New Gene May Reverse Insecticide Resistances

 

     Insecticides have been used for a long time by many farmers and people in the agriculture business and until now Insects had been able to build resistances to all form of these insecticides. New research from University of California San Diego have just created a new process that converts the insecticide resistance genes back to their original wild types. The process involves creating a genetic cassette that in this case is inserted into fruit flies which then targets a voltage gated sodium ion channel. The cassette makes a cut at the channel which is that of the resistance to insecticides and is then switched out for a native non-resistant version of the gene. With introducing this concept into the  actual world the scientists plan to regularly check up on the effectiveness of the introduced insects with the cassettes. The cassettes would also be reintroduced if needed be as well.                                                         

 By doing this the continuation of ramping up the amount of insecticides used in agriculture will decrease drastically due to the wild types that were converted will not be as used to the insecticides as they were before. And the cassettes last only as long as it would be required to convert 100% of the insect population to the non-resistant type. In a laboratory it took about 6 months for this to happen with a fruit fly population after eight to ten generations Creating a healthy new environment for the good bugs and having the plant life be less toxic from these insecticides.

   

Sources:

 https://today.ucsd.edu/story/new-gene-drive-reverses-insecticide-resistance-in-pests-then-disappears

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/new-gene-drive-reverses-insecticide-resistance-in-pests-then-disappears

Venus Fly Trap: The Carniverous Plant

 

 Venus flytraps have fascinated but stumped biologists for centuries and still remain quite a mystery. These plants have now been seen taking part in gene expression, protein secretion, and ultrastructural changes during certain stimulation. In a Venus flytrap, normal plant defense systems which are historically known to protect plants from being eaten, are also used by these carnivorous flytraps for insect feeding. Researchers have confirmed that all substances were actively secreted using proteomic screening of the flytrap's digestive fluids. Electron microscopy was used to study the ultrastructure of the plants glands to discover specialized cell layers used in active secretion, nutrient transport, lipid energy stores, and protein biosynthesis necessary for trap function all of which are thought to be transformed over the years in order to adapt these Venus flytraps from normal plants into carnivorous beings.

This article seems to be very meek on detail. We have been studying these plants for how long and this is all the information they have managed to scrounge up? Also, the reference in this article to the adaptation of this carnivorous feature seems unfounded due to the paleontologic findings of prehistoric carnivorous plant species. If these plants have existed in the past why is it that they are considered a new species and not a relative of the once abundant carnivorous plants of yesteryear? With all of our resources you would think the author of this article could have found more substantial evidence to determine the reasoning for these adaptations or gene expressions. All this article did was leave me with more unanswered questions than answered ones.