The Argonautic Expedition: The First Worldwide Naval Epic

The Greek mythology is widely acclaimed as one of the richest treasures of universal epics; the myth of the Argonautic Expedition is one of the most interesting Greek myths. Some scientific authorities hold the opinion that the story of the Argonauts was no more than an inspiring fairy-tale, while others insist, it was a real historical event. They believe that it took place in 1225 BC, and Colchis was a country located in the Caucasus Mountains, near today’s country of Georgia. After a life-long study of more than thirty years using ancient texts and information coming from nautical maps and geography, oceanography and other fields of science, we propose that the real events were quite different from the currently proposed location. The Argonauts, and ancient Greeks at large, wanted to find a sea route to transport silk textiles and new species from the Far East countries to Greece or at least to open the Overland Route leading from the Black Sea to the Far East. In addition, they wanted to transport to Greece silkworm eggs to cultivate silkworms in Greece and produce silk. They started their journey from Iolcus and travelled around the Globe; they reached Colchis, Aeëtes' land that was actually China. They took from China eggs of the wild Silkworm instead of the real one and, sailing through the Indian Ocean, reached Suez, where they were forced to pull their ship across the land to reach Tritonis Lake. From there, they exited into the Mediterranean and arrived at Iolcus, the city from which they started their journey. That journey was made by the Argonauts around 1510 BC. Presently, giving a plethora of bibliographic references, we shall carefully attempt to expose the real events that happened during those ancient times under the mission code name "transporting the Golden Fleece to Greece". We shall say, who did this perilous feat, when and where it happened, what was the real purpose of the Argonauts’ journey, which were the correct routes followed carefully by the Argonauts, what were the countries they crossed or visited and finally what the Argonauts accomplished with that journey.

Probing the potentiality of the defoliator Cricula trifenestrata Helfer silk: a revisit

Background Transformation of pest to valuable product is considered to be a noteworthy innovation. This article explores the potentiality of wild silkworm Cricula trifenestrata Helfer for sustainable development towards human livelihoods. Results The innate characteristics of this silkworm with robust rearing capacity have bestowed various aspects of biomaterials with special context to diversification of wild silk products. Views on challenges, prospects and the enigma of converting a pest to beneficial product are also unraveled. Exploration on utmost utilization of raw silk, scope for varied byproduct from silk waste may contribute a ray of hope for income generation to the rural population. Conclusion With suitable plantation and congenial climatic conditions for rearing Cricula trifenestrata may serve as an alternative wild silk in contributing to the country’s wild raw silk production.

Influence of humidity on feed utilization of Cricula trifenistrata (Helfer) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

The wild silkworm (Cricula trifenistrata) reared under nutritional humidity and environmental stress condition to determine growth and dietary efficiency, compared with a control indicated that consumption of leaves is significantly influenced by humidity.

Bioactive Secondary Metabolites of Wild Antheraea mylitta Silkworm Cocoons

The wild silkworm Antheraea mylitta is grown and cultivated in several parts of India ranging from Bihar to West Bengal and several parts of Telangana. The wild silkworm rearing has been a source of income for the tribal populations who rely on it as income source; the intervention of government agencies has increased the cultivation. Our research involves understanding the secondary metabolites in the silkworm Cocoons and elucidating how the pupa survives the harsh environment during pupal diapause of the insect. We have realized the role of insect repellent compounds and other metabolites and their interaction with the insect. Wild silkworm Cocoons are the specialized natural structures constructed by Antheraea mylitta silkworms. They are the protein composites of sericin and fibroin as a structural material. The silkworm cocoons are presumed to be evolved structures through the course of evolution over millions of years. This chapter focuses on Biophysical analysis of chemical compounds, proteins and other secondary metabolites traced in the Wild Antheraea mylitta Tasar cocoons which are predicted to be the key factors to achieve the unique structural and chemical barriers to protect the pupa within the cocoons.

A Comparative Study on the Dissolution of Argema mimosae Silk Fibroin and Fabrication of Films and Nanofibers

Limited studies have been done on silk fibroins of wild silkworm species owing to their relative insolubility in many solvents. In this study, the solubility of Argema mimosae wild silk fibroin in different salts (LiBr, LiCl, Ca(NO3)2, and CaCl2) dissolved in formic acid under varying temperatures was investigated. The dissolution conditions under which the solubility was optimum were optimized using a central composite design approach. The optimum range for solvation of the fibroin were visualized using contour plots. The influence of temperature and salt concentration were found to significantly influence the solvation of the fibroin. Following the successful dissolution of the fibroin, the regenerated silk fibroin solutions were cast to obtain water insoluble films which were used in investigating optimum electrospinning conditions. Average nanofiber diameters in the 110–141 nm range were obtained under optimum electrospinning conditions. The silk forms were characterized using the FTIR, TGA, XRD, and SEM to understand their properties. The investigations revealed that formic acid—salt solvents were effective in the solvation of the wild silk fibroin. Some of the dissolution conditions induced mild effects on the silk fibroin while others were harsh. Furthermore, processing to nanofibers resulted in the degradation of the β-sheets producing nanofibers rich in α-helices. However, post-treatment using methanol and water vapor were effective in restoring β-sheet crystallinity.

Genetic Mapping of Climbing and Mimicry: Two Behavioral Traits Degraded During Silkworm Domestication

Behavioral changes caused by domestication in animals are an important issue in evolutionary biology. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an ideal fully domesticated insect model for studying both convergent domestication and behavior evolution. We explored the genetic basis of climbing for foraging and mimicry, two degraded behaviors during silkworm domestication, in combination of bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and selection sweep screening. One candidate gene, ASNA1, located in the 3–5 Mb on chromosome 19, harboring a specific non-synonymous mutation in domestic silkworm, might be involved in climbing ability. This mutation was under positive selection in Lepidoptera, strongly suggesting its potential function in silkworm domestication. Nine candidate domesticated genes related to mimicry were identified on chromosomes 13, 21, and 27. Most of the candidate domesticated genes were generally expressed at higher levels in the brain of the wild silkworm. This study provides valuable information for deciphering the molecular basis of behavioral changes associated with silkworm domestication.

Investigation on the microstructural characteristics and quasi-static puncture resistance of both domesticated and wild silkworm cocoons

The very thin and lightweight silkworm cocoon has outstanding mechanical properties attributed to its specific composite microstructure. However, the microstructures of the cocoons have not been studied quantitatively, and their anti-puncture performance has not been examined as well. In this study, both domesticated ( Bombyx mori) and wild silkworm cocoons ( Antheraea pernyi, Antheraea mylitta and Samia canningi) were investigated for their microstructures using fractal theory, and their quasi-static puncture resistance was tested and compared. In addition, the effects of cocoon layers and hot-press treatments on the puncture resistance of two cocoon types ( B. mori and A. pernyi) were investigated. The three wild cocoons demonstrated significantly higher fractal dimensions, higher fiber intersectional densities and low porosities, indicating their structures are more optimized. They also displayed better puncture resistance than B. mori. Increased layer numbers could significantly increase the puncture resistance of both cocoon types and A. pernyi showed more remarkable increases. Moreover, the two cocoon types showed optimum puncture resistance after heat treatment with hot-press temperature of 135℃ and pressure of 25 MPa, and A. pernyi showed better puncture resistance after such treatment. Finally, both the maximum puncture force and puncture energy of cocoons displayed a linear increase with the increasing fractal dimensions. The new insights can guide the development of novel protective fiber composites with desirable and predictable anti-puncture performance.