Arthro-Pod EP 91: The Haitian Revolution and Insects Pt. 2

In this episode, we wrap up the story of the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint Louverture consolidated power in the colony and drafted a new Constitution, in response to which Napoleon sent a massive French to bring Saint-Domingue back under French control. Much like the British before them, the French troops were decimated by yellow fever and so were not strong enough to put down the revolt that broke out when it was discovered that Napoleon planned to reimpose slavery in the colony. 

We also discuss yellow fever virus, including the disease it causes, how it came to the Americas, and the mosquito that vectors it.

Engraving of Toussaint Louverture by J. Barry, published by James Cundee, after M. Rainsford line engraving, published circa 1800-1825. Via  the National Portrait Gallery (NPG D15719), used under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license.

 

Portrait of General Gabriel-Marie-Théodore-Joseph, comte d'Hédouville by Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin (1835). Via wikimedia, in the public domain. 

Sketch of General Hédouville by an unknown artist. Via wikimedia, in the public domain

Sketch of André Rigaud by an unknown artist. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The Constitution of Year VIII, which stated that the colonies would be ruled by "special laws". Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The Constitution of Saint-Domingue (1801), which installed Toussaint Louverture as governor for life. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Engraving of General Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc by Jean-Baptiste Réville in "France militaire: histoire des armées françaises de terre et de mer de 1792 à 1837" (1838) by A. Hugo. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Painting of General Leclerc by François Kinson (1804). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Polish legionaries in Saint Domingue, by January Suchodolski (1854). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Public mural of Jean Jaques Dessalines in Port-au-Prince. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

Engraving of Jean Jaques Dessalines in "Dictionnaire géographique et administratif universel d'Haïti" (1892) by S. Rouzier. Original held and digitized by the British Library. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 Portrait of Henry I, King of Haiti (Henri Chrisophe), probably by Johann Gottfried Eiffe (1817). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 Engraving of Henri Christophe in "Dictionnaire géographique et administratif universel d'Haïti" (1892) by S. Rouzier. Original held and digitized by the British Library. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the vector of yellow fever virus. Photograph by Muhammad Mahdi Karim, via wikimedia, used under a GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

Yellow fever mosquito feeding on a human. Photograph by James Gathany, CDC. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Transmission cycles of yellow fever. Graphic via the CDC, in the public domain.

 

Illustration of a man sick with yellow fever, from the broadside "'Death of Aurelio Caballero due to yellow fever in Veracruz" (1892) by José Guadalupe Posada. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 

The Louisiana Territory, which Napoleon sold to the United States after he lost the colony of Saint-Domingue and abandoned his plans of a Caribbean-based empire. Graphic by William Morris via Wikimedia, used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

 

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 90: Meet Dr. Ana Maria Velez Arango!

 

Jody interviewed Dr. Ana Maria Velez Arango, who is a small but mighty assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ana discusses her background, growing up as a young naturalist in Colombia and her journey as an undergraduate in majoring into biology to becoming known for her work in molecular biology, insect toxicology, insecticide resistance, RNAi technology and how it relates to insect behavior, physiology, and population genetics. Aside from many professional endeavors, Ana is an advocate for students, women scientists, mental health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, professional development for early career professionals, and rescue dogs. 

Dr. Ana Velez and her dogs, Berdie and Peepers

Images to accompany the time when Ana felt like a Mad Scientist when she knocked down one gene to turn western corn rootworm larvae into hunchbacks

Show Notes 

The Velez Arango Lab 

https://www.veleztoxicologylab.com/ 

Dr. Ana Maria Velez 

https://entomology.unl.edu/dr-ana-maria-velez 

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

Get the show through Apple Podcasts!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 89: The Haitian Revolution (Part 3 of the Napoleon vs Insects Series)

 

In this episode we discuss the stress factors in the French sugar colony of Saint-Domingue that led to the Haitian revolution, including slavery and the racial apartheid system; how the Haitian revolution was intertwined with and influenced by the French Revolution; the decimation of British troops by yellow fever and the failed British invasion of Saint-Domingue; and the rise of Toussaint Louverture, whose actions would provoke Napoleon into invading Saint-Domingue.

The island of Hispaniola is dominated by tall, east-west running mountains.

Map of the provinces of French Saint-Dominuge, showing the relative locations of the North, West, and South.

"Napoleon Bonaparte in the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud" by François Bouchot

"Mortals are equal, it is not birth, but virtue alone that makes the difference". There was an abolotionist movement among the French aristocracy prior to the French and Haitian Revolutions, as illustrated by this illustration.

"Burning of the Plaine du Cap - Massacre of whites by the blacks". Most of the contemporary illustrations of the Haitian Revolution were produced by  Europeans and show Black slaves murdering White planters. While such atrocaties happened, such skewed presentations that did not include the brutality the former slaves faced, helped skew public opinion outside of Saint Domingue against the slaves. 

Illustration of jungle fighting between French troops and Black former slaves. "Saint Domingue: Capture of Ravine-à-Couleuvres"

"Portrait of Léger-Félicité Sonthonax (1763-1813)" by an unknown painter. 

"Toussaint Louverture" by Alexandre-François-Louis, comte de Girardin, painted posthumously.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 88: Periodical cicada BROOD X Quiz Bowl!

 The Arthro-Pod crew is super excited about the emergence of the periodical cicadas known as Brood X this year! To celebrate Jody created a quiz competition for Mike and Jonathan to face off through! The questions can be found on Kahoot if you would like to give it a shot! Just look for the Periodical Cicada Quiz with 26 questions. Tune in to learn about the cicadas coming out this year and get excited to go find them!

The cicadas are here! Photo by Daniel Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org 

Show notes

Periodical Cicadas the Brood X Edition by Gene Kritsky
Check out this Scientific American article that talks about the important contributions of Margaretta Hare Morris to our understanding of cicadas

The University of Connecticut houses a lot of great info on the distribution of cicadas

o   https://cicadas.uconn.edu/broods/ 

Cicada Mania is a resource everyone should check out if they are interested in these awesome creatures. In particular look at their pages on cicada biology/natural history and discussions on the broods

o   https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/how-many-kinds-of-cicadas-are-there/

Finally, please consider downloading and using the Cicada Safari app if you get to go out and look for these screaming teenage bugs!

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

Get the show through Apple Podcasts!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 87: Napoleon versus Insects Part 2

 Hello everyone and welcome back to Arthro-Pod! On today's show, we enter Egypt in part two of our four part series on the history of insects messing with Napoleon. This one has it all, imperialism, plague, war, and intriguing ideas on the origins of issues with the Black Death. Tune in to learn more!

Map of Ottoman Egypt and Syria, showing cities where major events happened during the French Invasion. From The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd (1926).  Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 The Battle of the Pyramids (1808) by Louis-François Lejeune, who was a French general, painter, and lithographer. While Lejeune was not present at the battle and the painting is stylized, his military training informs many aspects of the piece, including the accurate depiction of the French square and the far distance to the pyramids, which were often made to appear much closer by other painters. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Battle of the Nile, Augt 1st 1798, by Thomas Whitcombe,  published as plate 26 in James Jenkin's Naval Achievements of Great Britain from the Year 1793 to 1817. The British fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson bears down upon the anchored French fleet in Abukir Bay.  Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The Destruction of "L'Orient" at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798, by George Arnald (1825-27).  Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Napoleon in Cairo, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1863).  Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Napoleon visiting the plague victims of Jaffa by Antoine-Jean Gros (1804).   Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

La Bataille du mont Tabor, en Syrie, le 27 germinal an VI by Louis François Lejeune (1808).  Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Photograph of buboes on the leg of a person who has contracted bubonic plague. Via the CDC Public Health Library, in the public domain.

Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopsis), one of the main vectors of plague bacteria. Micrograph by James Gathany, CDC. Image in the public domain.

Human  louse (Pediculus humanus), which was an important vector of plague bacteria during the Black Death, which swept across Europe.

A black rat (Rattus rattus), which was the main host of plague bacteria on ships during the three Plague Pandemics, showing off the arboreal nature of the species.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 86: Conserving the American Burying Beetle with Dr. Carmen Greenwood

 Hello bug lovers! Today we're happy to welcome Dr. Carmen Greenwood of SUNY Cobleskill to the show. Dr. Greenwood recently received funding to help reintroduce the American burying beetle to New York state and this is a very exciting development in the conservation of this amazing insect. Tune in to learn about the history of the American burying beetle, its unique biology, and what steps are involved in a conservation project like this!

Show Notes

Press release on the grant: https://web.cobleskill.edu/media/2021/02/10/suny-cobleskill-receives-grant-from-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-to-reintroduce-american-burying-beetle-in-new-york-state/ 

American burying beetle info: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7124.html

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 85: Napoleon versus Insects Part 1

 

Hello bug lovers! Today is the first part in a multi-part series that will focus on the history of Napoleon Bonaparte and his very special interactions with insects and the pathogens they may harbor. 

This is a labor of love from host Michael Skvarla and this first episode is a prelude of sorts. Tune in to learn about the context in which Napoleon ascends to power, thus being informed for the future episodes that will have more entomology flavor to them. 

Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1792,  aged 23, as lieutenant-colonel of a battalion of Corsican Republican volunteers, by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux.

Show notes and images

James Gillray's policital cartoons helped cement the image of Napoleon as a short, angry man in the public imagination. Shown here is "Maniac-raving's-or-Little Boney in a strong fit", which is characteristic of Gillray's depictions of Napoleon.

Portrait of King Louis XVI by Antoine-François Callet.

The regional Parlements in 1789. Note the extreme differences in size between the various Parlements.

Opening of the Estates General on May 5, 1789 in the Grands Salles des Menus-Plaisirs in Versailles

The storming of the Bastille, an important turning point during the French Revolution. By Jean-Pierre Houël.

King Louis XVI and his family, dressed as bourgeois, arrested during the Flight to Varrens. By Thomas Falcon Marshall.

Bonaparte at the Siege of Toulon, 1793, by Édouard Detaille.

Napoleon quelling of the Royalist revolt of 13 Vendémiaire using well-placed cannon fire and a "whiff of grapeshot". By Charles Monnet.

Napoleon at the Battle of Rivoli, one of the most important battles during the Italian campaign. Painting by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux, 1845.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0