“Aliens” are among us
Almost on the very border with Belarus, on the outskirts of Latgale, in the town of Ilgas, there is a secret object in the forest. Only this secret is local: in their native Latvia they hardly know about it, but they know it almost all over the world.
No, this is not a NATO military unit or a special services building. Although the object is somewhat close even to NASA! Only now the American space agency is searching for extraterrestrial civilizations in distant galaxies, and in the outback of Latgale they are exploring completely terrestrial “aliens.” Beetles are studied here – at the Institute of Systematic Biology of Daugavpils University. And about them, according to the deep conviction of one of the most respected coleopterologists (beetle specialists) on the planet, rector of the Daugavpils University Arvid Barshchevsky, people still know much less than about what is happening on the Moon or Mars.
Dogs aren’t the only ones who bite
“Don’t be surprised, but people really know less about beetles than about the lunar surface, although they have long been using the “achievements” of my favorite insects,” says Arvid Barshchevsky, an academician, professor and rector of Daugavpils University, who has recently become and an honorary Doctor of Science from the Philippine Institute of Biology.
“And in the future, insects will also help invent new body armor for the military, protective suits for firefighters, and various reflective materials for civilian clothing.” What can I say, if people have already learned a lot from beetles,” Arvid says enthusiastically. — Have you ever wondered where various multicellular reflective materials came from? From bugs! The man took a closer look at the structural features of their body, and then decided to use it for himself.
And at the same time, people still completely undeservedly call beetles “biter nasty things.” A beetle is not a nasty thing!
As for the “biters,” I’ll say this. Firstly, there are very few beetles that are generally capable of biting a person so that he feels it (often the mosquito bites more painfully!), and secondly, if an insect bites, then it’s deserved. No point in grabbing a bug with your fingers! Let it crawl onto your hand, then you can calmly examine it, and then the insect will calmly leave without offending you.
There are large ground beetles that can even eat a small lizard, since their jaws are powerful. But! If you treat the ground beetle with more respect than the bird that wants to devour it, then the beetle will not bite, because it will not consider it necessary to defend itself.
Trophies of the Latvian coleopterologist.
Karapuzyk against the tractor
— Have you ever noticed how many insects (say, little beetles) have a strong shell – a chitinous layer on their body? A tractor can drive over a toddler, but he won’t even feel it! Again, it’s all about the microstructures from which its shell is “woven”.
Perhaps in the future, people will be able to create materials a la the chitin layer of a toddler, which will be used to make suits for the military, firefighters, and rescuers. It’s high time to do this! And in general, why is it necessary to use very expensive special protective and reflective paints for fabrics, when it is much more productive to invent the fabric itself – “modeled on” the chitin layer? – the coleopterologist is perplexed.
Learn from insects
As part of the international project from the European Social Fund “Attracting Human Resources to Science,” researchers together with Barshchevsky developed a new method for extracting DNA from “dry material”—dried beetles.
And specialists from the Center for Innovative Microscopy of Daugavpils University are analyzing the possibilities of the structure of chitinous shells of beetles with the aim of artificially modeling it – to create holograms and reflective materials.
The group of scientists includes physicists, molecular biologists, and biosystematics specialists. As part of the project, 23 articles have already been published in scientific journals in different countries, and researchers have participated in 15 international conferences.
In addition, Arvid has been participating in large expeditions in the Philippines for 10 years. At the beginning of May he flies there again. Although the scientist is primarily engaged in science in Latvia, he simply does not have the right not to pay attention to other regions of the Earth.
South-east of Latgale and the world
— The Philippine Islands are one of the richest places in the world in terms of biological diversity, which, of course, also applies to insects. There are more than 700 islands, and each one often contains species that are not found on the neighboring island. However, only part of both the animal and plant world is open there. Therefore, there is a great chance of discovering new beetles, which is more than serious.
The Philippine Biological Institute is a partner of Daugavpils University. There are many things that connect us with the European Erasmus project. And for some time now, Filipino scientists are well aware of not just our university in Daugavpils, but also how the development of science is organized in the center of Ilgas. Filipinos have been here in Ilgas more than once and took our center as a model for creating a similar scientific center in their homeland.
Students came to us from Mindanau (the second largest island of the distant archipelago), did internships, and I helped them open a scientific center in my homeland.
In search of new species
“Former Daugavpils students also study in the Philippines,” continues the rector. “And for me, as a scientist, it’s very interesting there, because you can discover new species of beetles for science.” Whereas in Latvia everything has already been studied inside and out.
This year I plan to participate in an expedition in the jungle near Apo Volcano – the highest mountain in the Philippines, and nearby there is untouched and untrodden jungle…
In the Philippines, my colleagues and I describe dozens of new beetle species every year. At the same time, in Latvia, discovering some completely new species for science is minimal.
Yes, if you are very lucky, you can still find new species of beetles in Latvia. So, a few years ago, a new species of beetle was discovered from a species of grinder – in Moritsal, living in rotten oak wood. Previously, no one knew about its existence in Latvia.
However, the world of beetles has been so poorly studied that even today you can easily find some absolutely amazing insects, Barshchevsky is convinced.
#Latvian #professor #Asian #jungle
2024-04-07 17:24:26