How Insect Brains Melt and Rewire During Metamorphosis
Do fruit flies remember their larval lives? To find out, scientists made the neurons inside larvae glow, then tracked how they reshuffled as they formed adult brains......»»
Location, location, location: Snowpack storage and runoff timing in burn scars depend on site and terrain
Increasingly severe wildfires at high elevations are impacting snowpack—an important reservoir for the U.S. West. The altered landscape makes it more challenging to predict when snow will melt and how much water will be available for use......»»
Norway reports first cases of bluetongue disease in livestock since 2009
Norway reported Thursday dozens of confirmed and suspected cases of bluetongue, an insect-borne virus that is harmless to humans but can be fatal to sheep and other livestock, for the first time in the country since 2009......»»
You can finally play as a cockroach in VR with this Kafka-inspired game
If you've ever wanted to be a cockroach, now's your chance. Metamorphosis VR is a platformer that has you play as a cockroach in virtual reality......»»
Sony’s new 4K laser projectors have the processing brains of its Bravia OLED TVs
Sony announced two new high-end 4K laser projectors, the Bravia 8 and Bravia 9, that feature the same XR processing as its high-performing Bravia TVs......»»
City light pollution is shrinking spiders" brains, new study finds
As darkness falls, the nocturnal half of the animal kingdom starts its day. Nocturnal species are perfectly adapted to navigate and survive the dark of night that has existed for countless millions of years......»»
Scientists uncover hidden source of snow melt: Dark brown carbon
Wildfires leave potent climate heaters behind in their wake, particles that enhance the absorption of sunlight and warm the atmosphere. Dropped on snow like a wool poncho, these aerosols darken and decrease the surface reflectance of snowy places......»»
Temperature fluctuations significantly affect dragonfly perception, study shows
University of Adelaide researchers and collaborators from Lund University in Sweden have made a breakthrough in understanding how dragonflies' brains work......»»
Denmark reports cases of bluetongue disease that can be fatal to sheep but is harmless to humans
Denmark reported Tuesday cases of bluetongue in the country's east, a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease that is harmless to humans but can be fatal for so-called ruminant animals—mainly sheep but also cows and goats......»»
The right to be wrong: How context or human rationality may influence our decisions
Conventionally, decision-making is portrayed as a rational process: individuals calculate potential risks and aim to maximize benefits. Yet, our brains do not always endorse rational action, particularly when an immediate response is required. Someti.....»»
Are Earth"s missing millions of undescribed insect species extinction-prone?
In new research, Griffith ecologists have highlighted the millions of insects that remain undiscovered and unnamed by scientists were likely to be more vulnerable to extinction than named species......»»
Trees stripped by invasive caterpillars muster defenses that can harm native insects, research shows
An invasive insect with an insatiable appetite can cause serious problems for a favorite native moth that likes the same food source—even though the two are never in direct competition for a meal, according to new research, published in the journal.....»»
"Masters of shape-shifting": How darkling beetles conquered the world
Large-scale genomic analysis of darkling beetles, a hyper-diverse insect group of more than 30,000 species worldwide, rolls back the curtain on a 150-million-year evolutionary tale of one of Earth's most ecologically important yet inconspicuous creat.....»»
Would you trust an ant to amputate your limb? Science is showing they are skilled surgeons
An insect bites off another insect's leg. Is this predatory behavior, aggression, defense, competition or something else? In the case of carpenter ants, it's for the good of the amputee and to the benefit of the colony......»»
Saturday Citations: A rare misstep for Boeing; mouse jocks and calorie restriction; human brains in sync
This week's headlines include the extended sleepover for astronauts in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, insight into our imitative behaviors, and the Olympic form of mice......»»
How do butterflies stick to branches during metamorphosis?
Most of us learned about butterfly metamorphosis as a kid—a wriggly caterpillar molts its skin to form a tough chrysalis and emerges as a beautiful butterfly. But how exactly do chrysalises stay anchored as the butterfly brews within?.....»»
Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheet"s last meltdown
As we focused our microscope on the soil sample for the first time, bits of organic material came into view: a tiny poppy seed, the compound eye of an insect, broken willow twigs and spikemoss spores. Dark-colored spheres produced by soil fungi domin.....»»
Paris Olympics athletes and fans melt in "brutal" heat
After heavy rain drenched last week's opening ceremony, the Paris Olympics on Tuesday wrestled with entirely different conditions as temperatures soared to 35 degrees Celsius......»»
Invasive insect herbivore alters ecosystem services delivered by cycads
A study published in the June 2024 issue of the journal Pedosphere looks at how a non-native armored scale insect alters the leaf litter decomposition dynamics of the novel host cycad species on newly invaded islands. The scale insect, known as cycad.....»»
Plants" hidden allies: Root microbiota fight back against leaf-mining flies
Plants encounter various biotic stresses, with insect herbivory being particularly destructive. Traditional chemical insecticides used to combat these pests pose environmental and health risks......»»
NASA returns to Arctic to study summer sea ice melt
What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic, and a new NASA mission is helping improve data modeling and increasing our understanding of Earth's rapidly changing climate. Changing ice, ocean, and atmospheric conditions in the northernmost p.....»»