Grubbing In The Filth: An Invertebrate Podcast

The Antarctic Midge and Cold Tolerance with Nick Teets

May 03, 2021 Grubbing In The Filth Season 1 Episode 15
Grubbing In The Filth: An Invertebrate Podcast
The Antarctic Midge and Cold Tolerance with Nick Teets
Show Notes

What does it take it be the Antarctic's only endemic insect? How do insects survive Antarctic winters, and extreme conditions? In this episode, Tom chats with Nick Teets, Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky, to discuss the antarctic midge (belgica antarctica) and other cold-tolerant, extremophile insects. We discover the survival strategies employed by these bizarre, wingless flies; the creatures which make the antarctic midge look soft; and the implications for research into cold tolerance.