How a Yukon entomologist's fascination with beetle genitalia inspired an art project
A retired Yukon-based entomologist is finding artistic inspiration in the tiniest and most private of places: beetle genitalia.
Benoit Godin has been studying aleocharine rove beetles for 18 years. The insects spend most of their time in the litter layer of soil and can be found all across North America, including in the Yukon. In the sub-arctic region alone, there are 238 different aleocharine sub-families.
"They're really abundant — but nobody knows them," Godin said.
It's a testy situation for entomologists. The lack of knowledge is due to the fact that the insects are one of the most difficult-to-identify groups of beetles in the world. Most aleocharine beetles are roughly the same colours, same shape and same length (around half a centimetre).
However, there is one way to accurately identify these insects: by examining their genitals.
That's what inspired Godin's idea of depicting some of these beetle bits as large glass sculptures. An exhibition of his collaborative artworks opens in Whitehorse this coming week.
The different sub-families of aleocharine beetles have unique genitalia. Godin compares the private parts to neon art.
"To me, looking at them all these years, it always looked like neon signs and glasses ... so that's why I thought the medium of glass would be just the perfect one," he said.
To make the project possible, he enlisted the help of Luann Baker-Johnson who is the co-creator and artist behind Lumel Studios, a glass-blowing studio in downtown Whitehorse.
Baker-Johnson said she had no hesitation about collaborating on the project.
"When somebody comes to you with such an incredible dream and is so excited about it … there's no question about not saying, 'let's do it.'"
'What glass does not want to do'
Although drawn to the medium of glass, Godin does not have the glass blowing skills required to fulfil his creative vision. So, for this collaboration, he has acts as the eyes, while Baker-Johnson and her team serve as the hands.
Godin selects which aleocharine genitalia the team will attempt to replicate, and the artists at Lumel Studios then create it — with his careful supervision.
Baker-Johnson says the collaboration has pushed her to try new things with the medium.
"We're making glass do what glass does not want to do," she said.
A plan is made before they start. Godin creates a large plaster version of the genitals to help the Lumel team visualize how they will recreate it with glass. On one occasion, Godin brought in a microscope and slides of aleocharine genitalia for the artists to examine.
The glass blowing team then sketches out the shape of each part in chalk on the concrete floor of the studio, to be referenced throughout the glass blowing process. Each sculpture usually involves multiple pieces of glass being made simultaneously and then fused into one.
Godin hopes to have 15 glass sculptures in total. Once completed, the glass genitalia will be displayed in an exhibit at the Yukon Arts Centre.
Mary Bradshaw, director of visual arts for the Arts Centre, said it was Benoit's and Baker-Johnson's "sheer level of enthusiasm" that sold her.
"I'm like, this show has to happen, this has to be shared with the public … it is such a cool way to bridge art and science."
The exhibition will open on March 6.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Canada Standard
Antarctic seafloor at risk as ship anchors crush unique marine life: study
WELLINGTON, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Ship anchors are causing significant damage to the fragile Antarctic seafloor, crushing unique marine life and leaving long-lasting scars, a new study revealed on Monday. Video footage from 36 Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island sites shows that ship anchoring leaves areas nearly lifeless, with crushed sponges and scarred seafloor, while nearby undisturbed zones remain biodiverse, according to scientists from New Zealand, Canada and the United States. "Anchoring impacts are understudied and underestimated globally. It's so important to recognize and mitigate the impacts across all industries and limit planned anchoring," said the study's co-author Sally Watson, a marine geophysicist at New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. Using underwater cameras, the research found that the problem is growing as shrinking sea ice opens up more of Antarctica to cruise, research, fishing, and private vessels, the scientists said, adding that anchor damage is almost entirely unregulated in Antarctica, despite strict conservation rules for other activities. During the 2022-2023 Antarctic summer, at least 195 ships anchored in Antarctic waters, likely underestimating the true number, said the study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science. Footage revealed crushed ancient sponges and a lack of benthic animals in disturbed areas, while undamaged sites were rich in unique, slow-growing species highly vulnerable to such impacts. While research on anchor impacts is increasing in tropical reefs, Watson highlighted a major knowledge gap in Antarctica. Each vessel anchoring in 30-40 meters of water could disturb at least 1,600 meters of seabed, not accounting for additional damage from chains dragging if ships move, she said. Scientists caution that recovery from seafloor damage in Antarctica could take decades or longer, as similar harm in warmer regions has persisted for over ten years. The loss of sponges and other seafloor life disrupts key ecosystem functions like water filtration, carbon storage, and habitat provision, threatening the broader Antarctic food web, including species such as penguins and seals that draw tourists, said the study's lead author, Matthew Mulrennan, who founded the California-based ocean exploration and conservation nonprofit KOLOSSAL. "Anchoring is likely the most overlooked ocean conservation issue in terms of global seafloor disruption; it is on par with the damages from bottom trawling," Mulrennan said.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Toronto Star
Coal mines on Alberta's eastern slopes could push fishery ‘beyond recovery': study
CALGARY - Old coal mines on the eastern slopes of the Alberta Rockies are leaching chemicals that are poisoning the fish downstream, says a new study by Alberta government scientists. It also suggests any new coal developments could result in 'population collapse' of fish species in a nearby lake. The findings were made in a provincial government study posted online May 27. The paper is awaiting peer review. The scientists who authored it were not made available to speak to reporters. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The other authors not employed by the province did not respond to requests for comment. Alberta has responded to the study with an advisory saying people should consider 'limiting consumption' of three fish species drawn from Crowsnest Lake, a fishing spot downstream from the coal mines. Those species were found to have dangerously high levels of selenium, a mineral found in coal-rich deposits, in their body tissue. The authors write the study shows that 'biological impacts of (mountaintop removal) coal mining can persist long after mining operations end.' They suggest that 'any further coal mine development may well push the Crowsnest fishery beyond sustainability.' The study comes after the Alberta Energy Regulator, or AER, granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes. The project was initially rejected in 2021 when a panel ruled the likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed potential economic benefits. But the regulator said last month it's possible there will be runoff from the nearby pit lake that Northback Holding Corp. is using. It ultimately concluded the project won't have any effect on the water quality downstream. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The AER said that 'out of an abundance of caution,' Northback will have to comply with a directive for managing drilling waste in response to concerns over selenium. The new study measured selenium levels in fish from Crowsnest Lake, which is fed by creeks connected to Tent Mountain and Grassy Mountain – both former coal mine sites. Alberta has a fish tissue selenium guideline of four micrograms per gram. The authors write that every single fish sample analyzed exceeded this value. Average selenium concentrations were highest in Brown Trout, coming in at 18 micrograms per gram. The authors write that the selenium levels could lead to 'behavioural changes, physical symptoms ... respiratory issues, reproductive issues and ultimately population collapse.' Accumulating fluid in body tissue or fin and tail damage are among other side effects. Most people are exposed to healthy levels of selenium through grains and flours, but Health Canada says elevated consumption can lead to hair loss, decreased cognitive function and gastrointestinal disorders. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The high selenium concentrations can only be explained by 'the incorporation of legacy coal mine pollution,' the authors write. The study goes on to say selenium levels in fish in Crowsnest Lake are similar to those found in water bodies near Fernie, B.C., that resulted in Teck Mining Company, which owned and operated a nearby mine, being forced in 2021 by B.C. provincial court to pay a $60 million fine – the largest fine ever imposed under the Fisheries Act. Fish populations in those mining-impacted streams were found in 2011 to have an average selenium concentration of 7.6 micrograms per gram. Nine years later, the adult westslope cutthroat population had suffered a 93 per cent decline, the study says. The authors conclude that factors including the emergence of Whirling Disease, drought conditions, high fishing activity — and now high selenium levels in fish — make the Crowsnest Lake and River 'an especially vulnerable system.' 'Any new development of coal mining along the eastern slopes may well push the Crowsnest fishery beyond recovery,' they write. Colin Cooke, one of the authors, published a 2024 study that found a former coal mine in the Crowsnest River watershed was releasing selenium to fish at rates more than dozens of times higher than federal and provincial guidelines. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Cooke is a senior aquatic scientist with the Alberta government, according to LinkedIn. Peter Doyle, CEO of Evolve Power Ltd., formerly Montem Resources Ltd., which previously sought to restart an old mine on Tent Mountain, said in an email that the company is complying with terms set out by the AER. 'As reflected in other work by the author, there are numerous contributors to water quality in the Crowsnest River valley, not related to Tent Mountain, including changes in upstream conditions, changes in weathering rates and other anthropogenic changes in the watershed,' Doyle wrote, referring to Cooke's 2024 study. That report notes those factors, among others, could be contributing to contaminant levels and concluded that coal mining activities in the Crowsnest River watershed 'have been impacting ecosystems downstream for decades.' Northback, in an email, wrote that Crowsnest Lake is unrelated to its Grassy Mountain project. 'However, with our own project, Northback is committed to adhering to the highest environmental standards and ensuring a safe water supply.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Ryan Fournier, press secretary for Alberta's environment ministry, deferred questions about monitoring and enforcement to the AER. He said the province is funding a series of studies and submitting them to peer-reviewed academic journals as the province revises its coal policy. He also said the authors were not available to speak to media because they 'are not trained spokespeople.' The AER told The Canadian Press that it has directed Evolve Power, the Tent Mountain owner, to submit a 'selenium management plan proposal' that targets reductions in selenium in mine-affected water. Evolve was to submit that plan by July 31 of last year, but the AER said it granted the company an extension to March 31, 2026. The energy regulator also said that while selenium levels are elevated, 'there is no evidence of non-compliance on monitoring or selenium management requirements at this time.' The province announced in December it would allow coal mining to take place in Alberta under certain conditions. However, it exempted Northback and Evolve Power's projects from those rules because they were considered 'advanced.' Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a statement that it doesn't comment on provincial permitting decisions and it hasn't been asked to review the local impacts to wildlife in the area. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Coal mines on Alberta's eastern slopes could push fishery ‘beyond recovery': study
CALGARY – Old coal mines on the eastern slopes of the Alberta Rockies are leaching chemicals that are poisoning the fish downstream, says a new study by Alberta government scientists. It also suggests any new coal developments could result in 'population collapse' of fish species in a nearby lake. The findings were made in a provincial government study posted online May 27. The paper is awaiting peer review. The scientists who authored it were not made available to speak to reporters. The other authors not employed by the province did not respond to requests for comment. Alberta has responded to the study with an advisory saying people should consider 'limiting consumption' of three fish species drawn from Crowsnest Lake, a fishing spot downstream from the coal mines. Those species were found to have dangerously high levels of selenium, a mineral found in coal-rich deposits, in their body tissue. The authors write the study shows that 'biological impacts of (mountaintop removal) coal mining can persist long after mining operations end.' They suggest that 'any further coal mine development may well push the Crowsnest fishery beyond sustainability.' The study comes after the Alberta Energy Regulator, or AER, granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes. The project was initially rejected in 2021 when a panel ruled the likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed potential economic benefits. But the regulator said last month it's possible there will be runoff from the nearby pit lake that Northback Holding Corp. is using. It ultimately concluded the project won't have any effect on the water quality downstream. The AER said that 'out of an abundance of caution,' Northback will have to comply with a directive for managing drilling waste in response to concerns over selenium. The new study measured selenium levels in fish from Crowsnest Lake, which is fed by creeks connected to Tent Mountain and Grassy Mountain – both former coal mine sites. Alberta has a fish tissue selenium guideline of four micrograms per gram. The authors write that every single fish sample analyzed exceeded this value. Average selenium concentrations were highest in Brown Trout, coming in at 18 micrograms per gram. The authors write that the selenium levels could lead to 'behavioural changes, physical symptoms … respiratory issues, reproductive issues and ultimately population collapse.' Accumulating fluid in body tissue or fin and tail damage are among other side effects. Most people are exposed to healthy levels of selenium through grains and flours, but Health Canada says elevated consumption can lead to hair loss, decreased cognitive function and gastrointestinal disorders. The high selenium concentrations can only be explained by 'the incorporation of legacy coal mine pollution,' the authors write. The study goes on to say selenium levels in fish in Crowsnest Lake are similar to those found in water bodies near Fernie, B.C., that resulted in Teck Mining Company, which owned and operated a nearby mine, being forced in 2021 by B.C. provincial court to pay a $60 million fine – the largest fine ever imposed under the Fisheries Act. Fish populations in those mining-impacted streams were found in 2011 to have an average selenium concentration of 7.6 micrograms per gram. Nine years later, the adult westslope cutthroat population had suffered a 93 per cent decline, the study says. The authors conclude that factors including the emergence of Whirling Disease, drought conditions, high fishing activity — and now high selenium levels in fish — make the Crowsnest Lake and River 'an especially vulnerable system.' 'Any new development of coal mining along the eastern slopes may well push the Crowsnest fishery beyond recovery,' they write. Colin Cooke, one of the authors, published a 2024 study that found a former coal mine in the Crowsnest River watershed was releasing selenium to fish at rates more than dozens of times higher than federal and provincial guidelines. Cooke is a senior aquatic scientist with the Alberta government, according to LinkedIn. Peter Doyle, CEO of Evolve Power Ltd., formerly Montem Resources Ltd., which previously sought to restart an old mine on Tent Mountain, said in an email that the company is complying with terms set out by the AER. 'As reflected in other work by the author, there are numerous contributors to water quality in the Crowsnest River valley, not related to Tent Mountain, including changes in upstream conditions, changes in weathering rates and other anthropogenic changes in the watershed,' Doyle wrote, referring to Cooke's 2024 study. That report notes those factors, among others, could be contributing to contaminant levels and concluded that coal mining activities in the Crowsnest River watershed 'have been impacting ecosystems downstream for decades.' Northback, in an email, wrote that Crowsnest Lake is unrelated to its Grassy Mountain project. 'However, with our own project, Northback is committed to adhering to the highest environmental standards and ensuring a safe water supply.' Ryan Fournier, press secretary for Alberta's environment ministry, deferred questions about monitoring and enforcement to the AER. He said the province is funding a series of studies and submitting them to peer-reviewed academic journals as the province revises its coal policy. He also said the authors were not available to speak to media because they 'are not trained spokespeople.' The AER told The Canadian Press that it has directed Evolve Power, the Tent Mountain owner, to submit a 'selenium management plan proposal' that targets reductions in selenium in mine-affected water. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Evolve was to submit that plan by July 31 of last year, but the AER said it granted the company an extension to March 31, 2026. The energy regulator also said that while selenium levels are elevated, 'there is no evidence of non-compliance on monitoring or selenium management requirements at this time.' The province announced in December it would allow coal mining to take place in Alberta under certain conditions. However, it exempted Northback and Evolve Power's projects from those rules because they were considered 'advanced.' Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a statement that it doesn't comment on provincial permitting decisions and it hasn't been asked to review the local impacts to wildlife in the area. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
