The origins of farming insects
A beetle bores a tree trunk to build a gallery in the wood in order to protect its lay. As it digs the tunnel, it spreads ambrosia fungal spores that will feed the larvae. When these bore another tree, the adult beetles will be the transmission vecto.....»»
Clever fly offers lessons on advanced predator adaptations
The saffron robber fly (Laphria saffrana) is an extremely fast bee-colored hunter that has to determine, while perched, which insects it wants to chase and eat. This is complicated by the fact that its eyes have poor resolution, especially at distanc.....»»
Study reveals genetic signatures of chickpea"s cultural crossroads
With its nutty flavor and dense nutrient profile, the humble chickpea has captivated palates and nourished civilizations for millennia. From its ancient origins to its widespread use in modern kitchens and restaurants around the world, this legume de.....»»
Stellar demolition derby births powerful gamma-ray burst
While searching for the origins of a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB), an international team of astrophysicists may have stumbled upon a new way to destroy a star......»»
Bee disease offers rare insights into RNA virus origins
Two similar strains of a destructive honeybee disease have vastly different origin stories, revealing the ability of viruses to adapt rapidly and the risk this poses to global agriculture, according to new research involving Professor Sasha Mikheyev.....»»
How moths create invisibility cloaks preventing detection by predators using biosonar
Researchers from University of Bristol and Diamond Light Source have uncovered how moths create a powerful stealth cloak preventing detection by biosonar. This work (Bio-Inspired Urban Adaptations: What Insects Can Teach Us About Dealing with Noise).....»»
World heritage wetland site threatened by strawberry farming
Strawberry lovers might want to check the provenance of their fruit this summer following controversy about a new farming bill which could cause the devastation of an iconic Spanish wetland......»»
Conservation policies risk damaging global biodiversity, researchers argue
"Green" farming policies may accelerate global biodiversity loss, two leading academics have warned......»»
For some fire-loving insects, wildfires provide the best breeding grounds
With the summer solstice and first official day of summer on June 21, hot and dry conditions have already given rise to a very active fire season across Canada......»»
Bird Populations Are in Meltdown
Humans rely on birds to eat insects, spread seeds, and pollinate plants—but these feathered friends can’t survive without their habitats......»»
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.....»»
Smart farming platform improves crop yields, minimizes pollution
A new farming system developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin aims to solve one of the biggest problems in modern agriculture: the overuse of fertilizers to improve crop yields and the resulting chemical runoff that pollutes the.....»»
Studying the parenting behavior of poison frogs using tadpole-like robots
Over the past few decades, roboticists have developed robots inspired by a wide range of animals, including dogs, snakes, birds, spiders, bats, octopus, and different types of insects. These robots were primarily designed to tackle real-world practic.....»»
Study suggests warfare was responsible for the boom-bust cycles of Neolithic societies
A new study out of the Complexity Science Hub concludes that social disintegration and violent conflict played a crucial role in shaping the population dynamics of early farming societies in Neolithic Europe.....»»
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.....»»
Climate change: Challenges of capturing sufficient carbon through large-scale seaweed farming
The potential of global seaweed farming to help capture sufficient carbon may not be feasible given the large ocean areas needed to remove between 2.5 and 13 gigatons of atmospheric carbon per year to meet climate goals, according to a study publishe.....»»
Repentant ranchers rescuing Colombian wildlife
Two newborn pumas and a convalescing porcupine share a room in the home of the Zapata family, which has renounced livestock farming to focus on stewardship of the Colombian Amazon and its animals uprooted by deforestation......»»
Genetic variation, selection and hybridization all contribute to desert adaptation in foxes
Genomic research led by the University of California at Berkeley has looked to uncover the origins and history of desert adaptation in foxes. In a paper, "North African fox genomes show signatures of repeated introgression and adaptation to life in d.....»»
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.....»»
Research examines whether AI is helping small-scale farming operations
Artificial intelligence tools can be found in nearly every sector of society and are quickly becoming this century's great technological advancement. In the agriculture sector, large-scale farming operations are utilizing AI to increase profitability.....»»
Team develops autonomous robot to stave off spotted lanternflies
A team from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI) has developed an autonomous robot to control the spread of spotted lanternflies, invasive insects known to destroy economically important crops......»»