"750-Legged Beast" Topic of Tomorrow's 'Science Talk'

On Thursday, January 9 at 6 p.m., Dr. Paul Marek, professor and entomologist at Virginia Tech, will present "Glow-in-the-Dark Millipedes: Appalachian mimicry rings and the 750-legged beast" as part of the museum's ‘2nd Thursday Science Talks' series. Each presentation within the series is free and open to the public thanks to generous donations to the VMNH Foundation Discovery Fund.

During the presentation, Dr. Marek will introduce the fascinating biodiversity of millipedes, which includes the leggiest animal on the planet, those that squirt toxic cyanide, and species that glow bright green at night. Additionally, Dr. Marek will discuss his research on the evolution of bioluminescence, mimicry rings, and other unique adaptations of millipedes.

The museum's ‘2nd Thursday Science Talks' take place on the second Thursday of every month now through May 8, 2014. Presenters include museum curators, university professors and VMNH research associates who bring to the audience a unique topic each month relative to people's lives.