Session 2010-009 with Rockford Lutheran

Application

The School

The Class

The Project

Miscellaneous

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2010-02-18 09:00:00 from Rockford, IL, US

• 8:47am
• Student hi
• Bugscope Team good morning!

• Bugscope Team hey there!
• Bugscope Team we are finishing setup for you
• Student thank u

• Student is that a ladybug
• Student hola
• Student hi
• Bugscope Team that was a ladybug

• Bugscope Team this is the head of a prime minister that fell off
• Student what type of classes did you have to take?
• Student what are the spiky things coming out of the mouth?
  Bugscope Team those are palps, which are accessory mouthparts
• Bugscope Team not a prime minister, actually a praying mantis
• Student thanks SEM
• Student thats interesting why do they have them then
• 8:52am
• Student what color is it
• Bugscope Team usually there are two sets of palps; they help the insect feed and also to taste its food
• Student thanks SEM
• Student what is that thing on the eye
• Bugscope Team it was pale brown
• Student The things on the top, are they the antennae?
  Bugscope Team yes they are!
• Bugscope Team some kinda juju
• Student thank you
• Student wats a juju
• Student what is that?
• Student wuts tht scott
• Bugscope Team yeah the thing on that compound eye is just dirt
• Bugscope Team it's probably a piece of dirt or dust
• Bugscope Team we call things we don't recognize, mostly slimy things, juju
• Student thanks
• Student Thanks
• Student whoa that is cool
• Student o thats sweet thanks SEM
• Student oh jujus are gross
  Bugscope Team yeah that is a good way of putting it
• Student why do flies need so many eyes
  Bugscope Team if you had compound eyes you would have 1) better peripheral vision -- you could see more around you at one time, and 2) you would be able to register motion more quickly
• Student what is that
• Student What is that?
  Bugscope Team that is one of the palps
• Student a dust mite?
• Student what are the poky things?
  Bugscope Team the poky things are setae, and yes some of them are likely used to taste
• Bugscope Team there is a dustmite on a ladybug today
• Student are the spikes the things they use to taste?
  Bugscope Team the spikes, which are insect hairs called setae, probably help it feel around
• Student what are the spiny things on that?
• Student what is the hair for?
  Bugscope Team it is often sensory -- for touch or hot/cold or for smelling
• Student w
• Student can you simplify that
  Bugscope Team the things that look like hair are often called 'setae,' or singular, 'seta.'
• Student thanks SEM
• Student cool
• 8:57am
• Student thanks sem
• Student what kinds of classes do you have to take to have this job?

• Student why with do we have this concept thingy on our smartboard
• Student what is that?
  Bugscope Team this is a lower magnification of the dust mite, with some dust and dirt around it
• Student um...What is this?
• Bugscope Team Mrs Dobler has control of the microscope...
• Bugscope Team this is a mite
• Bugscope Team the head is to the left
• Student o fascinating
• Student yes
• Student oh nasty
• Bugscope Team let's take the mag down so we can see where it is
• Student what is that?
• Student why are some of the hairs bigger than the bug
• Teacher the computer screen on the control screen as a constant band of "please wait while this command executes
• Student are those spikes hair?
  Bugscope Team some of them are like hair, or bristles
• Student what color are the hairs
• Bugscope Team I think if you refresh it will be alright
• Student what are those?
• Student Y thank u SEM
• Bugscope Team this is the abdomen of a ladybug
• Student oh thanks alot SEM
• Teacher the pink band is gone
  Bugscope Team try selecting a preset, Mrs D
• Bugscope Team the mite is where the hindlimbs are folded
• Bugscope Team a lot of those smaller hairs might not have much color to them
• Student what are those clear dots on the side??
  Bugscope Team those are bubbles in the carbon tape we use to help stick the critters down to the stub
• Student what are the little circles in the background
  Bugscope Team that is the carbon tape. it often looks bubbly
• Student is there a shell??????????
• Student What are those dots to the right of it?
  Bugscope Team those were the bubbles in the tape

• Student what is that?
• Student what is that

• Student is that a spider?????
  Bugscope Team it was, but we moved on
• 9:03am
• Bugscope Team we just went from the spider to an antenna
• Bugscope Team you can go back to the spider
• Student antenna of the spider?
  Bugscope Team we are on a cockroach antenna
• Student Is that a centipede
• Student What is it now
• Bugscope Team this is a few segments of the antenna of a roach
• Student whoa that is cool
• Bugscope Team spiders do not have antennae, but they do have lots and lots of sensory setae
• Student o
• Student thanks scot
• Student uhhhhh.....gross??!?
• Student Thank You Mr. Scot you've done well
• Student what classes do you have totake to do this job?
  Bugscope Team scot has an english and biology degree, and I have a degree in physics
• Student Spikes?

• Student scales?
• Student what is this
• Student eyes?
• Student What are those circle things'
• Student what kind of spiders is this
  Bugscope Team we aren't sure, it's sometimes hard to tell the different kinds of spiders apart
• Bugscope Team classes in the science area usually helps
• Bugscope Team those are four of the eight eyes the spider has, usually

• Bugscope Team the other four eyes may be on the back of the head where we cannot see them
• Student o cool they dont look like eyes
  Bugscope Team they looked black this morning when I was using the dissecting microscope to put this sample together

• Student o

• Student they look like paws
• Student what is this?

• Bugscope Team this is part of the cephalothorax near the eyes
• Student As were Mr. Scot

• Student does the spider have eyelashes???
  Bugscope Team no, they don't need to protect their eyes as much as we do. Sometimes they use their legs to clean their eyes though

• Student What is the web looking thing?
  Bugscope Team um there is another spider to the NW
• Bugscope Team cephalothorax means 'head-chest,' and it refers to the way the head and what would be the chest of the spider are one piece
• 9:08am

• Student What is the circurlar thing
  Bugscope Team that is a screw in the microscope
• Bugscope Team that was the edge of the world

• Student how long does it take for a bug to decay

• Student lots of hair??
• Bugscope Team the thing that looks like a tom tom drum with holes in it is an applicator stick made of wood

• Student why do spiders have eight eyes
  Bugscope Team not all but most of them do, and it seems to be helpful in being able to track things that are moving. many spiders do not see well
• Student what does an applicator stick do
  Bugscope Team we used it to hold the spider up so we could see its eyes better

• Student y are they so smooth
• Student how are the eyes so smoothe
  Bugscope Team they dont have compound eyes, they have simple eyes, which are usually very smooth
• Student how are the eyes so smooth
• Student how are their eyes so smooth
  Bugscope Team they almost look like they have a lens -- they look much like our eyes, superficially
• Student GO SCOTT!!!!!

• Student are those haris?

• Student hairs?
  Bugscope Team they are plumose setae, and some people will call them hairs, even entomologists
• Student ?

• Student cockroach?
  Bugscope Team yes it is!
• Student what is thi
• Student s
• Student missing antenna??
  Bugscope Team yes one of its antennae busted off
  Bugscope Team it fell off somewhere
• Student Why is one antenna behind the head

• Bugscope Team insects get very brittle when they die, and their limbs can fall off easily

• Student ok thanks

• 9:13am
• Student SCOTTS MY HERO
• Student GO SCOT
• Student Do bugs decay? if they do then how long does it take?
  Bugscope Team they do decay, and I'm not sure how long it would take but over time mold will grow on them and start eating them away

• Bugscope Team this shows that the antenna has a scape, like an ant antenna -- a short sold part closer to the head than the flexi part
• Student little hairy??
  Bugscope Team yes roaches are kind of interesting because they are generalists -- they are not specifically adapted for one environment or one type of food...

• Student why do bugs have so much hair
• Student they are very hairy
• Student Why do all the bugs have so much hair???

• Student how can you stop the decaying process
  Bugscope Team you can store the insects in ethanol and then dry them when you want. the ethanol would preserve them

• Student what is that
• Student ITS BEEN GREAT JUST GREAT
  Bugscope Team cool!
• Student wat is a generalists
  Bugscope Team a generalist would be something that can live in any setting, eat anything, compared to an insect that has to be in a particular environment
• Student are dead

• Student deadly deadly?
• Student it is great\
• Student are they deadly?
• Student what is that

• Student how much smaller is the bugs brain than its head
• Student what is that
• Student what is that
• Student what are the furry things for
  Bugscope Team those are plumose setae, which are special hairs on a spider good at sensing vibrations
• Bugscope Team this is the tip of the leg of a spider
• Student cool
• Student spiders need to shave a bit more
• Student wat is the most poisonous bug in your coleection??
  Bugscope Team we have had scorpions, which are not insects, and we have had recluse spiders, which are also not insects
• Student Is that how they climb???
  Bugscope Team some of the more blunt setae are likely the ones that help the spider climb
• Bugscope Team the furry things are those plumose setae, which are very sensitive to wind, vibration...
• Student how much sam

• 9:19am
• Bugscope Team Thank you Snatty

• Student i like him m\ \

• Student how much smaller are the bugs brains than their bodies
• Student bye
• Student c yal'
• Student bye
• Student ADIOS AMIGOS
• Student Ill mi9ss u Scott
• Student is it possible to see a heart of a spider of some sort
  Bugscope Team not unless it is busted open; we have never see one

• Bugscope Team bye thank you@
• Student auf wiedersien
• Student thanks!!!
• Bugscope Team spiders have the ability to let one of their legs go -- make it fall off -- if they sense it has venom flowing into it
• Bugscope Team sayonara
• Teacher We are going to switch classes now to 3rd hour so a new group of students will be logging in 5 minutes from now.
• Bugscope Team Cool!
• Bugscope Team ok sounds great mrs. D!
• 9:25am

• 9:30am
• Bugscope Team hey there!
• Bugscope Team Good Morning!

• Bugscope Team Welcome to Bugscope!
• Bugscope Team This is the tip of a spider's leg, and you can see its claw in there among all of the setae
• Bugscope Team these are all insects/arthropods that you sent
• Teacher Third hour is ready to roll!
• Student is that hair on the bristles
  Bugscope Team it is much like hair. it is sensory -- sensitive to vibration

• Student what is this
• Bugscope Team the bristles are the hair
• Bugscope Team spiders are very hairy
• Student what is this

• Student what is that
• Student hey
• Student wat is this

• Student how big can claws get normally?
  Bugscope Team that depends on the spider, these claws are so small on this spider we wouldnt normally be able to see them

• Student what is this?
  Bugscope Team we are at fairly high mag, looking around

• Bugscope Team spiders do not have antennae and thus need to get information about their environment other ways, like through those plumose setae and using their eyes
• Student wats goin on bay sexy
• Student what is this??????
• Student what that

• Student what is that dot right there

• Student whAT IS THAT THING

• Bugscope Team cool!
• Student what is the big tube looking thing

• Bugscope Team you can see that it has larger sensory bristles
• Student wHAT KIND OF SPIDER IS THIS?
  Bugscope Team we aren't sure, none of us specializes in spiders and a lot of the smaller ones are hard to tell apart
• Student wow wutz that

• Student what kind of spider is that?
• 9:35am
• Bugscope Team that is pretty nice
• Student is it male or flemale
• Bugscope Team often you can tell males from females because females are larger, and also their palps -- the feeding appendages in front of the face - are smaller in females
• Student oh ok
• Bugscope Team sometimes you can tell what sex a spider is by the size of their palps, which looks like little legs by the mouth
• Student are those scales on the little claw?
  Bugscope Team they are very fine projections that may sometimes be called microsetae
• Student What part of the spider is this?
  Bugscope Team this is one of the spider's legs
• Student is that hair
• Student Is that hair?
• Student what is this against the skin... is that hair
  Bugscope Team it is kind of like hair, and it is almost certainly sensory
  Bugscope Team these are all setae, which are hairs
• Student are we looking at the fangs?
  Bugscope Team the fangs are on the front of the head, below the chelicers, or chelicerae
• Student does it lay eggs
  Bugscope Team I believe all spiders do lay eggs
• Student how many legs
  Bugscope Team eight, unless it chooses to jettison any of them. spiders can let their legs go if they need to
• Student what are we looking at???
  Bugscope Team this is part of the leg of a spider
• Student is that an ameboa
• Student hi
  Bugscope Team Hi Twon
• Student what color is the spiders color
  Bugscope Team this spider was tan
• Student what does it eat
  Bugscope Team spiders eat other spiders, insects, other arthropods

• Student what is that

• 9:40am
• Student how long do they live
• Student how does it walk
• Student what color is it?
• Student where does it come from
• Student how big can they grow?
  Bugscope Team these can get to be three or four inches long, and they can fly as adults
• Student but how sharp are their pinchers
  Bugscope Team you can see that they are quite sharp
• Student how large is it in size
  Bugscope Team this one is only a centimeter long, or a little less
• Student How strong are its legs?
  Bugscope Team they are pretty strong. It has big meaty forelegs strong enough to hold onto other insects
• Student is it male or female
  Bugscope Team I am not sure we can tell when they are this young
• Student how big can the pinchers get
• Student how big can the legs get
  Bugscope Team they are always proportional to the body
• Student /
• Student ?
• Student how big is its pincher
• Student why do praying mantises put their claws in a praying form
• Student HOw old is it
• Student how long do they live
  Bugscope Team they live at least one season here in the temperate zone.

• Student How old is it?

• Student is that hair on the pinchers?
  Bugscope Team They are spines that are very stiff used to help keep their food locked in their grasp
• Student how big does it get
  Bugscope Team three inches long, some of them

• Student is that scales
• Student how come when you pet a bug it isnt fuzzy yet they are covered in fuz
• Student are those skin cells?
• Student how big are the hairs on its boddies

• Student is this hair or its claws?
  Bugscope Team those are spines that help it hold its prey while it bites it
• Student Are those scales on its leg?
  Bugscope Team they look like scales but they are the way the cuticle forms
• Student where do they live?
• Student can it burt preople

• Student are they cells

• Student what is this now
• Student what insect is this?
• 9:45am
• Student what type of climate does it live in
  Bugscope Team they live almost anywhere
• Student how sharp can their tooth get?
• Student what is this a pic of
• Student How many teeth can a spider have?
  Bugscope Team they do not really have teeth -- these are similar to what we saw on the praying mantis -- they are used to hold the prey while the spider bites
• Student how big can their teeth get???
• Student is there poison in the tooth
  Bugscope Team yes there is in the top part -- the fang
• Student what are the string looking thing??????
• Student is that food on the tooth
  Bugscope Team might be some. Spiders liquify their food before they slurp it up. So it looks like there is some sort of dried liquid matting their hair
• Student is it edable
• Bugscope Team the top thing going sideways is one of the fangs
• Student whats the stuff that looks like hair in front of the teeth?
  Bugscope Team more sensory setae -- they are coverd with setae
• Student how many teeth do they have
• Student can it climb thigs
• Student can it be radiactive
  Bugscope Team no, I think that's only spiderman's spider
• Student what are the strings on the side
  Bugscope Team those are its setae
• Student why is it so fuzzy????????
• Student ew thats kinda icky:)
• Bugscope Team covered that is

• Student how small are their hairs?

• Student is it bad if it bites yuo
  Bugscope Team most are not bad -- they would be kind of like a mosquito bite
• Student What are setaes
  Bugscope Team they are hairs found on bugs
• Student how deadly is the poison in the tooth
  Bugscope Team it depends on the spider; what it does is dissolve the insides of its victims
• Student are the teeth going in the gom?
  Bugscope Team we called them 'teeth' but they are just projections that help the spider grip its prey

• Student an it be enlaged to make a baddetr

• Student What kind of damage can the tooth do to an organism
  Bugscope Team the teeth are just serrations of the jaw. We use the term tooth loosely in the case of of the spider mouth. The serrations help cut into the insect

• Student r bitewhatz that

• Student did it lose an antena

• Student how can they loose their anttenaes
• Student what is that on its skin
• Student how long can they go without a head?
  Bugscope Team supposedly they can sort of live for a week or so
• Student whats that

• Student is it missing an atena?
  Bugscope Team Yes, one of the antennae is broken and missing
• Student lookz like a queen
• Student how many hitpoints does it have? could it beat a dragon in a duel?
  Bugscope Team see if Cate knows about that
  Bugscope Team it probably only has a few HP, it's not very big. Dragons have 1000's of HP
• 9:51am
• Student do they have blood if so, what color???
  Bugscope Team they don't have blood, but they have a clear fluid called hemolymph that the inner organs are bathed in
• Student Does it have eyes
• Student can it swim??
  Bugscope Team Cockroaches can swim for short periods of time for sure. They don't have any adaptations that allow it to go underwater though.
• Student is that a wing behind the head????
  Bugscope Team that is part of the elytra -- part of the 'shell' on the roach's back
• Student what are those long tube-like things on its head
  Bugscope Team those are the antennae
• Student Does it have eyes
  Bugscope Team yes, this roach has compound eyes, but they are very streamlined making them hard to see
• Student where are the eyes
  Bugscope Team they are there on either side -- large and very smooth
• Student does it have fangs
  Bugscope Team Nope, jaws--no fangs
• Student what is your favorite type of bug and why?
  Bugscope Team I like earwigs because they often have mites, and I like weevils because I think they are kind of cute
• Student What are the white specks on its face

• Student is that hair
  Bugscope Team it is much like hair, but it is sensitive to vibration and lets the spider feels its surroundings in great detail

• Student is that matted hair around the eyes?

• Student how many hairs aproximately does the spider have on its face
  Bugscope Team looks like hundreds to a few thousand

• Student does the spider have corneas on its eye or asome kind of protection on it eyes
  Bugscope Team Like all parts of the spider, the eyes are made of chitin, which is a hard substance. It protects the lenses in the eye

• Student why are the hairs sticking up?
  Bugscope Team Some of the hairs are sticking up and some a laying flat. There are many different types of hairs that help the spider to sense different things--the hairs that stick up may be the ones that Scot mentioned earlier, the ones that help them to sense vibrations

• Student how come bugs arent fuzzy when you touch them but on this thing they are very fuzzy?!
  Bugscope Team the setae are often very small, and some are fuzzier than others
• Student are they color blind
• Student does it have a iris or a pupil?
  Bugscope Team when you look at them in a dissecting 'scope they seem to have an iris, but I am not sure that they really do
• Student what is that above the eyes
• 9:56am
• Student are they colored blind
  Bugscope Team At least some jumping spiders can see color; in fact colors are an important part of mating rituals. Males spiders will wave their front legs, which have incredible ultraviolet colors (metalling greens and blues and reds) for females.
• Student What is that thing behind its head
  Bugscope Team that is a wooden applicator stick we cut to rest the spider against so it would stand up
• Student what is above the spiders eyes

• Student and what is a satay?
  Bugscope Team setae or singular seta are what we call the tiny hairlike things
• Student how does a spider detect its prey
  Bugscope Team Jumping spiders, like this guy, are visual predators. They use their eyes to catch their prey.
• Teacher what does a rampant mean
  Bugscope Team rampant means standing up on its hind legs. it is kind of a joke since it often comes from heraldry
• Student what is that on top of the spiders head?
  Bugscope Team that's a stick we used to hold up the spider so we could see its eyes better
• Student what is the white part on the top of its head
• Student what is the thing in the head????
• Student why do spiders bite people??
  Bugscope Team likely it is because we annoyed them, got too close or into their territory; it is unlikely they would think they could eat you
• Bugscope Team it is making it look like the spider is standing up
• Student is it male or female
  Bugscope Team I think this is a female because its palps are relativelym small
• Student do spiders see the same as us
  Bugscope Team Some spiders, like this one, have very good vision, which some people compare to the visual abilities of humans. Other spiders, like the ones that weave the big webs, have very poor vision, and get around primarily by touch and (probably) smell
• Student how big can they get

• Student What is the purpose of the seta
  Bugscope Team they can have a variety of purposes. The main one is so the bugs can feel what is around them. Some can also taste/smell, some sense vibration or wind currents
• Student how big can they get
  Bugscope Team The largest arachnids are tarantulas, which can be the size of a plate.
• Bugscope Team relatively, that is

• Student what is the thing pokingt out the leg
  Bugscope Team this is an antenna, although it looks like a leg, and those bristles help it sense things it might be touching
• 10:02am
• Student are those little things hairs that are growing?
• Teacher how sensitive are the antennas "feelers"?
  Bugscope Team they are connected to nerves on the inside of the body
• Student how do spiders use hairs to help them move?
  Bugscope Team The hairs are like the whiskers of a cat--the hairs give the spider information about where it is stepping. The hairs also help the spider o detect temperature, so the spider can use the hairs to determine if they are moving to a cooler or hotter place.

• Student how come when people eat spiders they dont die from the poison in it
  Bugscope Team If they eat cooked spiders, the heat probably deactivates the poison.
• Bugscope Team Well, actually, I am wrong--the largest arachnids would be horseshoe crabs, but tarantulas are the largest terrestrial arachnids.
• Student are thoes wrinkles?
• Student what kind of cockroch is this
  Bugscope Team I think this is one of those Periplaneta americana American cockroaches
• Bugscope Team so it is hard to say just how sensitive they are

• Student what does poison do to you
  Bugscope Team it can dissolve protein in your skin and make your skin die
• Teacher what is all that stuff around the broken antenna?
  Bugscope Team it could be dirt or dried hemolymph, which is insect blood

• Student do they have scales
  Bugscope Team they do look like scales; I think it is the way the cuticle -- the shell of the insect -- forms
• Student it that a scale

• Bugscope Team there could also be some mold
• Student how do spiders swim swim
  Bugscope Team not too well, usually
• Student is that bacteria?
  Bugscope Team It looked like a rod-shaped bacterium, called a bacillus

• Student how long are the antenas
  Bugscope Team those are about as long as the body; in this case about 12 mm
• Student is this cellery
• Student is this a vein

• 10:07am

• Bugscope Team .here are some dirty mites
• Student what is the round things
• Bugscope Team these are fat little mites on the head of a housefly

• Student do dustmites live
• Student do they bite
• Student how long do they live

• Student can a dust mite eat or bite you
  Bugscope Team Nope, they feed on dead skin cells and other yummy things

• Student how small can dust mites be

• Student do dustmites actually live
  Bugscope Team yes they do, but whenever we see them they seem to be dead

• Student is that a dustmite on a dustmite
  Bugscope Team could be

• Student othe ryummy things? can you get a sickness or disease from it?!
  Bugscope Team Well, some people are very allergic to dust mites. However, they do not vector or transmit diseases.

• Student how many dustmites live in a pillow?

• Student where are dustmites?
  Bugscope Team They live in humid places that have lots of skin cells--like carpet, pillows, couches

• Student are they all over us?
  Bugscope Team one of the entomologists who was down here a week ago said that if you scraped your forehead with a credit card you would be scraping mites off of your skin
• Student are dustmites parasites?
  Bugscope Team No, they are decomposers. They break down dead skin cells.
• Student are they very visable?

• Bugscope Team you might, for example, see a mite on a mite, but we have never confirmed that here

• Student bye have a nice day!!!!!

• Teacher is this the eye?
  Bugscope Team yes it is!

• Bugscope Team this is the claw and the pulvillus of a ladybug.
• 10:12am
• Bugscope Team the little brushlike part is how the ladybug sticks to glass, for example
• Bugscope Team Mrs D is there another class coming in?
• Teacher Thank you for your undying patience with students! I appreciate all your time. The students all said goodbye.
• Bugscope Team Thank You!
• Bugscope Team it was a good session
• Bugscope Team Very exciting
• Bugscope Team http://bugscope.beckman.illinois.edu/members/2010-009/
• Bugscope Team below is your member page
• Teacher You are always so professional no matter how silly the students get :)
• Bugscope Team I like the silly stuff the best!
• Bugscope Team over and out. Thanks, Annie!]
• Bugscope Team Bye bye ;)