Posts Tagged ‘insects’
Older flies with sexy smell turn on males
U. MICHIGAN (US) — Changes in pheromone production that occur with age can reduce sexual attractiveness, according to a recent study with fruit flies. Continue…
Friday, February 10, 2012 11:01 - 0 Comments
Science & Technology - Feb 6, 2012 16:31 - 1 Comment
Finally! A fungus that fights fire ants
U. FLORIDA (US) — After years of searching, scientists may have identified a fungus to control fire ant infestations. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 3, 2012 16:59 - 4 Comments
Spry robot built to zip like the butterfly
JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — High-speed video of butterflies’ agility in flight may help researchers build tiny robots that mimic the insects’ maneuvers. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 31, 2012 14:54 - 0 Comments
Sperm production is costly, crickets show
MONASH U. (AUS) — The production of sperm is more biologically taxing than previously thought, a new study with crickets proves. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 18, 2012 12:08 - 0 Comments
Bitter orange trees taste yucky to bugs
CORNELL (US) — Orange trees engineered to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of bugs may protect Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry from a deadly bacterial disease. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 13, 2012 12:30 - 8 Comments
High insecticide levels in dead honeybees
PURDUE (US) — Honeybee populations have been in serious decline for years, and scientists may have identified one of the factors that cause bee deaths around agricultural fields. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 9, 2012 14:55 - 0 Comments
50-million-year-old crickets with ears
U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — A new study of cricket and katydid fossils suggests the insects evolved ears long before bats, their major predator, came along. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 15, 2011 16:46 - 1 Comment
Social or solitary: It’s in bees’ genes
U. ILLINOIS (US) — A new study of different types of bees—bumble bees, honey bees, stingless bees, and solitary bees—offers a first look at the genetic underpinnings of their different lifestyles. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 7, 2011 11:04 - 1 Comment
Like us, wasps don’t forget a face
U. MICHIGAN (US) — Paper wasps have brains that are less than a millionth the size of the human brain, yet new research shows they have a similar ability to recognize and remember a familiar face. (more…)
Top Stories - Nov 29, 2011 13:50 - 1 Comment
Cyborg bugs as first responders
U. MICHIGAN (US) — A device that harvests energy from a bug’s movements could allow cyborg insects—rather than humans—to monitor hazardous situations. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 23, 2011 12:53 - 0 Comments
How ‘sensitive’ body parts cope with change
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Some body parts are more sensitive to environmental change than others, a finding that may lead to better ways of treating a variety of diseases, including type 2 diabetes. (more…)
Top Stories - Nov 21, 2011 11:26 - 0 Comments
True colors of moths 47 million years ago
YALE (US) — Scientists have for the first time determined the original colors of an ancient moth, based on nearly 50 million-year-old fossils from Germany. (more…)
Top Stories - Nov 15, 2011 10:23 - 2 Comments
Wireless chip catches ride on dragonfly
DUKE (US) — A new wirelessly powered telemetry system is lightweight and powerful enough to study the neurological activity of dragonflies as they capture prey on the wing. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 31, 2011 6:00 - 0 Comments
Fish can scare a dragonfly to death
U. TORONTO (CAN) — The mere presence of a predator can cause enough stress to kill a dragonfly, even when the predator can’t actually get at its prey to eat it. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 31, 2011 6:00 - 3 Comments
Native bees: More bee for the buck
CORNELL (US) — Native bees are two to three times better pollinators, are more plentiful, and are less prone to colony collapse than the better known honeybee, a new study shows. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 24, 2011 10:10 - 0 Comments
iPhones needed in NY to track stink bug
CORNELL (US) — A new hobo pest is pigging out on a significant number of North America’s most important crops in what experts say is an unprecedented threat to U.S. agriculture. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 6, 2011 10:37 - 1 Comment
‘Caste’ genes evolve quickly in social bugs
GEORGIA TECH (US) — Genes responsible for different sexes, life stages, and castes in fire ants, honeybees, and other social insects evolve faster than others not involved in those functions, according to new research. (more…)
Science & Technology - Sep 13, 2011 9:52 - 1 Comment
Gypsy moths work (and die) on day shift
PENN STATE (US) — A virus tricks nocturnal gypsy moth caterpillars to stay in treetops during the day, where they die and infect other caterpillars in the process. (more…)
Science & Technology - Sep 12, 2011 12:00 - 0 Comments
Rare mix-up results in ‘hybrid’ butterfly
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — A tiger swallowtail butterfly evolved when two other species hybridized—a common occurrence with plants, but a rarity in the animal world. (more…)
