Leg

• One of the few Cretaceous age deposits that’s been discovered in Africa is at Botswana’s Orapa Diamond Mine.
• Recently a team I lead discovered two new species of rove beetles preserved in the sediments of the Orapa Diamond Mine.
• Rove beetles are typically identified by their unique short elytra (protective wing cases) which expose the rest of the abdomen.
• Our finds are the first fossil rove beetles ever discovered on the continent and in the southern hemisphere.
• The fossils closely resemble today’s rove beetles, showing how successful they’ve been in adapting to various environments without significant changes to their bodies.

Identifying the fossils

• We found the fossils in lacustrine sediments (deposits that accumulate in lake environments).
• Afristenus orapensis belongs to the stenine rove beetle subgroup while Paleothius mckayi belongs to the subgroup staphylinine.
• The stenine rove beetle was previously described in Russia, France and Myanmar while the staphylinine rove beetle was previously described in Russia, China, Myanmar and England.
• So we scoured research articles about fossils of a similar age that have already been studied elsewhere for comparative purposes.

More to find

• We are currently studying each specimen and preparing academic manuscripts that describe what we’ve found.
• My hope is that more money will be invested in training more palaeoentomologists in South Africa and on the continent more broadly.
• The study of fossil insects and plants is an important way to preserve our beloved continent’s heritage.

Sandiso Mnguni receives funding from GENUS (Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences - UID 86073). He is affiliated with the Sophumelela Youth Development Programme (SYDP).

• The LSU researchers propose decreasing the cost of the nootkatone synthesis, making any products made with the compound affordable to the general public.
• “The family of compounds that make up nootkatone is already proven to be both safer and more effective than existing commercial repellents,” principal investigator Dooley said.
• Years ago, Laine discovered the efficacy of nootkatone as an insect repellent while collaborating with retired LSU AgCenter Entomologist Gregg Henderson in Laine’s lab.
• Mosquito nets could be covered with it, or they could have cloth ankle bands with nootkatone so ticks can’t crawl up your leg.

• Both Atlanta-based, Alloy is Purpose Group’s second portfolio company.
• “The investment from Purpose Group is more than just growth capital,” said Alloy CEO Raj Choudhury.
• Purpose Group’s investment in Alloy will go directly to value creation - fueling the agency’s strong go-to-market and corporate growth strategies.
• “For over a decade, Alloy has been at the forefront of marketing innovation,” Purpose Group’s largest investor David Cummings said.

• The USO Gala, on April 11 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., will also recognize Steve Cannon, Vice Chairman of AMB Sports and Entertainment, Army veteran and member of the USO Global Advisory Council, with the USO Merit Award.
• Steve Cannon, who will receive the USO Merit Award, serves as Vice Chairman of AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE), a for-profit holding group under the Arthur M. Blank Family of Businesses.
• The USO Service Members of the Year were nominated by command leadership from each military branch and final selections were made by a USO committee.
• For more information about the 2024 USO Service Members of the Year, visit https://www.uso.org/stories/3733-meet-the-2024-uso-service-members-of-th...