A researcher at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country proposes analysing characteristics such as the location and visibility of Palaeolithic works to try to deduce their purpose Blanca Ochoa, a researcher in the UPV/EHU’s department of Geography, Prehistory and Archaeology, proposes analysing the spaces in which the artistic figures of the Palaeolithic are represented to try and deduce the purpose of these expressions. In her study she observed chronological differences in the location of the drawings and engravings, which could indicate that the function and meaning of cave art gradually changed throughout the Upper Palaeolithic.

Malaria is one of the world’s most serious infectious diseases and affects more than 200 million people each year. Scientists at the University of Oslo have examined the bark from two African trees and found substances that can kill both the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, and the parasite itself.

Researchers have discovered minerals from 43 meteorites that landed on Earth 470 million years ago. More than half of the mineral grains are from meteorites completely unknown or very rare in today’s meteorite flow. These findings mean that we will probably need to revise our current understanding of the history and development of the solar system.

A Hokkaido University researcher has successfully developed a method to accurately manipulate gene expression by light illumination and demonstrated its usability by creating double-headed zebrafish.

It has been difficult to freely manipulate the timing and duration of gene expression using existing gene manipulation technologies, which depend on organism’s gene regulating mechanism. In recent years, methods using light to regulate gene expression have been developed, but deemed insufficient to manipulate embryonic development. This is due to a time lag of several hours that occurs from light irradiation to the start/cessation of protein production. Existing photocontrol technologies also require genetic modification, a process that is not only time-consuming but also strictly regulated by the Cartagena Protocol.

More than 100 billion micrometeorites (MMs) fall to Earth each year. Until now, scientists believed that these particles could only be found in the cleanest environments, such as the Antarctic. In their new paper for Geology, M.J. Genge and colleagues show that, contrary to that expectation, micrometeorites can be recovered from city rooftops (for this example, primarily in Norway) and that, unlike those from the Antarctic, they are the youngest collected to date.

More than 100 billion micrometeorites (MMs) fall to Earth each year. Until now, scientists believed that these particles could only be found in the cleanest environments, such as the Antarctic. In their new paper for Geology, M.J. Genge and colleagues show that, contrary to that expectation, micrometeorites can be recovered from city rooftops (for this example, primarily in Norway) and that, unlike those from the Antarctic, they are the youngest collected to date.

More than 100 billion micrometeorites (MMs) fall to Earth each year. Until now, scientists believed that these particles could only be found in the cleanest environments, such as the Antarctic. In their new paper for Geology, M.J. Genge and colleagues show that, contrary to that expectation, micrometeorites can be recovered from city rooftops (for this example, primarily in Norway) and that, unlike those from the Antarctic, they are the youngest collected to date.

Assessing the Potential of Insects as Food and Feed in assuring Food Security 23-25 January, FAO, Rome
Mark Smulders, Senior Economist Agricultural Development Economics Division FAO - Rome

What is food security?
•Food security as a development objective
•Food security and nutrition – underlying concepts
•Consultation themes and “assuring food security”

http://foris.fao.org/meetings/download/_2012/assessing_the_potential_of_insects_as_food_feed_in/presentations/assuring_food_security_what_does_it_mean_mark_smulders.pdf

La première information consignée dans un document sur les insectes comestibles d’Afrique date de 1938 : Masseguin, A. (1938) Les chenilles comestibles dans la Haute-Sangha. Bull. Soc. Rech. Congolaises 25: 133 -145.

Les espèces les plus consommées:

Macrotermes falciger Gerstacker. Isoptère, Termitidae
Rhynchophorus phoenicis F. Coléoptère, Curculionidae
Oryctes spp. Coléoptère, Dynastidae
Cirina forda (Westwood). Lépidoptère, Saturniidae
Imbrasia epimethea Drury. Lépidoptère, Saturniidae
Imbrasia alopia Westwood. Lépidoptère, Saturniidae
Imbrasia obscura Butler. Lépidoptère, Saturniidae
Imbrasia oyemensis. Lépidoptère, Saturniidae
Antheua sp. Lépidoptère, Notodontidae
Anaphe panda, Lépidoptère, Notodontidae
Ruspolia sp. Orthoptère, Acrididae Tettigoniidae
Coryphosima stenoptera (Schaum, 1853), Orthoptère, Acridinae
Tristria sp. Orthoptère, Acrididae Tropidopolinae
Ornithacris turbida cavroisi (Finot, 1907). Orthoptère, Acrididae, Cyrtacanthacridinae
Kraussaria angulifera (Krauss, 1877). Orthoptère, Acrididae Cyrtacanthacridinae
Acanthacris ruficornis citrina (Audinet-Serville, 1838). Orthoptère, Acrididae Cyrtacanthacridinae
Brachytrupes membranaceus Drury.Orthoptère, Grillydae
Entandrophragma cylindricum
Eumeta sp. Lépidoptère, Psychidae
Hieroglyphus africanus Uvarov, 1922. Orthoptère, Acrididae Hemiacridinae
Cybister sp. Coléoptère, Dytiscidae
Hydrophilus sp. Coléoptère, Hydrophilidae
Pachnoda marginata aurantia, Coléoptère, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae
Hémiptère, Lygaeidae
Fam. Oxydesmidae
Aracnida

Les Insectes Comestibles d'Afrique de L'Ouest et Centrale sur Internet http://gbif.africamuseum.be/lincaocnet/

http://foris.fao.org/meetings/download/_2012/assessing_the_potential_of_insects_as_food_feed_in/presentations/s_verin_tchibozo_african_etnobiology_and_ecology.pdf

In this fast-paced modern world, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of valuable traditional knowledge and practices. There is a tendency to think of traditional habits and customs as outdated or primitive. Yet, experience across numerous fields has highlighted the value and benefits to be gained from combining customary knowledge and approaches with modern science and understanding.

Such is the case with edible forest insects. The practice of eating insects goes back thousands of years and has been documented in nearly every part of the world. In modern times, however, consumption of insects has declined in many societies and is sometimes ridiculed as old-fashioned and unhealthy. Yet, it would be prudent to carefully consider the value of customary knowledge before discarding it too readily. Scientific analysis confirms, for example, the exceptional nutritional benefits of many forest insects, and studies point to the potential to produce insects for food with far fewer negative environmental impacts than for many mainstream foods consumed today.

Aside from their nutritional and environmental benefits, experts see considerable opportunity for edible insects to provide income and jobs for rural people who capture, rear, process, transport and market insects as food. These prospects can be enhanced through promotion and adoption of modern food technology standards to ensure that the insects are safe and attractive for human consumption.

Traditionally, most edible insects have been harvested from natural forests, but surprisingly little is known about the life cycles, population dynamics, commercial and management potential of most edible forest insects. Among forest managers, knowledge and appreciation of how to manage and harvest insects sustainably is limited. On the other hand, traditional forest dwellers and forest-dependent people often possess remarkable knowledge of the insects and their management, offering excellent opportunities for modern science and traditional knowledge to work together.

In an effort to more fully explore the various facets of edible forest insects, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized an international workshop, entitled “Forest Insects as Food: Humans Bite Back” in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in February 2008. The workshop brought together many of the world’s foremost experts on entomophagy – the practice of eating insects. Specialists in the three-day workshop focused specifically on the science management, collection, harvest, processing, marketing and consumption of edible forest insects, as well as their potential to be reared commercially by local farmers.

http://www.doc-developpement-durable.org/file/Elevages/Insectes/edible%20forest%20insects.pdf