Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Ruined Lunch
11 June 2018

Ruined Lunch

When an animal lays an egg, she provides her unborn offspring with the ultimate packed lunch. The egg yolk is crammed full of nutrients needed to develop life from scratch. Precisely how these life-sustaining materials are created, accumulated, and gradually served up to a developing embryo is unclear, and of surprising significance to human health. Chagas disease – which kills thousands in Central and South America annually – is transmitted by the egg-laying ‘kissing bug’, Rhodnius prolixus. Researchers investigating how yolk is created and consumed identified a particular gene that seems crucial. If this gene is blocked, the insects’ ovaries were misshapen and discoloured (right, close-up at the bottom, compared to healthy ovaries on the left). The red colour is caused by a typical yolk protein, showing that without this gene the yolk lacks key ingredients. Could this revelation help control the biting bug population, and be the kiss of death for Chagas disease?

Written by Anthony Lewis

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.