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The Secret Science Club presents invertebrate zoologist and leech expert Mark Siddall, FREE!
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
8:00pm – 11:00pm | FREE!
Using his own body as a lure, Mark Siddall wades into Rwandan wetlands, rain forests of Madagascar, and swamps of French Guiana in quest of intriguing leech specimens, such as the worlds largest species, the 18-inch-long Giant Amazon Leech. It's all in the name of exploring leech biodiversity, leech evolution, blood-feeding behavior, and these beasties' anticoagulant abilities. Dr. Siddall asks:
--Why does the newly discovered Tyrant Leech King, a.k.a. T. rex, favor dining on mucus membranes, such as the inside of the human nose?
--What are legitimate (as well as highly suspect) health uses for European medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) and how did these creatures evolve their anticoagulant abilities?
--How might chemicals in leech saliva be used to develop new drugs to prevent heart attacks and fight cancer?
--Is there a symbiotic relationship between leeches and the microbes that live inside them? How have advances in molecular and digital imaging transformed the study of microfauna?
--Why does the newly discovered Tyrant Leech King, a.k.a. T. rex, favor dining on mucus membranes, such as the inside of the human nose?
--What are legitimate (as well as highly suspect) health uses for European medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) and how did these creatures evolve their anticoagulant abilities?
--How might chemicals in leech saliva be used to develop new drugs to prevent heart attacks and fight cancer?
--Is there a symbiotic relationship between leeches and the microbes that live inside them? How have advances in molecular and digital imaging transformed the study of microfauna?
