# gst: a chaos-inducing approach against superbugs evolution

<< The CHAOS [Controlled Hindrance of Adaptation of OrganismS] method takes advantage of this effect, pulling multiple genetic levers in order to build up stress on the bacterial cell and eventually trigger a cascading failure, leaving the bug more vulnerable to current treatments. The technique does not alter the bug's DNA itself, only the expression of individual genes, similar to the way a coded message is rendered useless without the proper decryption. >>

<< We now have a way to cut off the evolutionary pathways of some of the nastiest bugs and potentially prevent future bugs from emerging at all, >> Peter Otoupal

Chaos-inducing genetic approach stymies antibiotic-resistant superbugs. University of Colorado at Boulder. Sept 3, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-chaos-inducing-genetic-approach-stymies-antibiotic-resistant.html 

<< While individual perturbations improved fitness during antibiotic exposure, multiplexed perturbations caused large fitness loss in a significant epistatic fashion. >>

Peter B. Otoupal, William T. Cordell, et al. Multiplexed deactivated CRISPR-Cas9 gene expression perturbations deter bacterial adaptation by inducing negative epistasis. Comm  Biol 1 (129) Sept 3, 2018

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-018-0135-2

# drugs: proteins found in tick saliva (Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma) to treat a potentially fatal form of heart disease

<< Tick saliva contains proteins [evasins] that suppress chemokine-driven inflammation by binding and neutralizing multiple chemokines simultaneously, helping them to suck blood for several weeks without eliciting inflammation. >>

Kamayani Singh, Graham Davies, et al.  Yeast surface display identifies a family of evasins from ticks with novel polyvalent CC chemokine - binding activities. Scientific Reports. Jun 27, 2017; 7 (4267).

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04378-1

AA << has identified several new tick evasins and shown that one of them, P991_AMBCA, from the cayenne tick found in the Americas, can bind to and block the effect of chemokines which cause inflammation in myocarditis, heart attack and stroke. >>

From bug to drug - tick saliva could be key to treating heart disease. University of Oxford. Jun 27, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-06-bug-drugtick-saliva-key-heart.html

Also: "saliva" in:

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=saliva

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=saliva

# zoo: Tatupa, a random genus name for fixing a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennas

AA << has discovered a new genus and species of bug from the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It was named Tatupa grafei and classified as belonging to plant bugs (Miridae). >>

Miridae << are extremely rare in different collections. The fact is that in nature they live in the forest floor and have a cryptic lifestyle. >>

<< Most aspects of the behavior of the Tatupa grafei bugs are unknown due to the extremely small number of its representatives. These insects are often found on fungi growing on rotten wood. Because of this, it has been suggested that these bugs feed on fungi, but whether this is true remains to be explored. It is also possible that Tatupa grafei eats smaller insects, which feed on fungi. The third version is that the bug menu can be mixed and consist of both fungi and insects. >>

<< The genus name Tatupa is a random combination of letters. The scientists could not come up with a suitable name for it for a long time. It was important that no animal has the same name. Additionally, the scientists needed to find out if the word Tatupa exists in any languages and what it means. It turned out that there was only one hit on the Internet—in an episode of a Polish television game where its participants are busy coining new words. The species is named after the Brunei professor Ulmar Grafe, who had provided significant support to the scientists. >>

Entomologists discover a rare species of tropical Heteroptera with long antennae. St. Petersburg State University. Sep 22, 2020. 

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-entomologists-rare-species-tropical-heteroptera.html  

Veronica D. Tyts, Anna A. Namyatova, et al. Tatupa grafei, a new genus and species of Cylapinae (Heteroptera, Miridae) from Brunei Darussalam.  ZooKeys 946: 37-52. doi: 10.3897/ zookeys.946.51780. Jul 6, 2020. 

https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/51780/   

# s-chem: a viscoelastic tongue with reversible saliva (spit and softness) to hang on to the next meal

<< A frog uses its whip-like tongue to snag its prey faster than a human can blink, hitting it with a force five times greater than gravity >>

<< A frog's saliva is thick and sticky during prey capture, then turns thin and watery as prey is removed inside the mouth >>

<< The tongue, which was found to be as soft as brain tissue and 10 times softer than a human's tongue, stretches and stores energy much like a spring >>

<< This combination of spit and softness is so effective that it provides the tongue 50 times greater work of adhesion than synthetic polymer materials such as sticky-hand toys >>

<< There are actually three phases (..) When the tongue first hits the insect, the saliva is almost like water and fills all the bug's crevices. Then, when the tongue snaps back, the saliva changes and becomes more viscous—thicker than honey, actually—gripping the insect for the ride back. The saliva turns watery again when the insect is sheared off inside the mouth >>

Reversible saliva allows frogs to hang on to next meal.  Jan. 31, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-reversible-saliva-frogs-meal.html

Alexis C.Noel, Hao-Yuan Guo, et al. Frogs use a viscoelastic tongue and non-Newtonian saliva to catch prey. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. Publ. 1 February 2017. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0764

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/127/20160764

# zoo: the rehabilitation of insects: not all of them are pests

<< Insects are important wildlife often overlooked in urban habitats. What we do notice are the cockroaches, ants and mosquitoes in and around our homes. All too often we reach for the insect spray. >>

Lizzy Lowe, Cameron Webb, Manu Saunders, Tanya Latty. The battle against bugs: it’s time to end chemical warfare. Feb 17, 2019

https://theconversation.com/the-battle-against-bugs-its-time-to-end-chemical-warfare-111629

Also

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=beetle

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=cockroaches

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bug