Ep. 26: Copernicus, Kochanowski, Zamoyski - the influence of the Paduans on the fate of the Republic of Poland
Ep. 25: Masters of deceit: how poorly studied, bee- and wasp-resembling moths shed light on the complexity of the fascinating phenomenon of mimicry.
In the evolutionary arms race between predator and prey, bees and wasps (i.e. hymenopterans) have evolved active defence mechanisms: they can painfully sting and bite. Clearwing moths have evolved to resemble wasps and bees in a phenomenon called Batesian mimicry. For years it was known that these day-flying moths look like hymenopterans, but only recently has it been demonstrated that they imitate bees’ and wasps’ behaviour in the way they fly and also… in the sounds their model insects produce. Dr Marta Skowron Volponi along with Paolo Volponi registered sounds produced in flight by clearwing moths and bees in Southeast Asian rainforests and, in collaboration with prof. Francesca Barbero and dr Luca Casacci from the University of Turin, proved that the moths buzz like bees they morphologically resemble.
Ep. 24: Smart biopolymers to support diabetes therapy
Smart biopolymers have attracted a lot of interest in the development of platforms for biomolecule sensing. One of the most commonly explored areas is the design of soft materials for glucose monitoring, which is of great significance in the diabetic therapeutic market. Multifunctional biomimetic, biocompatible, and stimuli-responsive materials based on hydrogels with physical properties similar to living tissues have attracted great attention.
