Waterproof eggs let insects conquer dry land.

What is it about?

Three quarters of all species are insects and this enormous diversity is attributed to the incredible ability of insects to adapt to any circumstance. Insects are one of the first land animals; an important adaptation to terrestrial life was the evolution of a waterproof cuticle (skin). In this paper we show that insect eggs also produce a waterproof cuticle themselves and that this might have attributed to their enormous success.

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Why is it important?

Although the existence of a cuticle in the egg was known, no experimental proof existed due to the inability to remove this cuticle without killing the embryo in the progress. We use modern molecular methods to genetically prevent the development of this cuticle and show for the first time that this cuticle is indeed essential for egg survival in dry circumstances.