Health & Medicine - Aug 31, 2010 10:16 - 2 Comments

5 reasons to keep filthy flies off food

U. FLORIDA (US)—Researchers have documented five bacteria species carried by house flies that cause illness in humans, ranging from food poisoning to respiratory infections. (more…)

Science & Technology - Aug 26, 2010 10:50 - 2 Comments

Bugs take a taste before they bite

JOHNS HOPKINS (US)—Scientists now know how bug repellants like DEET and citronella-scented candles work to keep mosquitoes and other insects from putting the bite on you. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 20, 2010 15:23 - 0 Comments

Aphid immunity shaped by friendly bacteria

CORNELL (US)—Conventional thinking says that animal immune systems have evolved to defend against harmful microorganisms, but what role do friendly bacteria play in shaping animal immunity? (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 18, 2010 12:13 - 1 Comment

Pest-resistant soybeans: No ladybugs required

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Researchers have developed two new lines of pest-resistant soybeans that promise healthier harvests for growers. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 9, 2010 13:44 - 0 Comments

Ladybugs gobble up ‘fearless’ aphids

CORNELL (US)—Aphids that are raised on plants genetically engineered to emit a compound that warns of a predator, become so accustomed to the chemical they no longer respond to it—even when a predator is really present. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 23, 2010 9:13 - 2 Comments

Which came first? Bee or flower decline?

U. LEEDS (UK)—Populations of bees and other insects have been in steady decline—and understanding why is critical, researchers say, because of the potential threat to agriculturally produced foods and wider damage to the environment. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 22, 2010 11:45 - 0 Comments

Pathogens police migrating gypsy moths

CORNELL (US)—Efforts by land managers to release pathogens to control the spread of gypsy moth caterpillars are ineffective and unnecessary because the pathogens are already chasing down the migrating moths on their own. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 14, 2010 16:53 - 0 Comments

‘Mind-bending’ crystals color butterfly wings

YALE (US)—At the very heart of some of the most brilliant colors on the wings of butterflies lie bizarre structures that may be of use in harnessing the power of light. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 2, 2010 11:38 - 1 Comment

How to debug solar panel design

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Solar power might be nature’s most plentiful and benign source of energy, but shiny black solar cells can lure water insects away from critical breeding areas. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Apr 1, 2010 11:14 - 0 Comments

Soybean aphids: 2 steps forward, 1 step back

U. ILLINOIS (US)—Researchers have developed a soybean that is resistant to aphids but at the same time, discovered a new aphid resistant to the resistance. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Feb 23, 2010 18:40 - 0 Comments

Down dengue fever with flightless mosquitoes

UC IRVINE (US)—A new strain of mosquitoes in which the females can’t fly may help curb the transmission of dengue fever, one of the world’s most pressing public health issues. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 23, 2010 11:47 - 1 Comment

Pesky aphid thrives despite weak defenses

EMORY (US)—Pea aphids, expert survivors of the insect world, appear to lack major biological defenses, according to the first genetic analysis of their immune system. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 2, 2010 12:08 - 0 Comments

Virus entices insects to spread infection

PENN STATE—A common plant virus lures aphids to infected plants by making the plants more attractive. When the insects taste the plant, they quickly leave for tastier, healthier ones, rapidly transmitting the disease. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 15, 2010 17:53 - 0 Comments

Pest with an appetite for biofuel crops

U. ILLINOIS—The western corn rootworm beetle, a pest that feasts on corn roots and corn silk and costs growers more than $1 billion annually in the U.S., also can survive on the perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus, a potential biofuels crop that would likely be grown alongside corn, researchers report. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 2, 2009 11:35 - 0 Comments

Beetles point to habitat’s role in biodiversity

VANDERBILT (US)—Tiny leaf beetles that flit among the maple and willow trees in a Vermont town have provided some of the clearest evidence yet that environmental factors play a major role in the formation of new species. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 29, 2009 14:54 - 4 Comments

Researchers recreate attack-ant chemical

UC BERKELEY (US)—A research team has synthesized chemical molecules that trigger normally friendly ants to turn on each other and attack, a finding that may lead to new tactics for controlling the spread of invasive ant species. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 28, 2009 15:26 - 1 Comment

Hidden costs of modified crops

PENN STATE (US)—Genetically modified squash plants that are resistant to a debilitating viral disease become more vulnerable to a fatal bacterial infection, according to biologists. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 20, 2009 11:32 - 0 Comments

Arctic cores signal ‘unique’ climate shift

U. COLORADO (US)—An analysis of sediment cores indicates that biological and chemical changes occurring at a remote Arctic lake are unprecedented over the past 200,000 years and likely are the result of human-caused climate change. (more…)

Posts Tagged ‘insects’