Bee Buzz--- Newly discovered "Ant-like" desert bees!!!

Researchers from Utah State University have reported the identification of nine new species of desert bees under the genus Perdita, including two "ant-like" males.

The research was led by entomologist Zach Portman, Utah State University, who discussed in details about desert bees in the journal Zootaxa (December 23, 2016). His co-researchers including Terry Griswold, USDA-ARS Research Unit of Utah and John Neff, Melittological Institute in Austin. The research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded in 2011 and a Desert Legacy Grant from the Community Foundation.

Source: www.bestanimations.com

The unexpected finds of the research are the ant-like males of two of the species which are completely different in appearance from their mates. "It's unclear why these males have this unique form, but it could indicate they spend a lot of time in the nest. Understanding their nesting biology may clear this confusion", Portman said. 

According to Portman, these solitary bees are not major pollinators of agricultural crops but play an important role in the natural ecosystem of the American Southwest, including the sizzling sand dunes of California's Death Valley. "Their activity during the hottest part of the day may be avoiding predators", researchers add. Portman tracks the bees by observing their buzzing shadows in the blinding, midday sunlight the minuscule insects tend to favour. 

Some of the bees, exclusively found in North America, have scientific names inspired by Shakespearean characters, like Perdita titania, named after the fairy queen from A Midsummer Night's Dream. The activity of the elusive and tiny insects appear to be important pollinators of desert plants commonly known as "Crinklemats". Flowering plants of the genus Tiquilia, Crinklemats grow low to the ground and sport very small flowers. "The bees must squeeze into the long, narrow corollas and dunk their heads into the flowers to extract the pollen" said Portman.

The scientists report the female bees use pollen collected from the flowers to build up supply to nourish the young ones. Once the pollen provision is completed, the bees lay their eggs on the stash and leave their offspring to fend for themselves. The bees have developed a special adaptation, "hair basket", with inward facing, hooked hairs, that allows them to collect pollen as they dive into a flower. It is still unknown if the bees use their legs to scoop the pollen into the basket or simply use their heads.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161227110229.htm

Credit: Zach Portman/Utah State University

"There is still a lot of unknowns". Though declined in the bee populations have heightened awareness of the importance of pollinating insects to the world's food supply, numerous bee species remain poorly understood, the researchers pointed out. 




References:
Times of India :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/new-species-of-ant-like-desert-bees-found/articleshow/56156302.cms
Science Daily : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161227110229.htm
Tech Times: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/190114/20161227/9-new-species-of-desert-bees-identified-one-ant-like-in-appearance.htm
Journal Reference: Zachary M. Portman, John L. Neff, Terry Griswold. Taxonomic revision of Perdita subgenus Heteroperdita Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), with descriptions of two ant-like males. Zootaxa, 2016; 4214 (1): 1

Air Into Fuel

After some intense research, scientists have finally demonstrated the direct conversion of CO₂ to methanol (CH₃OH) using a homogenous catalyst.  

The study was led by G. K. Surya Prakash, a chemistry professor at the University of Southern California, along with the Nobel laureate George A. Olah, a distinguished professor at the University of Southern California. The researchers have published their paper on the CO₂ to methanol conversion process in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"Direct CO2 capture and conversion to methanol using molecular hydrogen in the same pot was never achieved before," lead researcher G. K. Surya Prakash, from the University of Southern California, told Phys.org. "We have now done it!" 

The major breakthrough in the study was identifying the catalyst which speeds up the reaction and does not degrade at high temperature required for the process. Majority of the catalysts did not work beyond the formic acid stage. The catalyst, based on metal ruthenium, is a homogenous catalyst, i.e, it is in the same phase as CO₂ and hydrogen reacts with. Due to this fact, CO₂ does not need to be transformed after it is captured from the air and be simple added to Hydrogen gas. The catalyst can function at high temperature (decomposes at 155⁰C) and does not lose its efficiency_. The catalyst can also reduce the carbamates or alkylammonium bicarbonates directly to methanol.

The process:

Air is bubbled through an aqueous solution of pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA), which is a polyamine and a catalyst is added to stimulate hydrogen to latch onto CO₂ (atmospheric- 400ppm) under pressure.

The solution is heated at high temperature (≈150⁰C), and around 79% of CO₂ is converted to methanol. Methanol at this stage is mixed with water, which can be easily separated through simple distillation.

The reaction is as follows:

References:
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/01/fuel-air-carbon-dioxide-capture-methanol-renewable-energy
http://phys.org/news/2016-01-carbon-dioxide-captured-air-methanol.html
http://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-can-now-convert-captured-co2-directly-into-methanol-fuel