What is Digg?42 Comments
- angiepow3, on 04/21/2008, -3/+13I am sure insects, like birds and other wildlife, can show us a lot if people are willing to pay attention. This is an interesting article.
- Kenzan, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6"Would you be alarmed if 30 percent of your neighbors disappeared? Would you panic if 70 percent vanished without a trace?"
I believe in such an event, a small party would be in order. - Ranvier, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5Welcome to high school biology!
- burningmanstan, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4It is extremely costly and time consuming to constantly sample stream water all over the country. Water sampling also only gives you a picture of what the water is like on the day of sampling (water quality can vary greatly day to day). Using macroinvertebrates (bugs) provides a much more accurate picture of trends in water quality over longer periods of time. This is not a new technique and it has been a very reliable solution to monitoring all of the streams in the US and around the world. Of course drinking water is tested in the lab all the time.
- killbert24, on 04/21/2008, -3/+7I can imagine how seeing a bug immediately die once it touches your water supply MIGHT indicate that something is awry.
- fusiachi, on 04/21/2008, -1/+4You see, any one specific species does not an accurate picture make. Freshmen EnviSci courses 'round here often drag riverbeds for Macroinvertebrates. A water quality evaluation is based upon the presence (or absence) of a variety of species, depending on area. Some thrive in oxygen-rich environments, others are intolerant of high nitrogen (usually, via fertilizers) levels. Any analysis should be holistic, and not some single-variable "we have mayflies" nonsense.
- Amazetbm, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Yeah like when when the animals ran for the high ground well before that Tsunami hit.
- rcolson9333, on 04/22/2008, -1/+3yah. F them Fers.
- KingGorilla, on 04/22/2008, -0/+2amoebas are a good sign of clean water
- mountvale, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I can has clean water?
- stinger666, on 04/22/2008, -0/+2Who else was expecting pics of mutant critters?
- rcolson9333, on 04/22/2008, -0/+2or you could just feed the water to newborns. duh.
- killbert24, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Lol. Maybe the bugs are tinier so they die easier and quicker than, say, a hippo. You do make a provocative point though.
- inactive, on 04/21/2008, -3/+5It's probably polluted now after those things shat in my water.
- killbert24, on 04/21/2008, -3/+4I don't know why you're being dugg up and me down. If people read the article they'd realize that it says that the scientists look to see if the bugs are dying in water. If they are, it means it's polluted. If the water doesn't have any bugs at all, you're most definitely *****.
- 3leggedHorse, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1yeah and their children cause they stink of pig ***** and need to be left alone with some paedos.
- 3leggedHorse, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1So you would be happy about that then would you.
- inactive, on 04/21/2008, -2/+3"The animals are always the first to know..." - Homer Simpson
- threemagic, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1We pay attention all the time. We make a lot of assumptions based on what they do as well...
- Emmo213, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1It still freaks me out when I'm driving and I can hear my car rolling over the bugs. I've even seen the road get slippery with so many dead bugs on the ground. It's by far one of the biggest disadvantages to living on the shore of Lake Erie.
- soupdawg30, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1Guess our water here is fine. Damn Mayflies are everywhere...
- zjbird, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I'd rather they didn't..
- mountvale, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I have mouths. And I shat. What does that mean?
- itstodd, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1naw, my water good. But this damn global beer warming has got to be stopped.
- mountvale, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1That means there's clean water around.
- MedicalMatt, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Obviously these things cant be used as bio-markers in every climate. Does anyone know what climate they live in or other insects for other climates?
- maaaaark, on 04/21/2008, -6/+7I'm pretty sure my water is polluted when I have little critters chilling in it.
- jtien2, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1mayfly adults don't have mouths and don't shat.
- therusher, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1If you step on mayflies(the bug in the picture) they make a popping noise. Fun stuff when they infest an area and there are thousands of em
- Xoti, on 04/21/2008, -1/+1Why not use any living thing,just throw it in the water if it dies its polluted.
- rwblackbird, on 04/22/2008, -0/+0Variations of the same insects (same families, different genera) can be found in most areas. The specifics of which species indicate clean water would probably vary from location to location. And thank you for giving me a chance to use that dusty old aquatic entomology degree!
- vagabond45, on 04/22/2008, -0/+0mmm... I'll trust nature before I believe scientists and lab tests. They change their minds about what is good or bad for you on a regular basis. So, bugs that act like the canary in the mine...works for me.
- inactive, on 04/21/2008, -6/+4A little bit of pollution is good, it only makes you stronger. But do you really want to rely on bugs instead of high-tech machines when it comes to the safety of your drinking water?
- 0crabby0, on 04/21/2008, -4/+2Inaccurate, We have mayflies in our river - Even around a EPA Superfund site.
- 3leggedHorse, on 04/21/2008, -5/+1 Here is no *****, I checked my ice cube tray and some ice cubes had sort of evaporated, and left behind was a powdery substance.
I then tasted it and it tasted of salt. I don't pay for water in my apartment block it comes with the rent. And because of this i am running water from one tap all the time (about one pint every three seconds) so some ***** is gonna pay for it.
This tainted water stuff is another reason Humans are on there way out, fools who the ***** do these idiots doing this ***** think they are.
***** die scum and I am going to be pissing on you ***** as you die. - zachriggle, on 04/21/2008, -7/+2s/contribute/attribute
- inactive, on 04/21/2008, -7/+2"Would you be alarmed if 30 percent of your neighbors disappeared? Would you panic if 70 percent vanished without a trace?"
Not really. I have a very large car trunk. Bada bing, bada boom! Forget 'bout it! - bigbill780, on 04/21/2008, -7/+2Or you could just have your water tested in a lab? Its not very expensive.
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