Comments on: The swarm-maker molecule – how serotonin transforms solitary locusts into social ones

By: Fargo

Fargo — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:01:49 +0000

Yeah, I’m not really sure what would actually happen if a bug was eating your serotonin, but it couldn’t be good news. Rather like the doctor starting any dialogue with “When were you last in Borneo?”.

By: Jon D

Jon D — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:30:52 +0000

Hah good point there Fargo.. the world would be a miserable place if the parasite ever crossed over!

By: Fargo

Fargo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:04:37 +0000

Jon- Personally I don’t think I ever want to even hear serotonin parasite. If you just cripple serotonin in them that’d be no good, and there’s probably zero chance of having something that would only block the extra burst which triggers the change. Beyond that it wouldn’t matter since the change has already happened.

By: Jon D

Jon D — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:45:57 +0000

Really interesting!
I’m trying to imagine what kind of delivery system could be used to send an agent to block their seratonin that would attack only locusts..
parasites maybe, since they generally specialise in a specific species?

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:25:05 +0000

Phil – firstly, locusts only swarm when their populations hit a critical mass. So non-swarming locusts are far fewer in number anyway, so they eat less food. Secondly, swarms migrate but non-swarming individuals don’t. So the damage spreads.
Also, insurance?? We’re talking about some of the poorest countries in the world here.

By: Comrade PhysioProf

Comrade PhysioProf — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:07:32 +0000

Great post, holmes!

By: Phil Goetz

Phil Goetz — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:57:31 +0000

Why are locusts considered more of a problem when they swarm? They must eat the same amount of food when not swarming.
If the problem is just that swarming locusts concentrate their damage in one area, then the solution is financial (insurance), not technical.

By: Fargo

Fargo — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:25:56 +0000

I wonder if the reversion process is triggered by starvation. That would have a certain elegance to it. Knowing nothing about locusts I can only wonder what behaviors are observed as the swarms break down.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:04:57 +0000

Dale – the embargo lifts on Science papers a few hours before the paper is actually published. The DOI should work tomorrow and the paper should be out on the website then too.
Lillian – Yes, the change is reversible (I think) and no, I don’t know what triggers it

By: Pierre Kerner

Pierre Kerner — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:04:05 +0000

it’s M. L. Anstey, S. M. Rogers, S. R. Ott, M. Burrows, S. J. Simpson, Science 323, 627 (2009).