Dancing with the Stars
3 views
Skip to first unread message
Origins Centre
Jul 30, 2012, 8:41:34 AM7/30/12
to origin...@googlegroups.com
DANCING WITH THE STARS - DUNG BEETLES TAKE TO THE FLOOR.
This week dancing apes, next week dancing dung beetles! Origins Centre brings you Prof Marcus Byrne’s fascinating talk, ‘Dancing with the stars - dung beetles take to the floor’ on Tuesday, 7 August.
There are more than 800 species of dung beetles in South Africa and of those, only 10% roll dung balls. This odd behaviour, walking backwards with the head down, is accomplished by orientating in straight line, away from rival beetles that might steal the ball.
This feat requires sophisticated behaviour from a brain no bigger than a grain of rice, using orientation cues in the sky which we cannot see. The beetle sets its rolling course by examination of the orientation cues during a rapid ‘dance’ behaviour on top of the dung ball. The dung ball is eventually used for feeding, breeding or even a nuptial gift, but also serves as a cool refuge from the hot sand, which can overheat the beetles’ feet during rolling.
This talk dissects, with inevitable humour, the many behaviours that revolve around a ball of dung, and reveals how science picks away at a question, eventually revealing more questions than answers.
Prof Byrne is an associate professor at Wits University, where he teaches zoology and entomology. His research interests revolve around the use of insects for biological control.
Date: Tuesday 7 August 2012
Venue: Origins Centre
Time: 18h00 for 18h30
Cost: R45/R35 Wits students and staff
Bookings essential: a...@origins.org.za
REMINDER: TOMORROW EVENING
A lecture entitled ‘Are we dancing apes? The evolution of music making’ by Sarah Wurz, takes place tomorrow, 31 July. In this talk the speaker will discuss why it is likely that rhythmically coordinated movement was the core of the earliest music. Time: 18h00 for 18h30. Cost: R45/R35 Wits students and staff.
Please e-mail your request for seats to a...@origins.org.za. If you are a Wits student or Wits staff member, please include your student/staff number. We will then e-mail an invoice to you, which you can pay by eft.
This week dancing apes, next week dancing dung beetles! Origins Centre brings you Prof Marcus Byrne’s fascinating talk, ‘Dancing with the stars - dung beetles take to the floor’ on Tuesday, 7 August.
There are more than 800 species of dung beetles in South Africa and of those, only 10% roll dung balls. This odd behaviour, walking backwards with the head down, is accomplished by orientating in straight line, away from rival beetles that might steal the ball.
This feat requires sophisticated behaviour from a brain no bigger than a grain of rice, using orientation cues in the sky which we cannot see. The beetle sets its rolling course by examination of the orientation cues during a rapid ‘dance’ behaviour on top of the dung ball. The dung ball is eventually used for feeding, breeding or even a nuptial gift, but also serves as a cool refuge from the hot sand, which can overheat the beetles’ feet during rolling.
This talk dissects, with inevitable humour, the many behaviours that revolve around a ball of dung, and reveals how science picks away at a question, eventually revealing more questions than answers.
Prof Byrne is an associate professor at Wits University, where he teaches zoology and entomology. His research interests revolve around the use of insects for biological control.
Date: Tuesday 7 August 2012
Venue: Origins Centre
Time: 18h00 for 18h30
Cost: R45/R35 Wits students and staff
Bookings essential: a...@origins.org.za
REMINDER: TOMORROW EVENING
A lecture entitled ‘Are we dancing apes? The evolution of music making’ by Sarah Wurz, takes place tomorrow, 31 July. In this talk the speaker will discuss why it is likely that rhythmically coordinated movement was the core of the earliest music. Time: 18h00 for 18h30. Cost: R45/R35 Wits students and staff.
Please e-mail your request for seats to a...@origins.org.za. If you are a Wits student or Wits staff member, please include your student/staff number. We will then e-mail an invoice to you, which you can pay by eft.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages