, the honey bees can also be vulnerable to infection from the fungus. According to Ernesto Guzman, an entomologist and collaborator on the study, "the trick is to find a fungus that kills Varroa at doses that are relatively harmless to the bees". The team looked at several strains of fungus and identified one strain of Metarhizium anisopliae that causes high mite mortality (over 90%) and relatively low bee mortality (24%). Guzman says it may be possible to find other strains that are just as effective against mites but less harmful to honey bees.

Another interesting possibility, adds Guzman, is to isolate the factors that trigger the enhanced bee immune response from the fungus. "These compounds could potentially then be applied to hives to trigger a natural defense against Varroa infections."

http://phys.org/news/2012-10-fungus-deadly-bee-mites-two-pronged.html

http://www.slideshare.net/srinivasnaik52643/entomopathogenic-fungi

Due to a recent birth certificate snafu, it has recently been determined that Snoopy was not born at Daisy Hill Puppy Farm.

I have video evidence that Snoopy and all his siblings were born at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm...and that Snoopy played guitar in an 8 piece band called 'The Barnyard Orkistry'...

You wouldn't know the scoundrel who put that " For Sale " sign up, would you ?

Oops. I guess I celebrated too much!

http://www.futurity.org/top-stories-questions-2016-1327542-2/?utm_source=Futurity+Today&utm_campaign=ccacd23af6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e34e8ee443-ccacd23af6-206361793