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.....»»
Help, bees have colonized the walls of my house! Why are they there and what should I do?
Have you spotted a swarm of flying insects emerging from a wall? Or noticed a buzzing noise coming from inside the house?.....»»
Where to watch Flamin’ Hot
Have you ever wondered about the story behind Flamin' Hot Cheetos? The origins of the spicy snack are the subject of the new dramedy Flamin' Hot......»»
Researchers create engineered human tissue to study mosquito bites, disease
A UCF research team has engineered tissue with human cells that mosquitoes love to bite and feed upon—with the goal of helping fight deadly diseases transmitted by the biting insects......»»
Seaweed farming may help tackle global food insecurity
To help solve hunger and malnutrition while also slowing climate change, some farmers could shift from land to sea, suggests a recent study from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. The study was published in Globa.....»»
Researchers find structures that enable rapid transmission of nerve impulses in insects
An animal's brain consists of two different types of cell: neurons, which process and transmit information, and glial cells, which support the neurons in a variety of ways. In 1871, the French anatomist Louis-Antoine Ranvier demonstrated something sp.....»»
Study explains the evolutionary origins and advantages of masturbation
Masturbation is common across the animal kingdom but is especially prevalent among primates, including humans. Historically, this behavior was considered to be either pathological or a by-product of sexual arousal, and recorded observations were too.....»»
Across the Spider-Verse’s best cameo pays tribute to Miles Morales’ origins
One actor's cameo in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse means more than you think......»»
The world"s first flowers were pollinated by insects, says new study
Plants existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years before the first flowers bloomed. But when flowering plants did evolve, more than 140 million years ago, they were a huge evolutionary success......»»
"Butterfly chaos effect" discovered in swarms and herds of animals
Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) have discovered a phase shift between chaotic states that can appear in herds of animals and, in particular, in swarms of insects. This advance.....»»
Are fairy tales fair? AI helps find gender bias in children"s storybooks
Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty have more in common than their origins as classic fairy tale figures and, now, part of Disney's famous roster of characters. Their fairy tales are also full of gender bias and stereotypes, according to liter.....»»
Insect wings could inspire new self-cleaning technologies
Fresh insights into how insects use water droplets to wash dirt and pollutants from their bodies could help improve the performance of self-cleaning devices, a study suggests......»»
Neanderthal and human fire-making methods suggest different origins, shared intelligence
Professor Marlize Lombard, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, who has a research focus in stone age archaeology and Peter Gärdenfors, a professor of cognitive science at the University of Lund, Sweden, teamed up to investigate the cognitive i.....»»
How insects track odors by navigating microscale winds
How do flying insects like important pollinators locate odor sources in the great outdoors, despite encountering highly variable wind conditions? They use odor plumes—which travel like smoke and form when the wind blows odor molecules from their so.....»»
UAE announces groundbreaking mission to asteroid belt, seeking clues to life"s origins
The United Arab Emirates unveiled plans Monday to send a spaceship to explore the solar system's main asteroid belt, the latest space project by the oil-rich nation after it launched the successful Hope spacecraft to Mars in 2020......»»
Mapping the conflict between farming and biodiversity
It's well known that producing foods such as beef can have an outsized footprint when it comes to carbon emissions. But a new study shows that some of these same staples can have an equally huge effect when it comes to biodiversity losses......»»
Bacteria are vital for the diversity and survival of insects, shows new study
Insects are crucial for biodiversity and among the most successful species on the planet. However, until now, it has been unclear how they could exploit such a diversity of food sources. According to a recent study published in the journal Nature Eco.....»»
Planet-friendly farming takes root in drought-hit Tunisia
Saber Zouani lost his job as a waiter when the COVID pandemic ravaged the Tunisian tourism sector, so he decided to try something new and started a permaculture farm......»»
Could wildflowers and bug hotels help avert an insect apocalypse? We just don"t know—yet
Insects are in rapid decline. One study found the global total is falling by 2.5% a year, with insect species going extinct eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles......»»
Saving our soil: How to extend US breadbasket fertility for centuries
The Midwestern United States has lost 57.6 billion tons of topsoil due to farming practices over the past 160 years, and the rate of erosion, even following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines, is still 25 times higher than the rate at wh.....»»
Bees can do so much more than you think—from dancing to being little art critics
Bees are among the most important insects on Earth—vital pollinators of our crops and significant contributors to human societies for thousands of years......»»