He has been engaged in entomological research for more than 30 years, using fossils to explore the secrets of the ancient world, restoring the cries of insects 165 million years ago, shocking major media at home and abroad; he has delved into the world of science and has discovered the world's earliest pollinators, mimetic insects and blood-sucking insects, so that human beings have a more comprehensive understanding of the ancient ecological environment and the history of biological evolution. He is a professor at the School of Life Sciences of Capital Normal University, Ren Dong. Guided and led by the Organization Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and produced by Beijing Television, the country's first documentary program focusing on talents, "Cheers for You", approached the scientific research world of ancient insect explorer Ren Dong at 21:50 on Wednesday (August 26).
Explore the secrets of the ancient world with fossils to restore the grasshopper calls of the ancient forests 165 million years ago
Ren Dong is a professor, doctoral supervisor and vice chairman of the International Paleoentomological Society of Capital Normal University, and has been engaged in entomology for more than 30 years. In 2012, Ren Dong once again discovered an ancient insect fossil from 165 million years ago, and after nearly a year of exploration and research, hundreds of sound and tooth control observation experiments, the grasshopper calls in the ancient forest 165 million years ago were finally restored. For a time, "Nature", "Science" and other important international publications reported on this matter for the first time, which caused a violent response. This unprecedented discovery opens a new door for us to understand ancient ecosystems and food chains. Ren Dong showed that the acoustic environment of 165 million years ago has matured quite well. At that time, there were already many animals such as reptiles and other vertebrates, singing loudly at the same time. This also laid the foundation for the study of early insect acoustics, behavior and ecology to make breakthroughs.
More than 30 years of entomological research and exploration have successively discovered many of the world's earliest insect species
In 1980, Ren Dong applied for his favorite geology major, and in 1992, he discovered the world's earliest pollinator. It was his first world-shaking discovery, and he missed out on his son's birth. Although he missed the birth of his son, the fossils discovered by Ren Dong this time had a major impact on the world's paleontological community and the plant kingdom. In the following 6 years, he devoted himself to research and wrote a scientific research article revealing the co-evolutionary relationship between ancient insects and plants, confirming the existence of angiosperms in the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous in northeast China, pushing forward the previous angiosperm origin time by at least 20 million years, contributing to this major problem in the botanical community.
Nowadays, mimetic phenomena have been applied to all aspects of life, and the design of camouflage costumes and architectural bionics are derived from mimetic phenomena. However, the study of the phenomenon of ancient insect mimesis is a very complex work, not only to find the fossils of mimetic insects but also to find simulated objects of mimetic insects of the same era. In 2012, Ren Dong led his students to stumble upon a fossil of a 165 million-year-old long-winged mosquito-like scorpion. Through the study, it was found that this mosquito and scorpion insect fossil was extremely consistent with the mathematical geometry data of the ginkgo biloba fossil of the same period. Moreover, this insect and ginkgo biloba have a mutually beneficial mimetic relationship, which takes the study of the mimetic relationship of ancient insects a big step ahead of humans. It is more than 100 million years earlier than the mimetic insects discovered by humans only 30 million years ago. Therefore, this insect is also currently the oldest mimetic insect in the world. In 2012, the Species International Society named the Ginkgo jurassic mosquito scorpion fly as one of the world's top ten newly discovered species in 2012.
From discovering the world's earliest pollinators, to discovering the world's earliest mimetic insects and blood-sucking insects, to making insects sound hundreds of millions of years ago. In the more than 20 years since entering Capital Normal University, Ren Dong has led the team of the Key Laboratory of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change of Capital Normal University, devoted himself to research, and achieved a series of scientific research results, and the laboratory has developed into one of the most influential key laboratories in the field. Ren Dong was also selected as one of the first batch of Great Wall Scholars in Beijing for his great contribution to the field of ancient insects and won awards such as the China Youth Science and Technology Award, the National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker, the First Prize of Beijing Science and Technology, and the Capital Labor Medal.
With a full love for the profession and a diligent scientific attitude, Ren Dong uses one scientific research achievement after another to change people's understanding of nature and life. In Ren Dong's eyes, what he studied was never just an ancient insect fossil, but more like a philosophical proposition for all mankind. Tonight (August 26) at 21:50, let's get closer to the scientific research world of the ancient insect explorer Ren Dong.