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.....»»
RNA base in asteroid samples suggests origins of life on Earth: Study
The black particles from an asteroid some 300 million kilometers away look unremarkable, like pieces of charcoal, but they hold a component of life itself......»»
Feel your pain? Even fish can show they care
Our capacity to care about others may have very, very ancient origins, a new study suggests......»»
Some bugs live in water as larvae: Now there is a database to track these semi-aquatic insects
From water to air: we only know many flying insects as adults, but many of them have their first life stages in the water. The larvae of mayflies, for example, spend almost a year in the shallow shore zones of standing waters before they come ashore.....»»
New animal welfare scoring system could enable better-informed food and farming choices
Cambridge University scientists have come up with a system of measuring animal welfare that enables reliable comparison across different types of pig farming......»»
Here’s the full analysis of newly uncovered genetic data on COVID’s origins
The genetic data paints a picture of spillover in one zone of the market. Enlarge / Security guards stand in front of the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei Province, on January 11, 2020, wh.....»»
Floods fill some of California"s summer strawberry fields
As river water gushed through a broken levee, thousands of people in a California farming town were forced to evacuate as their homes were flooded and businesses destroyed......»»
Are kids ready to eat insects?
Producing meat pollutes and requires a lot of space and resources (water, grains…). To protect the planet, we must therefore find new sources of protein. One of the solutions is to replace, at least partially, meat by insects......»»
Insect Farming Is Booming. But Is It Cruel?
More than a trillion insects are raised each year as high-protein, low-carbon animal feed, but the practice might have an ethical blind spot......»»
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon review: charming spinoff has room to grow
PlatinumGames expands its bag of tricks with the surprisingly charming Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon......»»
Scientists identify substance that may have sparked life on Earth
A team of Rutgers scientists dedicated to pinpointing the primordial origins of metabolism—a set of core chemical reactions that first powered life on Earth—has identified part of a protein that could provide scientists clues to detecting planets.....»»
Discovery of oldest known fossil gnat shows how insects adapted to a postapocalyptic world
Near the small harbor of Estellencs at the northeast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), a pebbly beach can be found at the base of an impressive scarp that threatens rockfall. Remains of plants, crustaceans, insects, and fish have been discovered.....»»
Jewel beetles evolve to see new colors by duplicating their genes
Jewel beetles are striking insects, easily recognized by their vivid colors and metallic sheen. Possessing large, well-developed eyes, jewel beetles use vision and color for a range of different behaviors, including finding mates and host plants......»»
Wings, not webs: Certain bugs are the winners of urbanization, impacting cities" insect diversity
Cities are bursting with life, both human and animal. The smallest of them—insects, spiders and ants—are easily overlooked, but their presence—or absence—in cities has wide-reaching effects. Scientists in Austria have published a study in Fro.....»»
Breeders of new fish hope to tickle taste buds of salmon, cod and tuna lovers
Fish farming can make food supplies more stable while itself becoming more sustainable, according to researchers in Hungary and Norway......»»
Sharpshooter Insects Use "Superpropulsion" to Catapult Their Pee
Sharpshooter insects use a physics phenomenon called superpropulsion to efficiently fling away droplets of pee at extremely high speeds.....»»
Additive reduces methane during long-term storage of dairy cattle and fattening pig slurry
Livestock farming produces large quantities of greenhouse gases, especially methane, which is particularly harmful to the climate. Among other things, it escapes during the storage of animal excrement, the slurry. A study by the University of Bonn no.....»»
Animal architecture: Why we need to design buildings for wildlife as well as people
How did early humans first learn to build? It's quite possible that it was by observing animals that had already mastered the art. Indeed, when you look at the animal world many birds, insects and mammals are excellent architects and builders......»»
Genomic study of Indigenous Africans paints complex picture of human origins and local adaptation
Africa, where humans first evolved, today remains a place of remarkable diversity. Diving into that variation, a new analysis of 180 Indigenous Africans from a dozen ethnically, culturally, geographically, and linguistically varied populations by an.....»»
Mulching time of forest meadows influences insect diversity
Mulching is a possible management method for forest meadows and is important to their upkeep. During the process, the meadow is cut and the cuttings are shredded and left on the meadow. Despite its significance, the effects of this method on insects.....»»
Watch these glassy-winged sharpshooters fling pee bubbles with anal catapult
This "superpropulsion mechanism" could help remove water from smartphones, watches. Insects called glassy-wing sharpshooters have an "anal stylus" capable of flicking pee droplets at very high speeds. The glassy-winged sharpshooter.....»»