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.....»»
During pandemic, proponents of "doing your own research" believed more COVID misinformation
As the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic first began to spread around the planet, it brought along a new vocabulary. Unfamiliar phrases like "flatten the curve," "COVID pod" and "essential worker" infected regular conversation. But another—"d.....»»
Discarded aloe peels could be a sustainable, natural insecticide
Aloe barbadensis, commonly known as aloe vera, has been used for thousands of years to treat skin ailments, promote digestive health and heal wounds. But while aloe vera gel is in high demand, the peels are thrown away as agricultural waste. Today, s.....»»
Fossilized feces found to be infested with parasites from more than 200 million years ago
Fossilized feces preserve evidence of ancient parasites that infected an aquatic predator over 200 million years ago, according to a study published August 9, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Thanit Nonsrirach of Mahasarakham University,.....»»
New study shows how the Epstein-Barr virus transforms B cells
B cells or B lymphocytes are an important part of the body's immune system. When healthy B cells are infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), they undergo growth transformation, a process that immortalizes B cells, leading to their uncontrolled pr.....»»
Electric Bandages Heal Wounds That Won"t Close, Animal Study Shows
New technology combines electricity and drugs to stimulate healing of tenacious wounds.....»»
Thousands of Linux routers infected by AVrecon malware to build botnet
This malware has been targeting small-office and home-office routers for more than two years undetected......»»
A third of US deer have had COVID—and they infected humans at least 3 times
New study builds on data suggesting white-tailed deer could be a virus reservoir. Enlarge (credit: Raymond Gehman / Getty Images) People in the US transmitted the pandemic coronavirus to white-tailed deer at least 109 ti.....»»
A calculated risk: How ants judge when to commit their bodies to a ladder
How do social animals judge risk/reward? A new study with ants provides one answer. Enlarge (credit: grass-lifeisgood) Social insects, which don't have very large nervous systems, are capable of remarkably sophisticated.....»»
Farmer ants and drama-prone wasps in spotlight for their climate adaptation
In the face of environmental challenges, one kind of ant gets better at growing food and an African wasp species may become more cooperative......»»
Prominent cryptocurrency exchange infected with previously unseen Mac malware
It's not yet clear how the full-featured JokerSpy backdoor gets installed. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Researchers have discovered previously unknown Mac malware infecting a cryptocurrency exchange. It contains a full.....»»
Study reveals how leaf-cutting ants gauge leaf portion size
They might not be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, but leaf-cutting ants are insect superheroes, capable of carrying leaf pieces up to six times their body mass to cultivate fungus in their borrows. But how do the charismatic creature.....»»
Untangling the web of supply chain security with Tony Turner
Decades ago, Tony Turner, CEO of Opswright and author of Software Transparency: Supply Chain Security in an Era of a Software-Driven Society, faced an SQL Slammer worm. Having been one of the 75,000 infected users, he called upon his skills and risk.....»»
Research hints at how fungus farming ants keep their gardens healthy
"Weed early and often" is the key to a productive garden. Interestingly, certain species of ants are also avid gardeners, a practice they've refined over 50 million years. They too weed their underground fungus gardens, but how they know what to weed.....»»
Ants have a specialized communication processing center that has not been found in other social insects
Have you ever noticed an ant in your home, only to find that a week later the whole colony has moved in? The traps you set up catch only a few of these ants, but soon, the rest of the colony has mysteriously disappeared. Now, a study published in the.....»»
Extreme temperature tolerance of army ants could inform how animal populations will respond to changing climates
Drexel University researchers sampled a variety of army ant (Eciton burchellii parvispinum) colonies to test how their habitat distribution affected the ants' tolerances of extreme low and high temperatures. What they found was colonies' thermal tole.....»»
Dozens of popular Minecraft mods found infected with Fracturiser malware
Stop downloading or updating Minecraft mods for now, investigators say. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) A platform that provides plugin software for the wildly popular Minecraft game is advising users to immediately stop.....»»
Research reveals ants inflict pain with neurotoxins
University of Queensland researchers have shown for the first time that some of the world's most painful ant stings target nerves, like snake and scorpion venom. This research is published in Nature Communications......»»
Researchers claim malware is rife on the Google Play Store
Millions are using apps infected with malware designed to steal sensitive data......»»
Study leads to milestone advances in understanding lethal bronzing of palm trees
Palm trees infected with lethal bronzing disease emit signals that warn nearby healthy palms of the threat. Those healthy palms produce their own defense that University of Florida scientists one day hope to harness to protect palms against the disea.....»»
Critical Barracuda 0-day was used to backdoor networks for 8 months
Attackers then went on to steal data from infected systems. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) A critical vulnerability patched 10 days ago in widely used email software from IT security company Barracuda Networks has been u.....»»