Now spiders can responsively add to the list of commercial insecticides. The insect's venom is found to help repel insects, according to a new study. The venom of a spider could modify crops genetically for making them insect-resistant, says a University of Queensland researcher.
spider venom 9
Certain components in the spider-venom can specifically target insects without affecting other animals. Professor Glenn King says,
These things are genetically-encoded peptides. There's no reason why you couldn't engineer plants to make them.They're very, very safe - they have no activity against vertebrates.
They're natural compounds as well. They're little tiny proteins so they don't hold any ecological consequences in terms of breakdown in the environment.
King hopes that it is just 10 more years of research into it from now, and the technology could be in the market.
He adds,
Everything from trying to control ecto-parasites on livestock, controlling ecto-parasites on companion animals like cats and dogs to controlling really nasty pests on crops like the cotton bowl worm to controlling, say, mosquitos in the public health arena.
Related Stories
Can Climate Change Be Tackled Without Sacrificing Economic Growth? Top polluters to Reply
Growth of economy in a country and climate change measures are always found to be difficult in balancing. But, can climate change be tackled without sacrificing economic growth? To find a solution to this, six of the world's top polluters meet in...
Can global warming be curbed by assigning an international carbon pie?
Increasing carbon emissions is raising concerns about its serious consequences across the world. So, to curb this emission leading to global warming, an international carbon pie needs to be appointed. A pie like this would be employed for setting up an...
Adelies Penguins: An effective indicator of global warming
The Adelie penguin chicks are a great indicator of rising global warming. The first black fluffballed-chicks of the Adelie penguin this season, have started hatching more in the south compared to the fewer ones in the further north. According to...
New natural insecticide-range from nematode worms
A new range of natural insecticides is being made from a bacterium protein. It acts like a poison and can be transformed into a new poison-range for killing insects. And these bacteria harbour inside the intestine of nematode worms, and thus can infect...
Everything I need to know about atmospheric electricity generator
The impact of atmospheric energy in the form of lightening accompanied by thunders has been probably experienced by all of us during thunderstorms or dust storms. If we can grab even a mere part of this energy, the energy scarcity of the entire world will
