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All about insects, spiders and more – Newsy Pooloozi’s Creepy Crawlies Capsule!

Jul 20, 2022 Episode 108

All about insects, spiders and more – Newsy Pooloozi’s Creepy Crawlies Capsule!

Episode Transcript

LEELA: This is the special Newsy Pooloozi capsule of stories about creepy crawlies – yikes!

 

OPENING STING – LEELA: “New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!”

 

THEME MUSIC

 

LEELA: Hello, I’m Leela Sivasankar Prickitt and for the month of July we have a very special bit of programming we’re doing.

 

MAMA: That’s right. I’m Lyndee Prickitt, Leela’s sidekick and Newsy Pooloozi producer.

 

LEELA: And my mama!

 

MAMA: Yes, that too. So, we realize we do a lotttttttttt of new stories about the same topics. So, we’re going to enter into capsule mode this month. As in encapsulate to put stories of a similar topic into a single episode or capsule.

 

LEELA: One is about a subject we LOVE yes; we’re talking space stories!

 

MAMA: We have tons of space news and background stories all about the galaxy.

 

LEELA: So, we’re putting them all in one single place – a “space capsule” get it?

 

MAMA: Which we did last week.

 

LEELA: But… we’ve also done quite a lot of stories about things we don’t necessarily looove, but that we… have… a…

 

MAMA: Let’s say a fearful fascination with.

 

LEELA: Like… creepy crawlies! Why do we do so many stories about bugs and spiders, lizards and snakes?! Yiiiick!

 

MAMA: Like I say, sometimes we’re fascinated by the things that scared us the most.

 

LEELA: Or that FREAK us out!

 

MAMA: Yes, that would be the other topic we have covered A LOT on Newsy Pooloozi.

 

LEELA: Poo! Yep, you heard me right. We cover a lot of poo news. Or excrement, if you prefer.

 

MAMA: So, we’ll be putting together a poo capsule too for later this month. So let’s dive deep into each one of these categories.

 

LEELA: This week – it’s the…  Creepy Crawly Capsule (yeeek!).

 

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 51- HANGRY FRUIT FLIES

LEELA:  Uhhh, Mama?  (whispers) We’re recording – we’re supposed to be doing the big story!

MAMA:  I know, I know. I’m just soooo hungry! And you know how I get when I haven’t eaten…

LEELA: Oh, boy, do I ever! You get snippy and snappy.

MAMA: Yeah… But so do you!

LEELA: Yeah…

MAMA: Cranky and snotty.

LEELA: Says you, snippy and snappy.

MAMA: Ratty, catty.

LEELA: Batty!

MAMA: Bratty.

LEELA: Irrationally strict.

MAMA: Hmmph! Irrationally fussy.

LEELA: Irritable.

MAMA: Irascible.

LEELA: Too fancy. Basically –

MAMA: We’re talking about being –

TOGETHER: Hangry!

LEELA: Duuun-duuun-duuun!

MAMA:  And we’re not alone.

LEELA: Yes, most dog owners know food aggression can be a problem for dogs.

MAMA: And scientists have found monarch caterpillars turn aggressive when there isn’t enough milkweed to go around.

LEELA: Who knew?

MAMA: But, get this, even the humble little, but very annoying, fruit fly shows hanger.

LEELA:  Well that explains why they’re so pesky!  Like, look at your banana peel! There’re already four fruit flies buzzing around it.

MAMA: I know, sorry. Let me throw it away. Only now… I’ve taken away their food source and

LEELA: They’re gonna get hangry?

MAMA: Exactly. So, say a group of scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Oxford University, who teamed up for this study. So, they put fruit flies – officially named Drosophila melanogaster, if you please – into different containers, all given different amounts of food, at different lengths of time. They found that hungry male fruit flies became angrier and more hostile towards each other when there was a longer wait between meals.

LEELA: Wait – how could they tell this? Do they speak the Drosophila melanogaster language? (Whispers) Were they saying bad words to each other?

MAMA: No. They don’t speak Drosophila melanogaster language. Yet. But, even more interesting, these flies got physical. Lunging for each other and swatting at each other with their front legs – using them like…

SFX OF SWORDS

MAMA: Swords! Not surprisingly this gesture is called “fencing behavior.”

LEELA: Whoa…!

MAMA: And, of course, they also spend more time defending any food patches they’ve claimed. The hungrier they got, the more combative they became.

LEELA: In other words, hangry.

MAMA: Yep. That’s not all. Curiously the researchers also discovered that flies who had less food earlier in their life, were generally less aggressive when they got older.

LEELA: Oh, that’s interesting. And I guess that was pretty easy to tell considering – did you know – that fruit flies only live for forty to fifty days. On average.

MAMA: Oh, look at you with that fab fact! Well, maybe that’s another reason these little pests are often used for biological research in everything from disease disorders, genetics to the evolution of life. But, rest assured, in this study the researchers said that no flies were hurt during their experiments.

LEELA: But they did get hangry!

SFX OF FLY

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 45- SWARMING CICADAS

MAMA: A once in 17-year wondrous natural phenomenon is about to happen.

LEELA: Wondrous is one word for it… Creepy might be another!

MAMA: No, come on. Swarms of cicadas are about to descend upon the United States.

LEELA: Not millions, but billions of the big-winged, flying bugs. And boy do they make an entry – one cicada might be chirpy, but a swarm is downright noisy!

SFX OF CICADAS

MAMA: But don’t worry they aren’t dangerous for you or the fields and crops they’ll descend upon,

unlike hungry locusts, or grasshoppers, which are of a different order. Not only do those have huge hind legs, unlike cicadas, but will chew and destroy virtually all vegetation they come across.

LEELA: Most cicadas only cause damage to weaker tree branches when they lay their eggs. Buuuut – when millions come-a-calling, it’s…

MAMA: Fascinating!

LEELA: Or… kinda ick!

MAMA: Well, standing by in the state of Ohio – which is likely to see some of the highest concentration of these buzzing bugs, are our correspondents Avery and Jackson Ausmer.

LEELA: Also known as the brother-sister-duo from the Hey Black Child podcast. So, what do you two think – will this swarm be intensely fascinating or intensely ick?

AVERY: Good question, Leela!

No doubt these bugs are fascinating.

They spend most of their life underground, sucking sap from the roots of trees.

SFX OF SLURPING

JACKSON: 17 years underground, to be exact, eating and slurping underground. Not my idea of a good life!

MUSIC

AVERY: And… any day now… they are due to emerge… craaaaawling up through holes, which are about as round a dime.

JACKSON: Boy, you can imagine what the ground looks like with all those holes!

AVERY: Well, once above ground, the cicadas like to let the world know they’ve arrived!

SFX OF CICADAS

AVERY: So, there are around  three to four-thousand species of cicadas around the world. But “periodical cicadas” only emerge every 13 years or 17 years, like the ones we’re expecting, to mate.

JACKSON: And… did you know that “periodical cicadas” are unique to eastern part of North America? Yep. We’re so special!

AVERY: Well, I believe we need to talk to our resident expert… our mother! She experienced this first-hand 17 years ago.

JACKSON: Welcome to the podcast, Mom.

NICOLE: Hey Avery and Jackson and Newsy Jacuzzi listeners – thanks for having me! They were such a huge nuisance 17 years ago and I vowed not to be here. One of the most fascinating things about cicadas is that all of the carcasses that are on the ground under trees. You could not walk under a tree without stepping on hundreds of them, sometimes thousands – in the parks, even more. So, you had to be very careful where you walked. And another funky thing about them is they like to stick to you. So, they’ll stick to your hair and your clothes. So, it’s not best to have outdoor activities during their time here on earth.

JACKSON: Thanks, Mom! Of course. The big question is why do they only come out once every 17 years?

AVERY: Well, it’s their only defense against predators. By emerging, in the millions, all at once, they’re just too many for any predators to eat enough of them to wipe them out.

JACKSON: Talk about power in numbers!

AVERY: Yep, teamwork is dream-work. And, in a weird way, I’m kinda looking forward to seeing them in action. (NOTE: Or whatever their view is!)

JACKSON. OK…

AVERY: Well, from behind a window anyway. From Cincinnati, Ohio, I’m Avery Ausmer–

JACKSON: And I’m Jackson Ausmer.

BOTH AVERY AND JACKSON: Reporting for Newsy Jacuzzi!

LEELA: Whoa – what a story. I wish I were there. Well, maybe not…

MAMA: And we’ll check in with them again, and maybe a few other correspondents in the states affected, in the coming weeks to find out how, ummm, intense it’s been.

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 49 -CICADA STINKY UPDATE

MAMA: Yes, Periodical Brood X Cicadas have arrived.

LEELA: The noisy insects spend most of their life underground, sucking sap from the roots of trees.

MAMA: Then after 17 years –

LEELA: Which is now!

MAMA: They crawl up through holes to spend the last six weeks of their life, flying around – on a mission to mate.

LEELA: And they don’t only make a racket – they make a mess and I believe they’re pretty stinky too! As our Maryland correspondents, Andy and Alina Tidwell are about to tell us.

ANDY: Well, Leela. The funny thing is they don’t have much of a smell, but, when they shed their skins and die, they really start to stink up the place. Sometimes it smells like a dead animal, in our yard

LEELA: Oh, gross! I didn’t realize they smelled so much. But I guess a lot of dead bugs would start to stink! Alina, can you describe what they look like?

ALINA: When they first climb out of the ground, they are ugly brown bugs without wings. Then they climb up on something quite tall, like grass or trees. And then they start breaking out of their skins. They look really white, at first, and then they turn black with red eyes and a mix of black, yellow and clear gray wings.

ANDY: The pee droplets are unbearable.

LEELA: Uhhhh, wait a minute! Did you MEAN pee droplets as in urine?

ANDY: Yep. I sure do. When you walk under a tree it can feel like mist falling, it’s like rain, that’s how bad it is. There are thousands of cicadas in just my little yard. There are so many that I have to keep my eyes peeled so I don’t step on them. My dog thinks they are the tastiest treats. We can’t keep her happy inside the house, she only wants to be outside gobbling up cicadas. I think cicadas are really cool, but I wouldn’t want to eat them! There is a chocolate covered cicada shop, not far from my place. Eating them sounds gross and disgusting, like something for dogs and not humans.

ALINA: At first, I wasn’t so sure about the cicadas, but now I really like them. I like to hold them and snuggle them. Sometimes they tickle me, when I hold them. I think cicadas are really cool!

LEELA: Uhhhhh – well, I’m glad, Alina, you’ve bonded with these bugs! All I can say is, it’s probably a good thing I’m in New Delhi. Thanks a lot, you guys!

MAMA: Yeah, that was an awesome update. Thanks!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 75- INVASION OF JORO SPIDERS

MAMA: Now – warning: if you have a fear of creepy crawlies, particularly of the spider variety, you might want to give this story a miss!

LEELA: Yeah – insects are bleh, spiders are eeeew, and while they might be big, these ones are huuuuuuuge!

MAMA:  Nice one, Leela. Luckily, this is where the fabulous audio-only aspect of podcasts works to an added advantage.

LEELA: Yeah, I don’t want to see these gnarly things. If you thought that one spider in your bathroom was scary, then wait till you hear this story.

MAMA: Yes, not thousands, but millions of giant Joro spiders – which are usually found in East Asia – have invaded north Georgia, petrified residents and producing…

LEELA: Wait for it…

MAMA: Spider webs as wide as 10 feet!

LEELA: That’s like as wide as a car is long. Yiiick!

MAMA: Well, the people of north George are wondering – will they back off? Or will they take over….?

LEELA:  OMG! Those poor people. Just think about the folks with arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders!

MAMA: Well, we’ve talked about another spider-related story on our 66th episode, haven’t we?

LEELA: Yeah! The get-rid-of-your-spider-fear app, but I find even THAT even scary.

MAMA: Poor you.

LEELA: What’s weird about this species of spider is – if they’re East Asian, how did they get all the way to Georgia?!

MAMA: Well, luckily, we have our Georgia correspondent, Madison Smith of the All-Things Madison podcast, standing by to tell us more.

LEELA: Oh, no – Madison – tell me you’ve never seen these things. Please!

MADISON: Ohhh Hey you guys. I’m more than happy to say – no, I’ve never seen these creepy creatures.

Luckily, these Joro spiders haven’t made their way to Atlanta yet. But they certainly have people in the north of the state freaked out.

Not only are they about three inches long – with bright yellow and green bodies – but even their long, spindly legs are black and yellow.

But that’s not all. As you said, their webs are intense – growing as wide as ten feet!

They’re creeping up power lines and over sidewalks – even across people’s porches and patios.

Thankfully, unless you’re allergic to them, their venom is really only a threat to their prey.

But of course, what everyone wants to know is – how did they get here?

Well, back in 2014, they most likely “hitched” a ride in a shipping container from Asia, where they’re common.

And since the climate here in Georgia is similar to the wide areas of Japan, where they thrive, well…

They’re feeling quite at home here and are happily multiplying.

The female Joro spiders lay more than 400 eggs at a time!

But it’s not all bad news. Joro spiders eat mosquitoes for a start – and that’s always a good thing in my book! But they also eat flies and bugs known for damaging crops.

So, scientists are trying to convince people that having millions of these creepy crawlies could be a good thing! But that could be a tough sell.

In Atlanta, Georgia, I’m Madison Smith reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!

LEELA: Thanks, for “untangling” this story, Madison. I’m glad these things are nowhere near you. But… uhhh…

MAMA: Yeah, 400 eggs in a spider sac that no doubt blows easily with the wind sounds like it’s only a matter of time before they start spreading across Georgia and beyond…

LEELA: Guess that’s why they’re called “invasive” spiders… Well, you heard it here first, people. Get ready for some massive cobwebs!

MAMA: Speaking of their webs – here’s a fab fact for you – these Joro spiders, which are common to China, Taiwan, Korea and – as Madison said – love Japan, are part of a group of spiders known as “orb weavers.” That’s because of their highly symmetrical, circular webs.

LEELA: Which, I admit, are quite cool looking – in photos!

MAMA: And, yes, we’ll have a link to this story and pictures of these striking spiders on our Facebook page and in our transcript, which can be found on our website, Newsypooloozi.com – that’s:

LEELA: P-o-o-l-o-o-z-i.com

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 66 – NEW SPIDER APP 

MUSIC

LEELA: Once upon a time – just a few days ago – researchers from Switzerland’s University of Basel developed a very helpful tool for people suffering from arachnophobia.

MAMA: In other words, a deep –

LEELA: (And very understandable.)

MAMA: Phobia, or fear, of spiders.

LEELA: So, this torture app, I mean wellness training app, lets smart-phone users put virtual spiders into their real world, you know, using augmented reality.

Like when Google came up with those 3D dinosaurs that appear through your phone’s camera lens – so it looks like there are dinosaurs in your kitchen. Remember?

MAMA: Oh, yeah.

LEELA: Except we all know dinosaurs no longer inhabit the earth. But seeing an image of a real, hairy, creepy spider, seemingly crawling on your sofa or even on your hand is… Bonker brains!

Why would anyone want to do that?

MAMA: Now, hold on, Leela. You just said it’s not real.

LEELA: But it looks real! Look!

MAMA: Yeah, it’s pretty effective. But I think the idea is that fear of spiders, or other creepy critters, can limit the way people live. Like, you know, not wanting to walk into a certain area where you think they might be lurking, like across the patio. Anyway, research has shown one of the most effective treatments for such phobias is “exposure therapy.”

LEELA: (Shudders)

MAMA: That’s when patients are guided through exposure to the situations, they fear in order to gradually break down that fear or phobia.

LEELA: No, thank you!

MAMA: Right, so this treatment is rarely used because people are rather reluctant to expose themselves to real spiders.

LEELA: You said it.

MAMA: But that’s what makes THIS app – appropriately called PHOBYS – so great. Realistic 3D spiders are only projected onto your real world. And I believe it’s proving successful.

LEELA:  Yes, yes. The researchers conducted a study with real arachnophobes.

After six 30-minute sessions on the app – they showed “significantly less fear and disgust” to real-life spiders than those who hadn’t used the app.

MAMA: And were even able to get closer to spiders then before.

LEELA: Yeaaaaaah… Still, I think it might be a while before I’m brave enough to try this myself. I prefer just jumping on your back when I need to, Mama.

MAMA: Leela… oh, get off!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 43- SPIDERS TALK

LEELA: You’ll never believe what this vibrating, or I should say, re-verberating sound is…

MAMA: Uhhh… haunted house?

LEELA: Nope.

MAMA: A robot going to space?

LEELA: Try again.

MAMA: The mind of a mother trying to block out a noisy child?

LEELA: Mama I’m right here…!

MAMA: A monkey playing the xylophone?

LEELA: No. But you’re getting warmer, moving into the animal kingdom.

SFX OF SPIDERS 

LEELA: This is what some researchers think, a spiderweb sounds like.

MAMA: A spider?

LEELA: A spider’s web technically.

MAMA: What?!

LEELA: From communication to construction, spiderwebs may offer an orchestra of information.

That’s according to the MIT engineers behind the study.

MAMA: Huh!

LEELA: You see, there are more than 47,000 species of spiders, and all spin silk webs to provide housing and catch food. Well, experts reckon they also use the vibrations while doing so, as a way to communicate!

MAMA: Communicate… Did not know that.

LEELA: Markus Buehler and his team of researchers recorded the vibrations from spiders doing different things in their webs – like constructing it, repairing it, hunting and feeding.

They then used artificial intelligence, of course, to learn these vibrational patterns and associate them with certain actions, basically learning spider language!

MAMA: Woa! So, the music isn’t exactly what a spider sounds like but a recreation, right?

LEELA: Right. They listened for patterns in the spider signals and recreated the sounds using computers and mathematical algorithms, hoping that one day they will understand the language of spiders. AND be able to communicate with them!

MAMA: Totally cool.

LEELA: If not a little creepy.

MAMA: I love spiders. You know what I’d tell a spider I could say something?

LEELA: Ummm, no…

MAMA: Keep eating those flies and mosquitos – folks, good work!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 96- ANTS REPAIRS TREES

MAMA: So, this is a crazy story that starts with a teenager and a slingshot.

LEELA: Uh-oh. Did someone get hurt?

MAMA: Something – a tall, thin tropical tree called the Cecropia tree, nicknamed the trumpet wood tree – because.

LEELA: I got this one – it makes wooden trumpets!

MAMA: You are so smart. Musical instruments in fact and tool handles.

LEELA: Unless there’s a slingshot around.

MAMA: Well, the sling shooter has inadvertently, or accidentally, made a massive discovery about the trumpet wood tree and ants.

LEELA: Ants? Those amazing insects that can lift a THOUSAND times their own body weight, live and work in intelligent colonies and, man, oh man, can sting?

MAMA: Those are the ones. So, this all started almost two years ago when a teenager from Panama, in Central America, was playing around with a few sling-shots and accidentally shot a clay-ball right through a young trumpet wood tree.

LEELA: Wow – that’s some shot. Naughty boy.

MAMA: Well, to be fair, he was concerned for the plant and went back the next morning with his dad. Who just happens to be an entomologist?

LEELA: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah – those are scientists who study insects.

MAMA: Correcto. Well, when they investigated the plant, they found out that the hole was nothing but a speck!

LEELA: What? Dun-dun-duuuun!

MAMA: It had been completely patched up! Well, now they were really interested.  So, they drilled small holes into several trumpeters, tiptoed a little away and waited.

LEELA: Shhhhh. What did they see?

MAMA: Seven to 10 these small, sand-colored Azteca Alfari ants emerged from inside the root and got busy repairing the damage.

LEELA: Wait – did you say emerged from INSIDE a, ummm, solid tree-trunk???

MAMA: Yep, you see a queen ant chews her way inside a young, hollow shoot and sets up a colony. Of course, as the tree grows, the colony grows, but moves to younger branches. And did I mention they ants feed off the tree too?

LEELA: Well, then I guess it stands to reason they’d do this repair job – it’s their home and food, after all!

MAMA: I guess you’re right. And that’s why this is called a mutualistic relationship or interaction, because two or more species are getting something out of it, there are mutual benefits.

LEELA: I thought that was called symbiotic?

MAMA: It’s a type of symbiotic relationship. But mutualism is one where there are benefits on BOTH sides. In some symbiotic relationships only one side benefits.

LEELA: Still, I guess it’s another thing that’s brilli-ant about ants. Never mind playing around in the forest with a slingshot. Hmphh!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 68- BATTLE AGAINST MOSQUITOES           

MAMA: So, autumn is here for us in the northern hemisphere and that means the weather is getting cooler and, at last, summers pesky mosquitoes are starting to disappear.

LEELA: In your dreams, Mama. Not for us here in India!

MAMA: No, the monsoon really dragged on this year and the annoying pests that leave some of the itchiest bites ever are still around.

LEELA: They’re more than annoying! They’re deadly!

MAMA: That’s right. The tiny little bugs transmit more diseases than any other creature on earth – especially here in Asia and Africa – mostly by biting into the skin of someone who’s sick and then spreading those germs to the next person they bite. Yick!

LEELA: Like the dengue fever you got a few years ago – you had to go to the hospital every day for a week! Yeah, that was scary.

MAMA: Yeah, that wasn’t fun. And your dad had chikungunya, which affects the joints.

LEELA: He walked like an old man for over a month!

MAMA: Yeah. And there’s also malaria, which is a parasite that, according to the World Health Organization, kills over 400,000 people every year – mostly babies and infants, mostly in Africa.

LEELA: Yeah, the US has been malaria-free for a long time now, but not Africa or India… But there’s some good news – there’s a vaccine!

MAMA: Yes! In fact, the vaccine’s been around a few years but now it’s being rolled out to children across most of Africa.

LEELA: Phew! Though I wish we could just get rid of the silly bugs.

MAMA: Well, it’s funny you should say that, because we got an email from a listener in Texas – Kamdyn Pate, who wrote to us a while back, saying, “I would love to listen to a podcast about the good mosquitoes and what they do to prevent more mosquitoes.”

LEELA: Huh? Are there good mosquitoes?

MAMA: Well, believe it or not, while there are over 3000 species of mosquitoes, less than a hundred of those species actually transmit horrible diseases. Mostly mosquitoes are an important source of food for birds, lizards, frogs and fish.

LEELA: Hmmmm.

MAMA: And they also help pollinate plants too – which keeps the life-cycle of a lot of ecosystems going.

LEELA: Hmmmm. But let’s not forget – they bite and spread disease.

MAMA: Well, there is some very interesting work going on in terms of breeding mosquitoes that can’t breed themselves – they can mate and have babies, but those babies don’t live very long and therefore a mosquito population can be controlled.

LEELA: Say what?

MAMA: Yep, in Singapore they are raising male mosquitoes in a lab, then releasing them outside big apartment blocks. These males’ mosquitoes have a certain bacterium that means when they fly off and mate with wild female mosquitoes, the resulting eggs don’t hatch.

LEELA: So then fewer mosquitoes. Clever…

MAMA: According to officials, some areas with high mosquito populations have seen a 90% drop using this technique. But, of course, many people are suspicious of creatures being altered in a lab and let loose in the wild. They don’t think we should be playing God.

LEELA: Yeah. Jurassic Park…. But, then on the other hand, if God gave us the brains to fix a problem – God might wonder why we’re not, you know, using our brains to fix problems.

MAMA: That is a good point actually. But I suppose one other worry is we don’t really know the knock-on effect of such changes. So, it’s an interesting debate.

LEELA: Well, I say the fewer mosquitoes the better!

MAMA:  Well, it’s certainly interesting if we could swat some mosquitoes rather than swap them, Well Kamdyn, I hope we were able to answer your question. And hey if anyone has any topic, they’d like to see us discussed on Newsy Pooloozi – just send us an email to contact@newsypooloozi.com

LEELA: That’s p-o-o-l (as in a swimming pool!) o-o-z-i.com

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 70- HONEYBEES SCARE

MAMA: Chocolate supplies could run out if we don’t save the bees and butterflies.

LEELA: Ohh no, What?!

MAMA: This is not a tall tale either. Scientists from the University of Cambridge have recently discovered that a decline in the number of insects like bees, butterflies and even gnats, or midges, could mean that not enough cocoa plants grow, meaning our chocolate supply could seriously be hit in the next twenty to fifty years.

SCARY MUSIC

LEELA: Noooooo!

MAMA: Sadly, yes. And it’s not just chocolate either, but supplies of apples, soybeans, coffee and strawberries are all under threat. In fact, bees help provide about a third of what we eat.

LEELA: OK, you have got to stop scaring me. But how can fewer bees, and other bugs, mean less food?

MAMA: Well, as the best-ever family-friendly, science-nerdy documentary series “Connected” says.

LEELA: Ah – everything is connected.

MAMA: So, it goes like this: chocolate is made from the beans of cocoa trees, which only grow with the help of insects pollinating, or spreading, their seeds.

LEELA: Cos we want more than one cocoa tree.

MAMA: Exactly. But insects like gnats and bees are declining.

LEELA: Let me guess – because of climate change-schlime-it-change?

MAMA: Yes. And also, the wide use of pesticides and chemicals used to kill insects – usually the ones that eat crops, but, well, they also kill the good bugs that pollinate or spread seeds.

LEELA: Oh, man. Darned if you do and darned if you don’t.

MAMA: And that’s not all. As we build up areas for development, cutting down trees and flowers, well, where do the bugs go?

LEELA: And my sweet, sweet chocolate!

MAMA: Well, it’s hoped that with people becoming aware of how important our creepy crawlies are, we’ll think about ways of saving them.

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 30- YUMMY MEALWORMS

 

MUSIC

 

LEELA: Mealworms may soon find their way onto European tables, after becoming the first insect, approved in the region, as a human food. Rich in protein, fat and fiber, they’re actually beetle larvae, not really worms and are already used in Europe as a pet food ingredient. “Here kitty kitty has some crushed meal worms…”

 

But now… the decision by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) paves the way for the yellow grubs to be used. They can be eaten whole or dried in curries and other recipes, like as a flour to make biscuits, pasta and bread. Ewww not for me thank you. So, maybe there are some upsides to not being part of the EU, eh?

MAMA: Leela just because it’s been approved for use doesn’t mean it has to be used. And you eat animal meat what’s the problem with worms?

LEELA: Hmmm… Worms are squirmy! So, Mama…

MAMA: So Leela

LEELLA: What’s worse than seeing a worm after biting an apple?

MAMA: Excuse me?

LEELA: Seeing half a worm!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 73 LOCUSTS ON EU MENU

LEELA: Well, WE might find eating insects a little odd – apparently more and more people don’t.

MAMA: Ohhhh…

LEELA: In fact, it was almost a year ago that we reported that mealworms were the first insect to be approved by the European Union as “human food.”

MAMA: Well, they are supposed to be really high in protein, fat AND fiber. And are a more sustainable option to raise than a lot of other animals.

LEELA: Of course, they’re actually beetle larvae, not really worms. And they’ve been used in Europe as a pet food ingredient for years.

SFX OF DOG AND CAT

LEELA: “Here kitty, kitty have some crushed mealworms…”

MAMA: But for humans, they can be eaten whole or dried or used with flour to make biscuits, pasta and bread.

LEELA: Hmph.

MAMA: Well, they’re probably as nice to look at as shrimp and crab, so we can’t really get prissy, can we?

LEELA: Well – news alert – now the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is adding locusts to its list of “authorized food for sale.” They’ll be classified as a “novel food” – meaning an unusual food sold in frozen, dried or powdered forms.

MAMA: Well, remember when the swarm of cicadas hit America’s east coast over the summer and one café was selling chocolate covered cicadas?

LEELA: Yes, I also remember how our reporters’ dog kept eating them up. But I’m not a dog.

MAMA: Hold on. But you do love truffle flavored potato chips and have you seen what a truffle looks like?

LEELA: Yeeees… Point taken.

MAMA: We love the edible fungi, despite how revolting it looks. In fact, just this week a huge, ugly Italian truffle weighing around 2 pounds or almost a kilogram sold for an enormous amount of money.

LEELA: How much?

MAMA: $117,000!

LEELA: Whaaaat?

MAMA: Like a college education!

LEELA: Forget fungi – that’s more like fund-me. Get it?!

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE- 68- BATTLE AGAINST MOSQUITOES           

MAMA: So, autumn is here for us in the northern hemisphere and that means the weather is getting cooler and, at last, summers pesky mosquitoes are starting to disappear.

LEELA: In your dreams, Mama. Not for us here in India!

MAMA: No, the monsoon really dragged on this year and the annoying pests that leave some of the itchiest bites ever are still around.

LEELA: They’re more than annoying! They’re deadly!

MAMA: That’s right. The tiny little bugs transmit more diseases than any other creature on earth – especially here in Asia and Africa – mostly by biting into the skin of someone who’s sick and then spreading those germs to the next person they bite. Yick!

LEELA: Like the dengue fever you got a few years ago – you had to go to the hospital every day for a week! Yeah, that was scary.

MAMA: Yeah, that wasn’t fun. And your dad had chikungunya, which affects the joints.

LEELA: He walked like an old man for over a month!

MAMA: Yeah. And there’s also malaria, which is a parasite that, according to the World Health Organization, kills over 400,000 people every year – mostly babies and infants, mostly in Africa.

LEELA: Yeah, the US has been malaria-free for a long time now, but not Africa or India… But there’s some good news – there’s a vaccine!

MAMA: Yes! In fact, the vaccine’s been around a few years but now it’s being rolled out to children across most of Africa.

LEELA: Phew! Though I wish we could just get rid of the silly bugs.

MAMA: Well, it’s funny you should say that, because we got an email from a listener in Texas – Kamdyn Pate, who wrote to us a while back, saying, “I would love to listen to a podcast about the good mosquitoes and what they do to prevent more mosquitoes.”

LEELA: Huh? Are there good mosquitoes?

MAMA: Well, believe it or not, while there are over 3000 species of mosquitoes, less than a hundred of those species actually transmit horrible diseases. Mostly mosquitoes are an important source of food for birds, lizards, frogs and fish.

LEELA: Hmmmm.

MAMA: And they also help pollinate plants too – which keeps the life-cycle of a lot of ecosystems going.

LEELA: Hmmmm. But let’s not forget – they bite and spread disease.

MAMA: Well, there is some very interesting work going on in terms of breeding mosquitoes that can’t breed themselves – they can mate and have babies, but those babies don’t live very long and therefore a mosquito population can be controlled.

LEELA: Say what?

MAMA: Yep, in Singapore they are raising male mosquitoes in a lab, then releasing them outside big apartment blocks. These males’ mosquitoes have a certain bacterium that means when they fly off and mate with wild female mosquitoes, the resulting eggs don’t hatch.

LEELA: So then fewer mosquitoes. Clever…

MAMA: According to officials, some areas with high mosquito populations have seen a 90% drop using this technique. But, of course, many people are suspicious of creatures being altered in a lab and let loose in the wild. They don’t think we should be playing God.

LEELA: Yeah. Jurassic Park…. But, then on the other hand, if God gave us the brains to fix a problem – God might wonder why we’re not, you know, using our brains to fix problems.

MAMA: That is a good point actually. But I suppose one other worry is we don’t really know the knock-on effect of such changes. So, it’s an interesting debate.

LEELA: Well, I say the fewer mosquitoes the better!

MAMA:  Well, it’s certainly interesting if we could swat some mosquitoes rather than swap them, Well Kamdyn, I hope we were able to answer your question. And hey if anyone has any topic, they’d like to see us discussed on Newsy Pooloozi – just send us an email to contact@newsypooloozi.com

LEELA: That’s p-o-o-l (as in a swimming pool!) o-o-z-i.com

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE: EPISODE 98- REPTILES AT RISK

MAMA: Alright, they might not be your favorite kind of animals in the world…

LEELA: That’s an understatement!

MAMA: And – warning – you might hear Leela squeal with terror as we do this story ‘cos she hates them. But one in five reptiles worldwide is threatened with extinction! A new study, just published in the journal Nature, assessed over 10,000 reptile species and found almost 2,000 are categorized as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

 

LEELA: And while that might not seem soooo bad, I mean one less lizard or snake seems OK if you want my personal view… but – no! I don’t count in the grand scheme of things.

MAMA: And by things we mean the Earth.

LEELA: The environment. Which kind of actually does affect me. So even though one less reptile seems fine, losing 20 percent of them could change food-chains and ecosystems – radically.

MAMA: Yep – and there would be knock-on effects, such as…

SFX OF FLY

 

MAMA: An increase in pests and insects. See I love lizards, ‘cos they eat mosquitos.

 

LEELA: (Shudders)

 

MAMA: Not just that, but biodiversity –

 

LEELA: Meaning lots of different types of plants and animals.

 

MAMA: Yep – it’s crucial. And reptiles aren’t just literally slithering around on the ground but their existence underpins our ecosystem which provides a healthy environment for – us – as in, people. And, by the way, five fab facts that characterize reptiles. Cue the music, Leela.

 

MUSIC

 

MAMA: Reptiles are vertebrates.

 

LEELA: Which means they have backbones.

 

MAMA: Their bodies are completely covered with scales.

LEELA: Meaning they’re super creepy.

MAMA: But their scaly skin protects them from injuries AND – being waterproof – keeps them hydrated. Also, they’re cold-blooded. Meaning their body temperature varies with that of their environment. Now the reptiles that face the greatest threat are turtles with about 60 percent of species at risk of extinction.

LEELA: Ahh, and they’re the only cute ones.

MAMA: Next, crocodiles, with 50 percent of their species at risk. And contrary to what the researchers expected, reptiles in forests are a greater threat than those in dry habitats, like deserts, shrub lands and savannahs.

LEELA: That’s bad since more than half of all reptile species live in forested habitats!

MAMA: I know. The good news is there is a clear path on how to get reptiles back: reduce deforestation, stop the illegal trade in reptiles.

LEELA: As pets ewww and decoration for your purse or boots.

MAMA: And – now this is interesting – farmers should improve the way they farm, become more productive, so they don’t have to cut down more forests to make way for more fields.

LEELA: Sounds simple.

MAMA: Hmmm, problem is sometimes the most simple things.

LEELA: Are the most difficult to do.

SFX OF BELL AND WHISTLE

LEELA: And that brings us to the end of this special Newsy Pooloozi capsule. Alrighty then – we’ll see you next week in the splishy-splashy news pool for kids – Newsy Pooloozi!

 

– ends –