MORIARTY SCIENCE SEMINAR: GLOW-IN-THE-DARK MILLIPEDES, MIMICRY RINGS, AND THE 1,306-LEGGED MILLIPEDE

Speaker: Paul Marek, Virginia Tech.

A myriapod is a many-legged arthropod in the subphylum Myriapoda. They include centipedes, millipedes, and the poorly known symphylans and pauropods. They are an ancient group, andthe first evidence of land animals are late Silurian fossil millipedes from 425 million years ago. Among the notable species of myriapods are those that glow in the dark, are walking gardens of mosses and liverworts, and some that roll up into a baseball-sized sphere for defense against predators. Dr. Marek will present highlights of his laboratory’s research on myriapods, which includes studies of bioluminescent millipedes and the animal with the greatest number of legs—a millipede discovered in Australia with 1306 legs. Details will include collaborative projects with graduate students in the lab and colleagues across the world. He hopes to show the significance of myriapods, and the importance of international collaboration and open science.

This event will take place Monday, January 22, 2024 at Noon in person at Earth Theater.

Seminar 164