The Cochineal, Dactylopius coccus, is a scale insect in the suborder
Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colored dye, carmine, is
derived. D. coccus itself is native to tropical and subtropical South
America and Mexico. A primarily sessile parasite, this insect lives on
cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients.
The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other
insects. Carminic acid can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs
to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal). Carmine is primarily
used as a food colouring and for cosmetics. After synthetic pigments
and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century,
natural-dye production gradually diminished. Health fears over
artificial food additives, however, have renewed the popularity of
cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the
insect profitable again. Cochineal dyes have health risks. Unlike
hypothetical risks extrapolated from tests on other species (rats),
Cochineal-based dyes and derivatives cause allergic reactions in no
more than 1 in 10,000 consumers. The Center for Science in the Public
Interest has called on the FDA to remove insect-based dyes from the
approved list of dyes.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
301:
San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's
oldest republic still in existence, was founded by Saint Marinus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marino>
590:
Gregory I became pope, the first one to come from a monastic
background.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I>
1260:
Egyptian Mamluks defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in
Palestine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ain_Jalut>
1783:
Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris,
formally ending the American Revolutionary War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_%281783%29>
1901:
The National Flag of Australia, a Blue Ensign defaced with the
Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross, flew for the first time atop
the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia>
1976:
The NASA Viking 2 spacecraft landed at Utopia Planitia on Mars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_2>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wanton (adj):
1. Lewd, immoral; sexually open/free.
2. Capriciously violent; malicious without provocation; acting without
regard for the law or the well-being of others.
3. Abundant and luxuriant, without restraint.
4. Playful; overly happy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wanton>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The old poets little knew what comfort they could be to a man.
--Sarah Orne Jewett
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Orne_Jewett>
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