Re-calibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders in ocean sciences

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA

 

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NATIVE HAWAIIAN GRADUATE STUDENT SURVEYS REEF. 

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CREDIT: TODD GLASER

In Hawaiʻi and across much of Oceania, Pacific Islanders celebrate the connections between their islands and the ocean that surrounds them. “As descendants of the ocean, the dearth of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in ocean science seems inconsonant,” writes a team of authors that includes University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa faculty, students, and alumni in an article in a special issue of the journal Oceanography, “Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences. The authors ask, “Where are all our island people in the ocean sciences?”

“To understand the root causes of this disparity and potential solutions, UH faculty, staff and students approached this problem through the lens of voyagers, examining the past course of history of the peoples of the Pacific and attempts to make headwinds in programs focused on increasing participation in ocean sciences,” said co-author Rosie Alegado, associate professor in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).

The article highlights programs in SOEST that are aimed at reducing barriers for Native Hawaiians in the geosciences—including summer bridge programs, internships, and other professional development programs. And, in better defining the persistent, systemic, and collective barriers that NHPI face within the western society and the academy, the authors identify gaps that conventional professional development programs aimed at minoritized groups in the geosciences have been unsuccessful in filling. 

“One of the biggest gaps that we found related to Native Hawaiian-serving programs within the ocean sciences is that while many may be culturally based, few are Native Hawaiian led,” said lead author Haunani Kane, SOEST assistant professor. “Native Hawaiians are often overlooked in the development and leadership of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-serving programs. Programs led by Native Hawaiian scientists and community members ensure that they are culturally centered safe spaces for students to collectively grow their identities as both Native Hawaiians and scientists.”

Importantly, the authors shared lessons learned from building two waʻa (canoes)–programs specifically designed to carry students forward toward futures that center oceanic ways of knowing. 

SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge 

The SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge program (Maile) was founded in 2013 with the goal of attracting and retaining more NHPIs into geoscience degree programs and careers. The foundation of Maile was to build and foster robust partnerships with neighboring community colleges within the UH system. Maile mentees are carefully paired with experienced mentors—SOEST graduate students, postdocs, or recent graduates.

“Looking back on the last 10 years of my life, the Maile Mentoring program has made such a huge impact,” said Diamond Tachera, study co-author and alumni and co-director of Maile. “As an undergraduate student, it was so important for me to see people, especially wāhine (women), who looked like me working and thriving in their scientific fields. Being part of the Maile ʻohana as a graduate student mentor also helped me to build confidence in myself as I continued to struggle to find my place and identity in academia. I will be forever grateful for the support and aloha that comes with being part of the Maile ʻohana.”

“I believe the Maile Mentoring program has been successful because it places an emphasis on meeting the needs of the whole student, not just their research endeavors,” said Alegado. “In focusing on creating a nurturing environment in SOEST, we place a stronger emphasis on retention of students, not just recruitment, which increases completion and graduation rates for NHPI.”

The MEGA Lab

To overcome traditional barriers related to retention of NHPIs in the ocean sciences, the multiscale environmental graphical analysis (MEGA) Lab, a predominantly Native Hawaiian-led lab and nonprofit physically located in Hilo, Hawai‘i, developed a research program that prioritizes inclusive research experiences. Foundational to their success has been incorporating community members and cultural values into research projects, and creating global partnerships that value Native Hawaiian research.

As a way to creatively explore what Native science and kuleana (responsibility) could look like if research and cultural priorities were equally weighted in all aspects of the research design, the MEGA Lab assembled a Native Hawaiian research team to embark on a 15-day voyage to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. 

“That trip inspired me to re-imagine what research looks like when it's grounded in our ʻōiwi perspectives and how I can contribute to create more room for that to happen,” said Kainalu Steward, graduate student in the SOEST Department of Earth Sciences. “That experience helped me find kuleana in this collective work at the monument and reinforced my interest in pursuing higher education.”

Looking to the horizon 

“Moving forward, we believe that in order to make progress in the representation, retainment, and success of Native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders in STEM, we must first address the historical and ongoing traumas of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders through active engagement in reclamation of cultural identities and knowledge,” said Kane. “We also believe student success requires building community support systems both within and beyond UH where students can safely explore their whole identity as Indigenous scientists.” 

The MEGA Lab founders are also calling for a culture change in academia and their “experiment to disrupt the hierarchical and stereotypical structures that exist in science and act as barriers to inclusion,” as they write in a second article in the special issue of Oceanography, provides a template. “Our goal was to create an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional lab that promotes an inclusive, equitable, and uplifting team environment where everyone can thrive in a fun and productive workspace.” 

“All of the work we do to support Native Hawaiians, women, and other underrepresented groups (the fish) can only have limited success given our current toxic workplace culture (the fishbowl),” said Barbara Bruno, faculty specialist at SOEST and co-author of the first article. “The fishbowl —​not the fish—​ needs to change.”

“Academia can often be reluctant to change, which is unfortunate as much of the workplace culture can serve as barriers to inclusion in STEM,” said John Burns, lead author of the second article and associate professor at UH Hilo. “We must embrace open-mindedness and be ready to transform the very culture of science in order to enhance diversity. Diverse perspectives and ideas not only foster a healthy work environment but can also serve as our most powerful asset, fueling the drive for new discoveries.”

Maile Mentoring Bridge Program mentors and mentees survey the intertidal zone during the full moon. 

A team of Native Hawaiian researchers conducted an expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. 

CREDIT

Kane, et al., 2023

JOURNAL

Oceanography

DOI

10.5670/oceanog.2024.137 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Ho‘okele ka Wa‘a: Recalibrating the Sail Plan for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the Ocean Sciences

 

Is oxygen the cosmic key to alien technology?

University of Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank explores the links between atmospheric oxygen and detecting extraterrestrial technology on distant planets.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

 

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COINED BY ASTROPHYSICS ADAM FRANK AND AMEDEO BALBI, THE “OXYGEN BOTTLENECK” DESCRIBES THE CRITICAL THRESHOLD THAT SEPARATES WORLDS CAPABLE OF FOSTERING TECHNOLOGICAL CIVILIZATIONS FROM THOSE THAT FALL SHORT. “YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET BIOLOGY—YOU MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO GET INTELLIGENT CREATURES—IN A WORLD THAT DOESN’T HAVE OXYGEN,” FRANK SAYS, “BUT WITHOUT A READY SOURCE OF FIRE, YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO DEVELOP HIGHER TECHNOLOGY." 

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER ILLUSTRATION / MICHAEL OSADCIW

In the quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth, researchers are widening their search to encompass not only biological markers, but also technological ones. While astrobiologists have long recognized the importance of oxygen for life as we know it, oxygen could also be a key to unlocking advanced technology on a planetary scale.

In a new study published in Nature Astronomy, Adam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester and the author of The Little Book of Aliens (Harper, 2023), and Amedeo Balbi, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy, outline the links between atmospheric oxygen and the potential rise of advanced technology on distant planets.

“We are ready to find signatures of life on alien worlds,” Frank says. “But how do the conditions on a planet tell us about the possibilities for intelligent, technology-producing life?”

“In our paper, we explore whether any atmospheric composition would be compatible with the presence of advanced technology,” Balbi says. “We found that the atmospheric requirements may be quite stringent.”

Igniting cosmic technospheres

Frank and Balbi posit that, beyond its necessity for respiration and metabolism in multicellular organisms, oxygen is crucial to developing fire—and fire is a hallmark of a technological civilization. They delve into the concept of “technospheres,” expansive realms of advanced technology that emit telltale signs—called “technosignatures”—of extraterrestrial intelligence.

On Earth, the development of technology demanded easy access to open-air combustion—the process at the heart of fire, in which something is burned by combining a fuel and an oxidant, usually oxygen. Whether it’s cooking, forging metals for structures, crafting materials for homes, or harnessing energy through burning fuels, combustion has been the driving force behind industrial societies.

Tracing back through Earth’s history, the researchers found that the controlled use of fire and the subsequent metallurgical advancements were only possible when oxygen levels in the atmosphere reached or exceeded 18 percent. This means that only planets with significant oxygen concentrations will be capable of developing advanced technospheres, and, therefore, leaving detectable technosignatures.

The oxygen bottleneck

The levels of oxygen required to biologically sustain complex life and intelligence are not as high as the levels necessary for technology, so while a species might be able to emerge in a world without oxygen, it will not be able to become a technological species, according to the researchers.

“You might be able to get biology—you might even be able to get intelligent creatures—in a world that doesn’t have oxygen,” Frank says, “but without a ready source of fire, you’re never going to develop higher technology because higher technology requires fuel and melting.”

Enter the “oxygen bottleneck,” a term coined by the researchers to describe the critical threshold that separates worlds capable of fostering technological civilizations from those that fall short. That is, oxygen levels are a bottleneck that impedes the emergence of advanced technology.

“The presence of high degrees of oxygen in the atmosphere is like a bottleneck you have to get through in order to have a technological species,” Frank says. “You can have everything else work out, but if you don’t have oxygen in the atmosphere, you’re not going to have a technological species.”

Targeting extraterrestrial hotspots

The research, which addresses a previously unexplored facet in the cosmic pursuit of intelligent life, underscores the need to prioritize planets with high oxygen levels when searching for extraterrestrial technosignatures.

“Targeting planets with high oxygen levels should be prioritized because the presence or absence of high oxygen levels in exoplanet atmospheres could be a major clue in finding potential technosignatures,” Frank says.

“The implications of discovering intelligent, technological life on another planet would be huge,” adds Balbi. “Therefore, we need to be extremely cautious in interpreting possible detections. Our study suggests that we should be skeptical of potential technosignatures from a planet with insufficient atmospheric oxygen.”

This work was funded in part by a grant from NASA.

 

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JOURNAL

Nature Astronomy

DOI

10.1038/s41550-023-02112-8 

ARTICLE TITLE

The oxygen bottleneck for technospheres

 

New research shows “Juvenile T. rex” fossils are a distinct species of small tyrannosaur

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

 

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ARTIST ILLUSTRATION OF NANOTYRANNUS ATTACKING A JUVENILE T. REX.

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CREDIT: ANDREY ATUCHIN

A new analysis of fossils believed to be juveniles of T. rex now shows they were adults of a small tyrannosaur, with narrower jaws, longer legs, and bigger arms than T. rex. The species, Nanotyrannus lancensis, was first named decades ago but later reinterpreted as a young T. rex.

The first skull of Nanotyrannus was found in Montana in 1942, but for decades, paleontologists have gone back and forth on whether it was a separate species, or simply a juvenile of the much larger T. rex.

Dr Nick Longrich, from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath (UK), and Dr Evan Saitta, from the University of Chicago (USA) re-analysed the fossils, looking at growth rings, the anatomy of Nanotyrannus, and a previously unrecognized fossil of a young T. rex.

Measuring the growth rings in Nanotyrannus bones, they showed that they became more closely packed towards the outside of the bone - its growth was slowing. It suggests these animals were nearly full size; not fast-growing juveniles.

Modelling the growth of the fossils showed the animals would have reached a maximum of around 900-1500 kilograms and five metres - about 15 per cent of the size of the giant T. rex, which grew to 8,000 kilograms and nine metres or more.

The researchers have published their findings in Fossil Studies.

“When I saw these results I was pretty blown away,” said Longrich. “I didn’t expect it to be quite so conclusive.

“If they were young T. rex they should be growing like crazy, putting on hundreds of kilograms a year, but we’re not seeing that.

“We tried modeling the data in a lot of different ways and we kept getting low growth rates. This is looking like the end for the hypothesis that these animals are young T. rex.”

Supporting the existence of distinct species, the researchers found no evidence of fossils combining features of both the Nanotyrannus and T. rex - which would exist if the one turned into the other.  Every fossil they examined could be confidently identified as one species or the other.

Neither did the patterns of growth in other tyrannosaurs fit with the hypothesis that these were young T. rex.

Dr Longrich said: “If you look at juveniles of other tyrannosaurs, they show many of the distinctive features of the adults. A very young Tarbosaurus - a close relative of T. rex - shows distinctive features of the adults.

“In the same way that kittens look like cats and puppies look like dogs, the juveniles of different tyrannosaurs are distinctive. And Nanotyrannus just doesn’t look anything like a T. rex.

“It could be growing in a way that’s completely unlike any other tyrannosaur, or any other dinosaur- but it’s more likely it’s just not a T. rex.”

But that raises a mystery — if Nanotyrannus isn’t a juvenile Tyrannosaurus, then why hasn’t anyone ever found a young T. rex?

“That’s always been one of the big questions. Well, it turns out we actually had found one,” said Longrich. “But the fossil was collected years ago, stuck in a box of unidentified bones in a museum drawer, and then forgotten.”

The research led Longrich and co-author Evan Saitta to a previous fossil discovery, stored in a museum in San Francisco which they identified as a juvenile Tyrannosaurus.

That young T. rex is represented by a skull bone - the frontal bone - with distinctive features that ally it with Tyrannosaurus, but which aren’t seen in Nanotyrannus. It comes from a small animal, one with a skull about 45 cm long and a body length of around 5 metres.

Dr Longrich said: “Yes, it’s just one specimen, and just one bone, but it only takes one. T. rex skull bones are very distinctive, nothing else looks like it. Young T. rex exist, they’re just incredibly rare, like juveniles of most dinosaurs.”

The researchers argue these findings are strong evidence that Nanotyrannus is a separate species, one not closely related to Tyrannosaurus. It was more lightly-built and long-limbed than its thick-set relative. It also had larger arms, unlike the famously short-armed T. rex.

“The arms are actually longer than those of T. rex. Even the biggest T. rex, has shorter arms and smaller claws than in these little Nanotyrannus. This was an animal where the arms were actually pretty formidable weapons. It’s really just a completely different animal - small, fast, agile.

“T. rex relied on size and strength, but this animal relied on speed.”

The long arms and other features suggest it was only distantly related to T. rex - and may have sat outside the family Tyrannosauridae, which T. rex is part of, in its own family of predatory dinosaurs.

The new study is the latest in a series of publications on the problem, going back decades.

Longrich said: “Nanotyrannus is highly controversial in paleontology. Not long ago, it seemed like we’d finally settled this problem, and it was a young T. rex.

“I was very skeptical about Nanotyrannus myself until about six years ago when I took a close look at the fossils and was surprised to realise we’d gotten it wrong all these years.”

The authors suggest that, given how difficult it is to tell dinosaurs apart based on their often-incomplete skeletons, we may be underestimating the diversity of dinosaurs, and other fossil species.

Longrich said: “It’s amazing to think how much we still don’t know about the most famous of all the dinosaurs. It makes you wonder what else we’ve gotten wrong.”

Comparison of T. rex and Nanotyrannus skulls

CREDIT

Nick Longrich

Graph comparing growth curves of T. rex vs Nanotyrannus

CREDIT

Dr Nick Longrich

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JOURNAL

Fossil Studies

DOI

10.3390/fossils1010009 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

ARTICLE TITLE

Taxonomic status of Nanotyrannus lancensis (Dinosauria:Tyrannosauroidea) - a distinct taxon of small-bodied tyrannosaur

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jan-2024

 

Chicken whisperers: humans crack the clucking code

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

A University of Queensland-led study has found humans can tell if chickens are excited or displeased, just by the sound of their clucks.  

Professor Joerg Henning from UQ’s School of Veterinary Science said researchers investigated whether humans could correctly identify the context of calls or clucking sounds made by domestic chickens, the most commonly farmed species in the world.

“In this study, we used recordings of chickens vocalising in all different scenarios from a previous experiment,” Professor Henning said. 

“Two calls were produced in anticipation of a reward, which we called the ‘food’ call and the ‘fast cluck’.

“Two other call types were produced in non-reward contexts, such as food being withheld, which we called the ‘whine’ and ‘gakel’ calls.”

The researchers played the audio files back to test whether humans could tell in which context the chicken sounds were made, and whether various demographics and levels of experience with chickens affected their correct identification.

“We found 69 per cent of all participants could correctly tell if a chicken sounded excited or displeased,” Professor Henning said.

“This is a remarkable result and further strengthens evidence that humans have the ability to perceive the emotional context of vocalisations made by different species.”

Professor Henning said the ability to detect emotional information from vocalisation could improve the welfare of farmed chickens.

“A substantial proportion of participants being able to successfully recognise calls produced in reward-related contexts is significant,” he said.

“It provides confidence that people involved in chicken husbandry can identify the emotional state of the birds they look after, even if they don’t have prior experience.

“Our hope is that in future research, specific acoustic cues that predict how humans rate arousal in chicken calls could be identified, and these results could potentially be used in artificially intelligent based detection systems to monitor vocalisations in chickens.

“This would allow for the development of automated assessments of compromised or good welfare states within poultry management systems.

“Ultimately this could enhance the management of farmed chickens to improve their welfare, while helping conscientious consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.”

This research is published in Royal Society Open Science.

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JOURNAL

Royal Society Open Science

DOI

10.1098/rsos.231284 

ARTICLE TITLE

Humans can identify reward-related call types of chickens

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jan-2024

 

Diversity of bioluminescent beetles in Brazilian savanna has declined sharply in 30 years

Surveys conducted in the Cerrado since the 1990s show falling biodiversity as the agricultural frontier advances in the vicinity of Emas National Park. Species with biotechnological potential are dwindling and even disappearing

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

 

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LUMINOUS TERMITE MOUND IN EMAS NATIONAL PARK, GOIÁS STATE: LARVAE OF CLICK BEETLE PYREARINUS TERMITILLUMINANS PRODUCE A SPECTACLE NOW CONFINED TO THE PARK, AN ISLAND IN AN OCEAN OF MONOCULTURE 

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CREDIT: VADIM VIVIANI

At night in the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna and second-largest biome, larvae of the click beetle Pyrearinus termitilluminans, which live in termite mounds, display green lanterns to capture prey attracted by the bright light.

In more than 30 years of expeditions with his students to Emas National Park and farms around the conservation unit in Goiás state to collect specimens, the phenomenon has never been so rare, said Vadim Viviani, a professor at the Federal University of São Carlos’s Science and Technology for Sustainability Center (CCTS-UFSCar) in Sorocaba, São Paulo state.

“In the 1990s, we would see many of these termite mounds full of fireflies and other bioluminescent insects, even in areas of pasture. Now, sugarcane is grown in most of the areas and we hardly see any,” he noted.

The dearth was one of the main findings of a study supported by FAPESP via its Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use (BIOTA-FAPESP), as reported in an article by Viviani and collaborators published in Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

The penultimate author of the article, Etelvino Bechara, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP), was Viviani’s master’s and PhD thesis advisor in the 1990s and is also supported by FAPESP.

The other co-authors are Cleide Costa, a researcher at the University of São Paulo’s Museum of Zoology (MZ-USP), and Simone P. Rosa, an entomologist at the Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI) in Minas Gerais state. Both are authorities on the taxonomy of the click beetle superfamily Elateroidea.

The survey recorded 51 species, most of which are fireflies (Lampyridae). The rest are click beetles (Elateridae), which have two lanterns on their back, and railroad worms, also known as glow worms (Phengodidae), which can produce light of different colors at the same time.

In Goiás, besides the specimens collected in Emas National Park in the municipality of Mineiros, and nearby farms, the researchers cataloged specimens in Perolândia and Campinorte. In Mato Grosso state, the survey covered Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and three towns (Alto Garças, Novo Santo Antônio and Rio Manso). In Costa Rica, a town in Mato Grosso do Sul state, they visited two farms and Sucuriú Falls Municipal Park. Emas National Park was the most productive site, providing 35 species.

The researchers say the diversity of these beetles in remnants of the Cerrado and farms neighboring the park has declined sharply over the last three decades, concurrently with the substitution of soybean and sugarcane plantations for pasture, as well as a reduction in the Cerrado overall, and more specifically in dense dry forest areas within the Cerrado known as cerradão.

The occurrence of luminous termite mounds in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park is reported for the first time in this article. Many mounds full of firefly larvae are found in Emas National Park and neighboring areas. Previous research by the same group reported the phenomenon of bioluminescence in the Amazon Rainforest (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/23640).

Railroad worms are disappearing

Pesticides and artificial lighting are also enemies of bioluminescent beetles. Bright light produced by humans prevents them from being located by mates and reproducing. In particular, the researchers noted the absence of railroad worm larvae in recent expeditions. These insects can emit red and green light at the same time and have significant biotechnological potential (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/31481).

“The decline in this family [Phengodidae] was especially evident. Adult males are no longer attracted to light traps on farms surrounded by sugarcane since 2010. Furthermore, the increasing levels of artificial light coming from nearby urban centers at night may threaten several bioluminescent species inside Emas National Park. The problem merits special attention and further studies,” Viviani said.

Extinction of bioluminescent species is not only a loss to biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided by these animals but also represents lost technological and economic opportunities.

Bioluminescence – production and emission of cold visible light by living beings – is useful to many analytical processes deployed in scientific research, medicine, industry and environmental management. Cold light means less than 20% of the light generates thermal radiation (i.e. heat).

Bioluminescence derives from oxidation of luciferin, a compound present in these insects and other animals as well as some fungi. The oxidation process is catalyzed by enzymes known as luciferases.

Over the years, the group led by Viviani has isolated and cloned the largest number of luciferases of any group globally. The luciferases are from different insects, including flies that produce blue light (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/34061 and agencia.fapesp.br/29066).

Luminescent beetles produce colors such as green, yellow, orange and red. Their luciferases are used to mark cells and proteins, for example (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/36427 and agencia.fapesp.br/20609).

Viviani is currently coordinating a project supported by FAPESP to develop bioluminescent reagents for immunoassays, environmental analysis and bioimaging. The reagents will be based on luciferases from Brazilian species. Most of these materials are currently imported.

“It’s important to grasp the fact that the Cerrado isn’t just scrub or bush. It’s a repository of water in the soil, a source of evaporation that generates rain, and also an immense store of exclusive species. We can learn a tremendous amount from all that treasure,” Viviani said.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

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JOURNAL

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

DOI

10.1093/aesa/saad029 

ARTICLE TITLE

Inventory and ecological aspects of bioluminescent beetles in the Cerrado ecosystem and its decline around Emas National Park

 Ants recognize infected wounds and treat them with antibiotics

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

 

VIDEO: 

EXAMPLE OF WOUND CARE PERFORMED WITH METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS COLLECTED FROM THE GLAND OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDING CARE. THE INFECTED ANT IS MARKED IN WHITE. WE FIRST OBSERVE WOUND CARE BY THE NURSING ANT, FOLLOWED BY THE COLLECTION OF METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS USING THE FORELEGS TO REACH THE GLAND AND MOUTH AND FINALLY APPLICATION OF METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS ON THE WOUND.

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CREDIT: ERIK FRANK / UNIVERSITY OF WUERZBURG

The Matabele ants (Megaponera analis), which are widespread south of the Sahara, have a narrow diet: They only eat termites. Their hunting expeditions are dangerous because termite soldiers defend their conspecifics – and use their powerful mandibles to do so. It is therefore common for the ants to be injured while hunting.

If the wounds become infected, there is a significant survival risk. However, Matabele ants have developed a sophisticated healthcare system: they can distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds and treat the latter efficiently with antibiotics they produce themselves. This is reported by a team led by Dr Erik Frank from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Professor Laurent Keller from the University of Lausanne in the journal Nature Communications.

Treatment Drastically Reduces Mortality

"Chemical analyses in cooperation with JMU Professor Thomas Schmitt have shown that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant cuticle changes as a result of a wound infection," says Erik Frank. It is precisely this change that the ants are able to recognise and thus diagnose the infection status of injured nestmates.

For treatment, they then apply antimicrobial compounds and proteins to the infected wounds. They take these antibiotics from the metapleural gland, which is located on the side of their thorax. Its secretion contains 112 components, half of which have an antimicrobial or wound-healing effect. And the therapy is highly effective: the mortality rate of infected individuals is reduced by 90 per cent, as the research group discovered.

Analysis of Ant Antibiotics is Planned

"With the exception of humans, I know of no other living creature that can carry out such sophisticated medical wound treatments," says Erik Frank. Laurent Keller also adds that these findings “have medical implications because the primary pathogen in ant’s wounds, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is also a leading cause of infection in humans, with several strains being resistant to antibiotics”.

Are Matabele ants really unique in this respect? The Würzburg researcher now wants to explore wound care behaviours in other ant species and other social animals. He also wants to identify and analyse the antibiotics used by Matabele ants in cooperation with chemistry research groups. This may lead to the discovery of new antibiotics that could also be used in humans.

Matabele Ants in a Netflix Documentary

A few years ago, Erik Frank's research into the African ants that care for their injured nestmates sparked the interest of a film production company. The company was commissioned by Netflix to find exciting stories for the eight-part nature documentary "Life on Our Planet", which focuses on the evolution of life over the past 500 million years.

After six years of work, the series can now be seen on Netflix. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and the English version is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman. The series has been translated into German and numerous other languages. The Matabele ants appear in the fifth episode, which is called "In the Shadow of Giants" and lasts 51 minutes.

The sequence about Erik Frank's ants was filmed in April 2021 at the Comoé research station of the University of Würzburg in Côte d'Ivoire. "It took three weeks, the effort was enormous," says the JMU researcher. The film was shot in the ants' natural habitat, but also in artificial nests in the research station's laboratory. And Erik Frank's expertise was in constant demand during this time.

Weblink

"Life on Our Planet" at Netflix https://www.netflix.com/de/title/80213846

A Matabele ant tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites.

On the left a fresh injury, on the right the condition one hour after treatment. The wound surface appears to be sealed.

Erik Frank (right) and former Bachelor student Florens Fischer are investigating the behaviour of Matabele ants in artificial nests under laboratory conditions.

CREDIT

Erik Frank / University of Wuerzburg

Autobiographical book by Erik Frank

The paperback edition of Erik Frank's "Une Histoire de Fourmis" (A History of Ants), previously only available in French, has been on the market since October 2023. In this autobiographical story, the author describes his research, his experiences at the Comoé research station and his time as a doctoral student at the University of Würzburg. In France, the book was one of the six works nominated as the best books for science communication in 2022. Website of the publisher https://www.cnrseditions.fr/catalogue/societe/une-histoire-de-fourmis/

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-43885-w 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Targeted treatment of injured nestmates with antimicrobial compounds in an ant society