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......»»
Yellow-eyed grasses may have more insect visitors than previously thought
Scientists previously believed that a family of flowering plants called yellow-eyed grasses didn't attract many insect visitors, but the recent discovery of a fungus that hijacks the plant and forms fungal "pseudoflowers" has researchers rethinking t.....»»
What do bird dreams sound like?
For more than 20 years, researchers have known that areas of birds' brains dedicated to singing show neural patterns during sleep akin to the ones they use while awake and singing......»»
Oxidant pollutant ozone removes mating barriers between fly species, study finds
Insect pheromones are odor molecules used for chemical communication within a species. Sex pheromones play a crucial role in the mating of many insects. Species-specific odors attract males and females of the same species. At the same time, they main.....»»
Climate change has positive and negative effects on invasive mountain pine beetles
Climate change is hampering mountain pine beetle reproduction but also appears to slightly benefit the invasive insect in other ways, new University of Alberta research shows......»»
Heat from El Niño can warm oceans off West Antarctica—and melt floating ice shelves from below
As snow falls on Antarctica, layers build up and turn to ice. Over time, this compressed snow has become a continent-sized glacier, or ice sheet. It's enormous—almost double the size of Australia and far larger than the continental United States......»»
Kids and "bad" news: How can parents safely introduce their children to news and current affairs?
While much attention has been drawn to the detrimental impact of violent video games on children's developing brains, there has been relatively little discussion regarding the negative effects of news and current affair programs children are exposed.....»»
How insect blood stops bleeding fast
Their blood equivalent, hemolymph, forms a viscoelastic fluid that covers wounds. Enlarge (credit: Weber) What if human blood turned into a sort of rubbery slime that can bounce back into a wound and stop it from bleedin.....»»
Two sex pheromone receptors for sexual communication found in the American cockroach
Sex pheromones are vital in facilitating the chemical communication that underpins insect courtship and mating behavior. Among female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana), two key volatile sex pheromone components, periplanone-A (PA) and peri.....»»
Rusty-patched bumblebee"s struggle for survival found in its genes
A team of researchers has uncovered alarming trends in the first range-wide genetic study of an endangered bee species. The study, led by Colorado State University and published in the Journal of Insect Science, will inform conservation and recovery.....»»
Automated bioacoustics: Researchers are listening in on insects to better gauge environmental health
Recent research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst evaluates how well machine learning can identify different insect species by their sound, from malaria-carrying mosquitoes and grain-hungry weevils to crop-pollinating bees and sap-suckin.....»»
How Spanish conquistadors, and a tiny cactus-dwelling insect, gave the world the color red
When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen's crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such as Christian Louboutin have cemented our association of the color red with power an.....»»
Dung dynasty: The plant boosting powers of beetle recyclers
Dung beetles, those unsung heroes of the insect world renowned for their prowess in breaking down cattle dung, have now been found to have a positive impact on plant growth......»»
New archive of ancient human brains challenges misconceptions of soft tissue preservation
Soft tissue preservation in the geological record is relatively rare, and except where deliberate intervention halts the process of decay (like embalming or freezing), the survival of entire organs is particularly unusual. The spontaneous preservatio.....»»
Eyes open and toes out of water: How a giant water bug reached the island of Cyprus
The island of Cyprus, although considered a hotspot for biodiversity in the Mediterranean, is more famous for its beautiful sunny coasts than for its insect fauna. Nevertheless, some visitors of its highly populated beaches, with their observations a.....»»
Artificial intelligence brings a virtual fly to life
By infusing a virtual fruit fly with artificial intelligence, Janelia and Google DeepMind, scientists have created a computerized insect that can walk and fly just like the real thing......»»
DNA parasite now plays key role in making critical nerve cell protein
An RNA has been adopted to help the production of myelin, a key nerve protein. Enlarge (credit: alex-mit) Human brains (and the brains of other vertebrates) are able to process information faster because of myelin, a fat.....»»
Your Next Job: Brain-Computer Interface Surgeon
When everyone's hooking their brains up to computers, we'll need BCI surgeons to install the hardware......»»
Researchers reveal how a virus hijacks insect sperm: May help control disease vectors and pests
A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and virus......»»
Study explains how a fungus can control the corn leafhopper, an extremely harmful pest
The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis has become a serious problem for farmers. This tiny insect is now widely distributed in the Americas, from the south of the United States to the north of Argentina. In Brazil, it uses only corn plants as hosts, and.....»»
From crickets in Melbourne to grasshoppers in Cairns, here"s what triggers an insect outbreak
In recent weeks, Melburnians have reported thousands of crickets showing up in large numbers after dark, flying into homes and shops and taking up residence......»»