Jaap de Roode: How butterflies self-medicate
Jaap de Roode: Ako motýle liečia samy seba
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,
na choroby ako TBC, malária, HIV,
and even in the United States.
die of seasonal flu.
zomierajú na sezónnu chrípku.
we are creative. Right?
sme kreatívni, však?
ourselves against these diseases.
ako sa ochrániť pred týmito chorobami.
we learn from our experiences
učíme sa z vlastných skúseností
but now we know we're not.
ale teraz vieme, že nie.
out there that can do it too.
ktoré to tiež dokážu.
to treat their intestinal parasites.
na liečenie črevných parazitov.
that other animals can do it too:
že to dokážu aj ďalšie zvieratá:
sheep, goats, you name it.
kozy, čo len chcete.
is that recent discoveries are telling us
nedávne objavy prezrádzajú,
smaller brains can use medication too.
s menším mozgom sa tiež vedia liečiť.
as we all know,
ako všetci vieme,
that we have developed
to find new ways to discover drugs
should look at these animals,
na tieto zvieratá
how to treat our own diseases.
ako liečiť naše vlastné choroby.
monarch butterflies for the last 10 years.
študoval monarchy sťahovavé.
for their spectacular migrations
pre ich veľkolepé každoročné
down to Mexico every year,
že sú občas choré.
They get sick like me.
can tell us a lot about drugs
nám môže povedať mnoho
that monarchs get infected with
a mouthful.
na telách motýľov,
on the outside of the butterfly
in between the scales of the butterfly.
medzi šupinkami na krídlach.
to the monarch.
veľmi škodlivé účinky.
before they're even adults.
in the greenhouse growing plants,
mnoho času v skleníkoch,
are extremely picky eaters.
lebo tie sú extrémne vyberavé.
species of milkweed that they can use,
viacerými druhmi glejovky,
have cardenolides in them.
obsahujú kardenolidy.
but not to monarchs.
ale nie pre monarchy.
can take up the chemicals,
and it makes them toxic
a potom sú samy jedovaté
is advertise this toxicity
warning colorations
is grow plants in the greenhouse,
som pestoval v skleníku rastliny,
the tropical milkweed,
vrátane tropickej glejovky,
of these cardenolides.
týchto kardenolidov.
They had no disease.
some of these milkweeds are medicinal,
že toxické glejovky sú liečivé,
in the monarch butterflies,
chorôb u týchto motýľov,
when they are infected
it was a crazy idea,
že je to bláznivý nápad,
what if monarchs can use this?
as their own form of medicine?
ako vlastnú formu medicíny?
začal robiť pokusy.
started doing experiments.
and gave them a choice:
non-medicinal milkweed.
of each species over their lifetime.
počas svojho života zjedli.
in science, was boring:
výsledok bol nudný:
Fifty percent was not.
50 % neboli.
anything for their own welfare.
nič pre svoje vlastné blaho.
that can medicate their offspring.
on medicinal milkweed
na liečivé glejovky,
future offspring less sick?
bude menej choré?
over several years,
a monarch in a big cage,
a non-medicinal plant on the other side,
na druhej neliečivá –
that the monarchs lay on each plant.
nakladie na ktorú rastlinu.
is always the same.
strongly prefer the medicinal milkweed.
výrazne preferujú liečivé rastliny.
what these females are doing
of their eggs in the medicinal milkweed.
is they actually transmit the parasites
prenášajú parazity na vajíčka.
can lay their eggs on medicinal milkweed
svoje vajíčka na liečivé glejovky
future offspring less sick.
vďaka tomu menej choré.
important discovery, I think,
something cool about nature,
hovorí niečo super o prírode,
more about how we should find drugs.
ako hľadať nové lieky.
as very simple.
very sophisticated medication.
takto dômyselne liečiť.
most of our drugs
including plants,
vrátane rastlín,
at animals to find new drugs.
inšpirujú zvieratami.
how to treat stomach upset,
ako liečiť nevoľnosť,
how to treat bloody diarrhea.
ako liečiť krvavú hnačku.
though, is to move beyond
and give these guys more credit,
that we tend to think of
za veľmi jednoduchý,
with tiny little brains.
can also use medication
tiež vedia využívať liečivá,
we will be treating human diseases
budeme liečiť ľudské choroby
discovered by butterflies,
worth pursuing.
hodná nasledovania.
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