Hemp cannabinoids may have evolved to deter insect pests
Cannabinoids, naturally occurring compounds found in hemp plants, may have evolved to deter pests from chewing on them, according to experiments that showed higher cannabinoid concentrations in hemp leaves led to proportionately less damage from inse.....»»
Microscopy techniques combine to create more powerful imaging device
If you imagine yourself peering through a microscope, you probably picture looking at a glass slide with an amoeba, or maybe a human cell, or perhaps even a small insect of some kind......»»
Seasonal specialization in butterflies determines responses to a changing climate
Summer and winter seasons constitute vastly different living conditions for animals and plants in many parts of the world. So how have different organisms evolved to cope with this variation? A study by researchers at Stockholm University published i.....»»
A jaw-dropping conundrum: Why do mammals have a stiff lower jaw?
From the 20-foot-long jawbones of the filter-feeding blue whale to the short, but bone-crushing, jaws of the hyena and the delicate chin bones of a human, the pair of lower jawbones characteristic of mammals have evolved with amazing variation......»»
Couple develops rare disease after beetles eating their furniture get mites
When your pests have pests, you're in for a bad—and very itchy—time. Enlarge / The common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum). (credit: Getty | Schellhorn/ullstein bild) A couple in France developed a rare, "almost.....»»
School suspensions amplify Black, Hispanic students" risk of later arrest, study finds
Research shows that school suspensions do not deter but instead amplify future punishment, what has been termed labeling theory: the idea that the symbolic label that comes with a suspension shapes how others perceive students. But few studies have e.....»»
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.....»»
Climate change could lead to "widespread chaos" for insect communities
New species continue to evolve the world over, as different groups of organisms separate and take divergent paths. What happens when you add climate change to the mix?.....»»
Understanding how chemical communication evolved in insects
All around us, insects are speaking to each other: jockeying for mates, searching for food, and trying to avoid becoming someone else's next meal. Some of this communication is easy to spot—like the flashes of fireflies on a summer night or a screa.....»»
Researchers focus on function to help identify genetic changes that made us human
Humans split away from our closest animal relatives, chimpanzees, and formed our own branch on the evolutionary tree about seven million years ago. In the time since—brief, from an evolutionary perspective—our ancestors evolved the traits that ma.....»»
Centromere plasticity and diversity: Researchers identify a novel type of centromere organization
Holocentric chromosomes have evolved independently from X-shaped monocentric chromosomes multiple times in both animals and plants, but the mechanism behind the centromere-type transition is unknown. Now, an international research team has assembled.....»»
New insights into the origin of food sharing among humans
As humans evolved to hunt, gather and share food, cooperation provided a key to our success as a species. While chimpanzees and other primates sometimes share food, humans stand out. As hunter-gatherers—the subsistence strategy that all humans foll.....»»
Scientists show how some of Earth"s earliest animals evolved
Lacking bones, brains, and even a complete gut, the body plans of simple animals like sea anemones appear to have little in common with humans and their vertebrate kin. Nevertheless, new research from Investigator Matt Gibson, Ph.D., at the Stowers I.....»»
CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive could suppress agricultural pests
Researchers have developed a "homing gene drive system" based on CRISPR/Cas9 that could be used to suppress populations of Drosophila suzukii vinegar flies—so-called "spotted-wing Drosophila" that devastate soft-skinned fruit in North America, Euro.....»»
Invasive oak processionary moth caterpillars cause concern for England"s trees
An insect that can be hazardous to human health is spreading across southeast England......»»
Push-pull practices "control pests, increase maize yields"
So-called "push-pull" agricultural practices that aim to improve crop yields by minimizing the use of synthetic herbicides and insecticides increases yields and prevents pests from adapting over time, a study shows......»»
Hidden carbon: Fungi and their "necromass" absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels every year
Beneath our feet, remarkable networks of fungal filaments stretch out in all directions. These mycorrhizal fungi live in partnership with plants, offering nutrients, water and protection from pests in exchange for carbon-rich sugars......»»
How ‘Diablo IV’ evolved into the darkest ‘Diablo’ yet
How one of the biggest franchises in gaming is leveraging design to evolve. The year is 1996. The biggest TV show is ER. The biggest website is AOL.com. And Independence Day will top Twister to win the box office.Read Full Story.....»»
Study finds socially tolerant monkeys have better impulse control
Researchers have tested one of the ideas put forward to explain how humanity evolved to become smarter, on non-human primates......»»
New US GaN patent war may cripple exports of top China vendor
A recent patent lawsuit filed by US-based gallium nitride (GaN) technology specialist Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) against China's top GaN devices vendor Innoscience Technology is likely to deter the latter from developing its sales abroad......»»
Changing wild animals" behavior could help save them—but is it ethical?
When large and warty cane toads were first brought to Australia nearly 100 years ago, they had a simple mission: to gobble up beetles and other pests in the sugarcane fields......»»