Ants make their own ant-ibiotic for infected wounds
Ants have a gland that makes an antibiotic, and use it in response to pheromones. Enlarge / An ant carrying away one of the termites it preys on. (credit: Wikimedia Commons) Although humans may think we are alone in crea.....»»
Silky ants turn to aphids for medicine when sick
A small team of biologists and zoologists from Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Finland has found evidence of silky ants consuming aphids to treat fungal infections. In their study, published in the journal Biology Letters, the group collected g.....»»
Okinawa"s ants show reduced seasonal behavior in areas with more human development
Insects have an important role in maintaining the health of ecosystems, but our understanding of how human activities affect their populations is limited. This gap in knowledge is worrying because of the decline of insect populations and the severe c.....»»
Targeting a coronavirus ion channel could yield new COVID-19 drugs
The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes t.....»»
Scientists discover how the SARS-CoV-2 virus initiates replication program in infected cells
How SARS-CoV-2 initiates its replication process during infection is not yet fully understood. Researchers from the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg have now shown for the first time in the journal Cell that it is the human protein SND1 that works toget.....»»
Why invasive ants are a silent threat to our ecosystems
Invertebrates are often described by experts as the "little things that run the world," and ants are certainly one of the top contenders for this role. Ants help ecosystems to function normally and the total weight of all ants on Earth is roughly equ.....»»
Move over, Cordyceps, there’s a new “zombie” parasite to haunt our dreams
The lancet liver fluke controls infected ants with a temperature-based on/off switch. Enlarge / An ant infected by the lancet liver fluke climbs up and clamps its powerful jaws onto the top of a blade of grass, making it more lik.....»»
Projects provide fresh insights into what it takes for communities to accept different religious and world views
Ann Trappers harnessed a shock in her native Belgium to help heal social wounds across Europe......»»
Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk
The lancet liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, has a complicated life cycle that begins with the hijacking of an ant's brain......»»
How to say "jumping ants" in Uchinaaguchi
Recent publication of OIST research findings in the journal Integrative Organismal Biology likely marks the first use of Uchinaaguchi, the indigenous Okinawan language, in a scientific research publication. OIST researchers and staff translated an ab.....»»
Accelerometers that read behavior of wild boars can detect when they are infected with a fatal virus
Behavioral sensors attached to wild boars have been used to detect when animals are sick with African Swine Fever, a fatal viral disease that affects both boar and domestic pigs. Accelerometer sensors, which measure tiny changes in movement, showed t.....»»
Hundreds of Tough Mudder racers infected by rugged, nasty bacterium
Health officials estimated 300 outbreak cases linked to the muddy obstacle race. Enlarge / Competitors take part in "Tough Mudder" at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, United States on April 2, 2023. (credit.....»»
Could insights from ants help people build better transportation networks?
Could ants' nests hold the secret to reducing traffic congestion on the 405 Freeway?.....»»
Barracuda thought it drove 0-day hackers out of customers’ networks. It was wrong.
When UNC4841 infected gov't and military networks, it was just getting started. Enlarge (credit: Steve McDowell / Agefotostock) In late May, researchers drove out a team of China state hackers who over the previous seven.....»»
The removal of Qakbot from infected computers is just the first step
The Qakbot botnet has been disrupted by an international law enforcement operation that culminated last weekend, when infected computers started getting untethered from it by specially crafted FBI software. Arranging a widespread Qakbot removal The Q.....»»
Age of Empires and live ants used to test theoretical ideas on combat
Theories dating back to World War I put to the test with Australian meat ants. Enlarge (credit: Jesús Alberto Ramírez Viera) Anyone who has played a real-time strategy game probably ponders this question when preparing.....»»
COVID-19 virus is evolving rapidly in white-tailed deer, new research finds
White-tailed deer across Ohio have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, new research has found—and the results also show that viral variants evolve about three times faster in deer than in humans......»»
SARS-CoV-2: How the history of human populations influences their immune response
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical spectrum observed among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 ranged from asymptomatic carriage to death. Researchers at the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and the Collège de France, in collaboration with researchers.....»»
Ants found to be able to predict queues and avoid them
As humans, we are pretty good at working out how busy the cafeteria at work will be, and going elsewhere if we think it will be full. Now, researchers at the University of Regensburg have discovered that ants also understand that some feeding places.....»»
This Google Chrome feature may save you from malware extensions
A new Google Chrome feature will alert you when installed extensions are removed from its store, saving you from infected extensions and virus headaches......»»
Scientists find "concerning" flaw in malaria diagnostics
Current methods can vastly overestimate the rates that malaria parasites are multiplying in an infected person's blood, which has important implications for determining how harmful they could be to a host, according to a new report......»»