Jaap de Roode: How butterflies self-medicate
Jaap de Roode: Jak si motýli sami předepisují léky
Jaap de Roode studies the ecology and evolution of parasites, focusing on those that attack the monarch butterfly. Full bio
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are still the main cause
around the world.
of diseases such as T.B., malaria, HIV,
tuberkulóza, malárie, HIV,
and even in the United States.
die of seasonal flu.
na sezónní chřipku.
we are creative. Right?
Že ano?
ourselves against these diseases.
před těmito chorobami.
we learn from our experiences
z vlastní zkušenosti
but now we know we're not.
ale teď víme, že nejsme.
out there that can do it too.
která to také umí.
to treat their intestinal parasites.
svých střevních parazitů.
that other animals can do it too:
i další zvířata, která to umí:
sheep, goats, you name it.
co si jen vzpomenete.
is that recent discoveries are telling us
nedávné objevy nám říkají,
smaller brains can use medication too.
mohou používat léky taky.
as we all know,
jak všichni víme,
that we have developed
to find new ways to discover drugs
nové způsoby, jak objevit léky,
should look at these animals,
zabývat těmito zvířaty,
how to treat our own diseases.
jak léčit naše vlastní nemoci.
monarch butterflies for the last 10 years.
studoval motýly monarchy.
for their spectacular migrations
svou každoroční velkolepou migrací
down to Mexico every year,
They get sick like me.
Mohou onemocnět jako já.
can tell us a lot about drugs
nám může říct hodně o lécích
that monarchs get infected with
mohou nakazit,
a mouthful.
– složité jméno.
on the outside of the butterfly
in between the scales of the butterfly.
mezi křídly motýla.
to the monarch.
before they're even adults.
než plně dospějí.
in the greenhouse growing plants,
ve skleníku a pěstuji rostliny,
are extremely picky eaters.
vybíraví jedlíci.
species of milkweed that they can use,
pryšců, které mohou použít,
have cardenolides in them.
mají kardenolidy.
but not to monarchs.
kromě monarchů.
can take up the chemicals,
je vstřebat,
and it makes them toxic
Činí je jedovatými
is advertise this toxicity
warning colorations
is grow plants in the greenhouse,
pěstovat rostliny ve skleníku,
the tropical milkweed,
of these cardenolides.
They had no disease.
neměli nemoce.
some of these milkweeds are medicinal,
z těchto rostlin jsou léčivé,
in the monarch butterflies,
příznaky nemoci monarchů,
when they are infected
žít déle, i když jsou infikováni,
it was a crazy idea,
že to byl bláznivý nápad,
what if monarchs can use this?
když to umí monarchové použít?
as their own form of medicine?
jako jejich vlastní formu léku?
started doing experiments.
and gave them a choice:
non-medicinal milkweed.
of each species over their lifetime.
kterých druhů během jejich života.
in science, was boring:
byl nezajímavý:
Fifty percent was not.
Polovina nebyla.
anything for their own welfare.
pro své vlastní blaho.
that can medicate their offspring.
které mohou léčit své potomky.
on medicinal milkweed
future offspring less sick?
být méně nemocní?
over several years,
v průběhu několika let
a monarch in a big cage,
a non-medicinal plant on the other side,
neléčivé na druhou
that the monarchs lay on each plant.
nakladli na každou z rostlin.
is always the same.
strongly prefer the medicinal milkweed.
preferují léčivé pryšce.
what these females are doing
of their eggs in the medicinal milkweed.
vajíček na léčivé pryšce.
is they actually transmit the parasites
parazity přenášejí
can lay their eggs on medicinal milkweed
mohou naklást vajíčka na léčivé pryšce
future offspring less sick.
potomstvo méně nemocné.
important discovery, I think,
something cool about nature,
něco super o přírodě,
more about how we should find drugs.
jak bychom měli hledat léky.
a máme tendenci
as very simple.
jako o velmi jednoduchých.
very sophisticated medication.
chytrou medikaci.
most of our drugs
including plants,
včetně rostlin,
at animals to find new drugs.
nové léky u zvířat.
how to treat stomach upset,
jak léčit žaludeční nevolnost,
how to treat bloody diarrhea.
jak léčit krvavý průjem.
though, is to move beyond
and give these guys more credit,
a dát šanci těm malým.
that we tend to think of
o kterém často přemýšlíme
with tiny little brains.
s malým mozkem.
can also use medication
také používat léky,
we will be treating human diseases
budeme léčit lidská onemocnění
discovered by butterflies,
worth pursuing.
a stojí za to se tím dále zabývat.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jaap de Roode - BiologistJaap de Roode studies the ecology and evolution of parasites, focusing on those that attack the monarch butterfly.
Why you should listen
At his lab at Emory University, Jaap de Roode and his team study parasites and their hosts. Some of the questions that intrigue them: If a parasite depends on its host's survival for its own well-being, why do so many of them cause harm? In what ways are hosts able to self-medicate in order to make themselves less desirable to parasites? And are the abilities to harm hosts — and the ability of hosts to self-medicate — favored by natural selection?
The De Roode Lab focuses on the monarch butterfly and its parasites. The team has made a fascinating discovery: that female butterflies infected by a parasite choose to lay their eggs on a specific variety of milkweed that helps their offspring avoid getting sick. De Roode hopes that this insight could lead to new approaches in medications for human beings in the future.
Jaap de Roode | Speaker | TED.com