Live Like a Fruit Fly


Book Description

Fruit flies are born, begin attending to their fruit-fly agendas almost immediately, then succumb to old age before witnessing a single change of season. Likewise, we live and die in the virtual blink of an eye. Unfortunately, we often ignore our own mortality and simply coast through our days without ever checking out the bowl of fruit on the other side of the kitchen. The life we hoped for can wait for another day, we think. But another day often slips through our grasp, and we learn that we can't wait another day . . . that if we are to live consciously, we must learn to live like a fruit fly, not tomorrow but at this very moment, the one we are experiencing now. We are responsible for creating our own destiny. Our gut, our instincts--the GPS we're all born with--will never lead us astray if we trust it. Silver linings--more fruit to feast on--will always be within reach if only we're willing to explore.




Super Fly


Book Description

Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History and a New York Times Editors Choice Pick "After reading Super Fly, you will never take a fly for granted again. Thank you, Jonathan Balcombe, for reminding us of the infinite marvels of everyday creatures." —Sy Montgomery, Author of How to Be a Good Creature From an expert in animal consciousness, a book that will turn the fly on the wall into the elephant in the room. For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem in the world as pollinators, waste-disposers, predators, and food source; and how flies continue to reshape our understanding of evolution. Along the way, he reintroduces us to familiar foes like the fruit fly and mosquito, and gives us the chance to meet their lesser-known cousins like the Petroleum Fly (the only animal in the world that breeds in crude oil) and the Chocolate Midge (the sole pollinator of the Cacao tree). No matter your outlook on our tiny buzzing neighbors, Super Fly will change the way you look at flies forever. Jonathan Balcombe is the author of four books on animal sentience, including the New York Times bestselling What A Fish Knows, which was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Science Writing. He has worked for years as a researcher and educator with the Humane society to show us the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom.




Faust - Stretch Out Time 1970-1975


Book Description

"There is no group more mythical than Faust" Julian Cope "When the Germans do something, they don't fuck around" Jean-Hervé Péron From the publisher: September 2006 sees the release of this book about Faust, the legendary krautrock group. Fully illustrated, it contains reviews all of the group's records from the period 1970-75 as well as recounting the rise of krautrock and its relation to the social upheavals of the '60s. There is also a discography, bibliographies, live reviews and the text of the group's 1973 manifesto as well as essays on music and time and the group's relation to the work of Frank Zappa. From the dustjacket: In 1970 Polydor Records funded an unusual experiment. They gave some unknown German musicians a retreat in the countryside near Hamburg, equipped it with a studio and their best engineer, then left them free to do as they liked. This is the story of Faust and the music they made between 1970 and 1975, music which continues to inspire and confound listeners to this day. About the author: Andy Wilson has been running the Faust web site, the Faust-Pages (http: //www.faust-pages.com) for over a decade now, during which time he has collected information about the band, interviewed band members and generally researched the group's history. Now he has collected that information into a book. He lives in Hackney, London, and has been listening to Faust for the best part of a lifetime. Book Contents: Das Lied Eines Matrosen; Germany Calling; On Currywurst; Clear / Faust; So Far; Tony Conrad: Outside The Dream Syndicate; The Faust Tapes; Faust IV; Munich; Elsewhere; On Returning; Faust Live; Faust Manifesto; Fruit Flies Like a Banana; Das also war des Pudels Kern; Discography; Online; Guide to Illustrations; Faust Bibliography; General Bibliography




First in Fly


Book Description

A single species of fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been the subject of scientific research for more than one hundred years. Why does this tiny insect merit such intense scrutiny? Drosophila’s importance as a research organism began with its short life cycle, ability to reproduce in large numbers, and easy-to-see mutant phenotypes. Over time, laboratory investigation revealed surprising similarities between flies and other animals at the level of genes, gene networks, cell interactions, physiology, immunity, and behavior. Like humans, flies learn and remember, fight microbial infection, and slow down as they age. Scientists use Drosophila to investigate complex biological activities in a simple but intact living system. Fly research provides answers to some of the most challenging questions in biology and biomedicine, including how cells transmit signals and form ordered structures, how we can interpret the wealth of human genome data now available, and how we can develop effective treatments for cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Written by a leader in the Drosophila research community, First in Fly celebrates key insights uncovered by investigators using this model organism. Stephanie Elizabeth Mohr draws on these “first in fly” findings to introduce fundamental biological concepts gained over the last century and explore how research in the common fruit fly has expanded our understanding of human health and disease.




Fruit Flies (Tephritidae)


Book Description

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are among the most destructive agricultural pests in the world, eating their way through acres and acres of citrus and other fruits at an alarming rate and forcing food and agriculture agencies to spend millions of dollars in control and management measures. But until now, the study of fruit flies has been traditionally biased towards applied aspects (e.g., management, monitoring, and mass rearing)-understandable, given the tremendous economic impact of this species. This work is the first that comprehensively addresses the study of the phylogeny and the evolution of fruit fly behavior. An international group of highly renowned scientists review the current state of knowledge and include considerable new findings on various aspects of fruit fly behavior, phylogeny and related subjects. In the past, the topics of phylogeny and evolution of behavior were barely addressed, and when so, often superficially. Fruit Flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and Evolution of Behavior is a definitive treatment, covering all behaviors in a broad range of tephritids. This volume is divided into eight sections:




Lords of the Fly


Book Description

"One of the most productive of all laboratory animals, Drosophila has been a key tool in genetics research for nearly a century. At the center of Drosophila culture from 1910 to 1940 was the school of Thomas Hunt Morgan and his students Alfred Sturtevant and Calvin Bridges, who, by inbreeding fruit flies, created a model laboratory creature - the 'standard' fly. By examining the material culture and working customs of Morgan's research group, [the author] brings to light essential features of the practice of experimental science. [This book] takes a broad view of experimental work, ranging from how the fly was introducted into the laboratory and how it was physically redesigned for use in genetic mapping, to how the 'Drosophilists' organized an international network for exchanging fly stocks that spread their practices around the world"--Back cover.




Tropical Fruit Flies (Tephritidae Dacinae) of South-East Asia


Book Description

As global warming and species migration become more prevalent issues, there is an urgent need for a text that provides comprehensive taxonomic details and geographic distributions of Dacinae fruit flies within south-east Asia. In particular, some of the major pest species of this region are being introduced on a regular basis to new geographical areas, causing widespread food security issues and economic hardship. Quarantine and horticultural organizations require detailed information on these fruit fly species in order to detect and eradicate any new incursions. This major new reference work details the taxonomic research into the subfamily Dacinae, which contains the tropical fruit flies of south-east Asia, as well as many other regions of the world. While focusing on south-east Asian fauna, all known species are included, through a study of the type material available in museums around the world. Specimens collected in major surveys conducted across Asia from 1983 to present have also been used to ensure a complete, in-depth review of this subfamily. Providing complete descriptions and artwork of all species of Dacinae recorded from the south-east Asian region for the first time, this book is written and illustrated by experts with over 80 years' combined research experience. Areas covered include: India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Palau, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is an essential reference for departments of agriculture, researchers and students of entomology and quarantine, horticultural and chemical industry personnel worldwide. Key features: - 120 recently discovered species - 500 detailed drawings - Revision of all known species - Updated geographical distributions and host records - Accurate list and detailed information of all known pest species This book will be followed by Keys to Fruit Flies of South-East Asia.




Handbook of the Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of America North of Mexico


Book Description

?This handbook, 39 years in the making, is a guide to the identification of 300 species of adult fruit flies found in North America. It is written by recognized authorities and should prove to be a standard identification guide for years to come.?--ARBA




The Worm Farming Revolution


Book Description

The Worm Farming Revolution Book teaches you everything you need to know about raising worms in order to grow amazing plants, recycle kitchen scraps, or grow your own fishing worms. It's a Return to the Founding Principles of Successful Gardening and an almost lost art our forefathers past down to us. Just because our technology changes and our knowledge increases doesn't mean that we have to invent something that's completely opposite of what the Creator showed us. A new way of feeding millions of people doesn't have to oppose nature, but should work with nature. I show you how to harness and multiply the power of a tiny organism that corporations and many people have become disconnected with. We have gone down a dark agricultural road with too few exits to get us back in the right direction. The technology of today combined with the proven methods of the past is where science should have lead us. But where "scientists" have failed, there has been a revolt. Not in a new way, but the reviving of a forgotten way. If you've never heard of the term "Worm Farming" then it may seem like a silly, eccentric hobby created to study the natural habits of worms. Well that may be true to some degree, but the truth, meaning, and reason behind this quirky little phrase may be one of the greatest yet simplest technological awakenings to hit the agricultural industry since the invention of, what I call, the world's most "successful failures..".synthetic fertilizers. No matter what gardening method you use, the fact is, you WILL need worm castings (worm poop) in order to give plants the proper food they were created to feed on. Worm castings are as natural to plants as breast milk to a new born baby. This is one of the reasons why worms are found moving in and out of the root systems of plants. They deposit the rich, microbial fertilizer that plants depend on for optimal health. This book teaches you how to grow your plants by, FIRST, growing your soil. You'll learn everything you




Methuselah Flies


Book Description

Methuselah Flies presents a trailblazing project on the biology of aging. It describes research on the first organisms to have their lifespan increased, and their aging slowed, by hereditary manipulation. These organisms are fruit flies from the species Drosophila melanogaster, the great workhorse of genetics. Michael Rose and his colleagues have been able to double the lifespan of these insects, and improved their health in numerous respects as well. The study of these flies with postponed aging is one of the best means we have of understanding, and ultimately achieving, the postponement of aging in humans. As such, the carefully presented detail of this book will be of value to research devoted to the understanding and control of aging.Methuselah Flies: ? is a tightly edited distillation of twenty years of work by many scientists? contains the original publications regarding the longer-lived fruit flies? offers commentaries on each of the topics covered ? new, short essays that put the individual research papers in a wider context? gives full access to the original data ? captures the scientific significance of postponed aging for a wide academic audienc