Inch-long fleas dig into the history books
Discovering fleas over an inch long might make most people’s skin crawl, but that’s not the case for Dr. Michael Engel, professor of entomology at the University. Engel recently published research detailing the discovery of 165 million-year-old flea fossil records found in Mongolia.
Previous fossils suggested fleas developed on bird and animal hosts around 45 million years, but this recent finding implies these large flea ancestors originally lived on dinosaurs. However, proving this concept proves to be more difficult.
“The probability of finding such a flea on a host is astronomically low,” Engel said.
While the impact of studying such ancient insects may seem rather small, Engel said insects’ effects on mankind are huge, especially in regards to medicine, pollination and food production. According to Engel, nearly one third of the food we eat requires pollination via insects. Since every third bite of food humans take relies on insect pollination, Engel said that understanding insect development can guide ecology policy, especially with respect to the effects of climate change on insects.
“We can have a fundamental understanding of a group of organisms that affect our existence, upon which we are dependent,” Engel said.
Caroline Chaboo, assistant professor of entomology, said insects and plants developed at a similar time — over 400 million years ago.
“These two groups have shaped how the world looks, past and present.” Chaboo said. “It’s hard for people to appreciate just how many species of insects there are in the world.”
Chaboo said that of the 1.2 million species of animals identified, 925,000 are insects. She estimates that there are actually between five and eight million species of insects in the world.
Steve Davis, a graduate student from Gaithersburg, Maryland, is working toward his Ph.D under Engel. Davis is currently researching the evolutionary development of weevils, which are beetles that feed off nuts, grains and fruits. Davis’s research is applicable in disease transmission, agriculture, bioengineering and horticulture.
“Conducting entomological research, just as in any other field of biological, scientific, or academic research, is a never-ending process of discovery and learning of the natural world,” Davis said.
As for Engel’s next step in research, he is not expecting to find any similar flea fossil specimens anytime soon, due to the rarity of such a find. Instead, he has most recently been digging in India for insects preserved in amber deposits, much like the mosquitos used to clone dinosaurs in the movie, “Jurassic Park.”
“Looking at what has happened and what is happening to insects greatly informs us about the functioning, health and future about the planet which sustains us,” Engel said.
— Edited by Bre Roach
Previous fossils suggested fleas developed on bird and animal hosts around 45 million years, but this recent finding implies these large flea ancestors originally lived on dinosaurs. However, proving this concept proves to be more difficult.
“The probability of finding such a flea on a host is astronomically low,” Engel said.
While the impact of studying such ancient insects may seem rather small, Engel said insects’ effects on mankind are huge, especially in regards to medicine, pollination and food production. According to Engel, nearly one third of the food we eat requires pollination via insects. Since every third bite of food humans take relies on insect pollination, Engel said that understanding insect development can guide ecology policy, especially with respect to the effects of climate change on insects.
“We can have a fundamental understanding of a group of organisms that affect our existence, upon which we are dependent,” Engel said.
Caroline Chaboo, assistant professor of entomology, said insects and plants developed at a similar time — over 400 million years ago.
“These two groups have shaped how the world looks, past and present.” Chaboo said. “It’s hard for people to appreciate just how many species of insects there are in the world.”
Chaboo said that of the 1.2 million species of animals identified, 925,000 are insects. She estimates that there are actually between five and eight million species of insects in the world.
Steve Davis, a graduate student from Gaithersburg, Maryland, is working toward his Ph.D under Engel. Davis is currently researching the evolutionary development of weevils, which are beetles that feed off nuts, grains and fruits. Davis’s research is applicable in disease transmission, agriculture, bioengineering and horticulture.
“Conducting entomological research, just as in any other field of biological, scientific, or academic research, is a never-ending process of discovery and learning of the natural world,” Davis said.
As for Engel’s next step in research, he is not expecting to find any similar flea fossil specimens anytime soon, due to the rarity of such a find. Instead, he has most recently been digging in India for insects preserved in amber deposits, much like the mosquitos used to clone dinosaurs in the movie, “Jurassic Park.”
“Looking at what has happened and what is happening to insects greatly informs us about the functioning, health and future about the planet which sustains us,” Engel said.
— Edited by Bre Roach
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