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Old 2004-10-03, 12:24 PM   [Ignore Me] #1
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1243581.stm

Why locusts swarm



By BBC News Online's Helen Briggs
Scientists say they have identified the biological trigger that causes locusts to swarm.

The discovery could lead to new insecticides capable of stopping the vast "clouds" of insects that can devastate crops.



It's the G-spot of the locust - G for gregarisation, in this case

Stephen Simpson, Oxford University
Previous research has shown that solitary locusts change their behaviour when in company, grouping together and eventually swarming.

For the first time, zoologists at the University of Oxford, UK, have pinpointed touch-sensitive hairs on the insects' hind legs which activate swarming.

"It's the G-spot of the locust - G for gregarisation, in this case," team leader Stephen Simpson told BBC News Online.

Crowd behaviour

Locusts are normally shy, solitary creatures. But in a swarm they become a menace, capable of stripping fields of crops in a matter of hours.

The Oxford team has found that "hot-spots" on the hind legs of the locusts, stimulated when they group together, turn the relatively harmless insects into destructive pests.

The discovery is important because it could lead to new insecticides capable of stopping insects from swarming.

"The nervous system communicates with chemicals," Professor Simpson said. "If you can work out which neural pathways are involved and what signalling chemicals they use to change locusts' behaviour from solitary to swarming, it might be possible to develop new control chemicals."

Tickle technique

The discovery was made by tickling lab locusts with a paintbrush.


When a specific region of the insect's back leg was stimulated, it caused a shift from solitary to gregarious behaviour.

Tickling other parts of the locust, such as its antennae, mouthparts or abdomen, had no effect on behaviour.

The research is reported in the current edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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23 Oct 00 | Sci/Tech
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11 Oct 99 | Sci/Tech
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Zoology Department, Oxford University

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites


Links to more Sci/Tech stories are at the foot of the page.
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:26 PM   [Ignore Me] #2
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The discovery was made by tickling lab locusts with a paintbrush.
Who is funding this kind of science?
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:39 PM   [Ignore Me] #3
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Originally Posted by JetRaiden
Who is funding this kind of science?
My thoughts exactly. Who was the guy that went "Here little locus, *takes paintbrush* I bet ya like that don't you?"

Still, maybe it paid off
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Old 2004-10-04, 09:14 PM   [Ignore Me] #4
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Originally Posted by JetRaiden
Who is funding this kind of science?
British Socialism At Work For YOU.

For king queen and country
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The gun katas. Through analysis of thousands of recorded gunfights, the Cleric has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any gun battle is a statistically predictable element. The gun kata treats the gun as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents while keeping the defender clear of the statistically traditional trajectories of return fire. By the rote mastery of this art, your firing efficiency will rise by no less than 120%. The difference of a 63% increase to lethal proficiency makes the master of the gun katas an adversary not to be taken lightly.
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Old 2004-10-04, 10:07 PM   [Ignore Me] #5
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I have to tell this joke, it's from the IRC.

How do you make love to a fat chick?
Slap and ride the waves.
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:32 PM   [Ignore Me] #6
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hfs locust gspot make me so hawny
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:33 PM   [Ignore Me] #7
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Exactly what I was thinking!
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:38 PM   [Ignore Me] #8
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So, making contact with the Locust G-Spot is much like human interaction...only they get super pissed for some reason and eat crops. Wow.
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Old 2004-10-03, 12:56 PM   [Ignore Me] #9
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Is it unusual that that story gave me a semi?
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Old 2004-10-03, 01:38 PM   [Ignore Me] #10
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I guess we only have 6 of the 7 apocalyptic plagues to worry about now.
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Old 2004-10-03, 01:42 PM   [Ignore Me] #11
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I knew G-spots were to blame for swarming! Because every time my girlfriend...err....never mind.
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Old 2004-10-04, 12:57 PM   [Ignore Me] #12
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Have they developed a way to stop the TR from foot zerging yet?

I need some of it (or some more certs for my new char! )
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Old 2004-10-04, 01:34 PM   [Ignore Me] #13
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Originally Posted by Fort4LAW
Have they developed a way to stop the TR from foot zerging yet?

I need some of it (or some more certs for my new char! )
Oh. My. Gawd.

It's teh Fortinator!

EDIT: You had better resize your sig. It'll get nerfed by the sig bot.

Last edited by Hezzy; 2004-10-04 at 01:35 PM.
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Old 2004-10-04, 06:57 PM   [Ignore Me] #14
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Originally Posted by Fort4LAW
Have they developed a way to stop the TR from foot zerging yet?

I need some of it (or some more certs for my new char! )


*Ivan starts rubbing the back of Fort4Law's leg.
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Old 2004-10-04, 07:09 PM   [Ignore Me] #15
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Originally Posted by Ivan


*Ivan starts rubbing the back of Fort4Law's leg.
*fondels Ivan in inapropriate ways*
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