Life Sciences Commons^™

The Great Potato Debate, James D. Hudson

Honors Theses

Anencephaly and spina bifida cystica are two of the most common severe congenital malformations consistently observed in human populations. Both represent defects in the neural tube and share a significant number of similar epidemiological associations among them, occupational class, geography, sex ratio, maternal age, year and season of the year. In anencephaly most of the brain and upper skull never form usually resulting in death within a few hours of birth. Spina bifida cystica is a malformation of the spinal cord often causing paralysis, vulnerability to infection, and early death. In 1972, Dr. J.H. Renwick presented a controversial hypothesis which …

Response Of Insects To U.V. Light And Varying Intensities Of White Light, Tim Matthews

Honors Theses

Object: To determine the sensitivity of insects to ultraviolet light and also to verify their response to varying intensities of white light.

Theory: Insects are generally sensitivity to light of any wave-length. Some insects' reactions are due to the response of specialized epidermal cells whereas the center of most response is in the compound eye. The reaction is generally thought to be due to an electro-chemical reaction within the light sensitive cells of the compound eye, i.e. mainly the cells of the crystalline cone and the rhabdomere. Insects tend to react more strongly to light in the ultraviolet region although …

Response Of Insects To Ultraviolet Light As Compared To White Light And Observation Of Other Factors Involved In Their Response, Part 2, Tim Matthews

Honors Theses

The goal of this experiment was to confirm the response of insects to ultraviolet light as compared to white light. This is the data collecting portion of the experiment.

Another equally important objective was simply to observe and record the insects' response to the light and their relation to factors other than the light itself. The possibility of a connection between the number of insects attracted to the light and the intensity of the moonlight was not thought of until later in the experiment.

To develop my powers of observation was an important goal. Any type of research is more …

A Brief Summary Of Insects's Vision And Their Response To Light, Tim Matthews

Honors Theses

Insects have been studied and observed since man first walked this earth. Man's first observation was that some insects were quite palatable. One of Christ's contemporary's, John the Baptist, maintained a diet which consisted of "honey and locusts". The spittings of another insect provided nourishment for the Children of Israel during the Exodus. Even today insects are of primary importance in the ecology. It is only a small minority of the insect population that are nuisances. The vast majority of the insect population is not only beneficial to man but also to the rest of the animal kingdom and to …