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......»»
Winter breeding offers lifeline for monarch butterflies in Northern California
Monarch butterflies in Northern California are adapting to a changing climate by embracing an unexpected strategy: breeding in the winter. The shift could be key to the survival of the iconic insect, according to a new study published in the Journal.....»»
Warming has more impact than cooling on Greenland"s "firn," physics-based model reveals
Scientists have known from ice core research that it's easier to melt an ice sheet than to freeze it up again. Now, they know at least part of the reason why, and it has to do with ice's "sponginess," according to a new study published July 24 in The.....»»
When it comes to butterflies, people prefer pretty ones: That"s a problem for scientists.
Research shows humans often perceive attractive people as more intelligent, healthier, better leaders and more trustworthy. It turns out this bias extends to the insect world......»»
From trash to treasure: Machine learning enhances organic waste recycling
Biological treatment methods such as anaerobic digestion, composting, and insect farming are essential for managing organic waste, converting it into valuable resources like biogas and organic fertilizers. However, these processes often face challeng.....»»
Insect pests study finds public surveillance is critical to early detection
A new study from the University of Maryland identifies key patterns and factors influencing insect pest establishment and detection across the U.S. and suggests public surveillance awareness and involvement is a critical component of efforts to prote.....»»
Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear
Amor Nouira, a farmer in Tunisia's Chebika village, has lost hope of saving his prickly pear cacti, ravaged by the cochineal insect spreading across North Africa......»»
Stepping stones for wildlife: How linking up isolated habitats can help nature thrive in our cities
Imagine you're a fairywren living in a patch of scrub behind a schoolyard in the suburbs. It's been pretty nice so far, but a recent increase in neighborhood cats and the council's insect control tactics mean it's time to look for somewhere safer to.....»»
Mega-iceberg melt affects important marine ecosystem
Scientists have for the first time taken in-situ ocean measurements during the collapse of a giant iceberg in the sub-Antarctic. These new observations reveal how ocean ecosystems may be affected if more icebergs calve due to warmer ocean temperature.....»»
New 3D anatomical atlas of the African clawed frog increases understanding of development and metamorphosis processes
A 3D anatomical atlas of the model organism Xenopus laevis (the African clawed frog) is now available to aid researchers in understanding embryonic development and metamorphosis—the intriguing process by which a tadpole transforms into a mature fro.....»»
Q&A: How can different types of brains bolster startup success?
Associate Professor Carina Lomberg is on a quest to understand the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of entrepreneurs and what shapes their journey. She has found that including neurodiverse individuals in teams that start a company enhanc.....»»
As alpine glaciers melt, the corpses of long-lost climbers are being discovered in the ice
In late June, as a group of mountaineers descended a treacherous glacier high in the Peruvian Andes, they spotted a dark, out-of-place lump resting on the blinding white snow......»»
Scientists pay tribute to tennis players with new insect species named after them
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will go down in history as two of the greatest tennis players of our time, but their names have also been immortalized in science, as two new insect species were just named in honor of the athletes......»»
Brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolutionary trend
The largest animals do not have proportionally bigger brains—with humans bucking this trend—a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution has revealed......»»
NASA mission flies over Arctic to study sea ice melt causes
It's not just rising air and water temperatures influencing the decades-long decline of Arctic sea ice. Clouds, aerosols, even the bumps and dips on the ice itself can play a role. To explore how these factors interact and impact sea ice melting, NAS.....»»
Is your coffee "not hot" or "cold"? Observing how the brain processes negated adjectives
Negating an adjective by placing 'not' in front of it affects the way our brains interpret its meaning, mitigating but not entirely inverting our interpretation of its definition. In a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, Arianna.....»»
Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows
As they seep and calve into the sea, melting glaciers and ice sheets are raising global water levels at unprecedented rates. To predict and prepare for future sea-level rise, scientists need a better understanding of how fast glaciers melt and what i.....»»
Insect frass becomes food for protein-rich microalgae
As the demand for protein-rich food increases with population growth and rising awareness of nutrition and health, traditional animal and plant-based protein sources that require arable land or freshwater put significant pressure on land and resource.....»»
Butterflies, bees, bugs and more: The summer of insect-counting gets underway in Germany
In a strip of greenery between Berlin's Natural History Museum and a busy street, bumble bees move swiftly between flowers while a ladybug makes its way along a leaf full of aphids and bugs crawl about......»»
Scientists pit primates against smaller-brained mammals to find out who is the smartest forager
Primates, including humans, have larger brains than most other mammals, but why? Scientists searching for the answer have long followed a trail pointing to diet—specifically fruit—as the reason for why primates evolved larger brains......»»
How Does ChatGPT ‘Think’? Psychology and Neuroscience Crack Open AI Large Language Models
Researchers are striving to reverse-engineer artificial intelligence and scan the “brains” of LLMs to deduce the how any why of that they are doing.....»»