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.....»»
Can insects get fat?
Insects don't have time to laze about—that's probably why we say someone is "as busy as a bee." But would an overfed and underactive bug find itself putting on weight like we do? We put this question to insect expert Erlend Sild......»»
Modern animal life could have origins in delta
The ancestors of many animal species alive today may have lived in a delta in what is now China, new research suggests......»»
Ancient migrants carrying maize from south were early Maya ancestors, says study
New research published this week by University of New Mexico archeologist Keith Prufer shows that a site in Belize was critical in studying the origins of the ancient Maya people and the spread of maize as a staple food. According to the paper titled.....»»
Environmentally conscious consumers more likely to buy chicken raised on insects or algae
Consumers who are environmentally aware will likely warm up to the idea of using alternative proteins like insect meal in poultry feed if they're given enough information about the health and environmental benefits, a new University of Alberta study.....»»
30-million-year-old Baltic amber reveals a lacewing that looks like a mantis
Lacewings (Neuroptera) are small predatory insects, whose larvae are sometimes used as pest control agents in agriculture. Few non-specialists, however, know that some lacewings can look a lot like praying mantises......»»
Study reconsiders early evolution of sea urchins
New insight on the origins and early evolution of echinoids, a group that includes the sea urchins, the sand dollars, and their relatives, has been published today in the journal eLife......»»
Bacteria-shredding insect wings inspire new antibacterial packaging
Inspired by the bacteria-killing wings of insects like cicadas, scientists have developed a natural antibacterial texture for use on food packaging to improve shelf life and reduce waste. The lab-made nanotexture from an Australian-Japanese team of s.....»»
New insight into the possible origins of life
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have for the first time been able to create an RNA molecule that replicates, diversifies and develops complexity, following Darwinian evolution. This has provided the first empirical evidence that simple biologi.....»»
Mermaids in Japan: From hideous harbingers of violence to beautiful enchantresses
A report that scientists have begun tests on a 300-year-old "mermaid mummy" to identify its origins, has stimulated an interest in the existence of mermaids in Japanese folklore......»»
Scientists estimate invasive insects will kill 1.4 million US street trees by 2050
A new study estimates that over the next 30 years, 1.4 million street trees will be killed by invasive insects, costing over 900 million dollars to replace. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology......»»
Farming & Life Sim SunnySide Is Hitting PS4 & PS5 In 2022
Farming and life simulator SunnySide is coming to PS5, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One in … The post Farming & Life Sim SunnySide Is Hitting PS4 & PS5 In 2022 appeared first on PlayStation Universe. Farming and life.....»»
High pond density benefits the dispersal of aquatic insects in urban areas
Urban ponds are paradise for aquatic life in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a city. In Finland, ponds are defined as freshwater bodies with diameter less than 200 meters, although there is no clear-cut distinction between the definition of po.....»»
Are These Chimpanzees Using Insects as Medicine?
Researchers observed chimps in Gabon applying insects to wounds—and it’s raising big questions about animal altruism and self-medication......»»
Save up to $50 on Kingston HyperX peripherals today
Grab the HyperX Alloy Origins Core TKL for $70 (normally $90), or the HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless for $130 (normally $150) and the HyperX Cloud Flight for just $90. That's $50 cheaper than its regular price......»»
The physics of fire ant rafts could help engineers design swarming robots
Noah rode out his flood in an ark. Winnie-the-Pooh had an upside-down umbrella. Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), meanwhile, form floating rafts made up of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of individual insects......»»
We should be eating more insects and using their waste to grow crops, says plant ecologist
Marcel Dicke already knew that insects are an excellent source of protein for humans, but he didn't expect to learn that they have such a positive impact on plants. In an Opinion paper published on March 2 in the journal Trends in Plant Science, Dick.....»»
Consuming small fish instead of farmed salmon could make seafood production more sustainable
Farming Atlantic salmon requires a high volume of wild-caught fish as feed, but produces only a small percentage of the world's farmed fish supply. A study published March 1 in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation by David F. Willer at University o.....»»
Scaling laws in enzymes may help predict life "as we don"t know it"
The only references we have for "life" are the forms we know on Earth. Astrobiologists suspect that the search for alien life, and even for the origins of life on Earth, may require a broader scope. A NASA-funded team of researchers is developing too.....»»
Air Pollution May Keep Insects From Stopping to Smell the Flowers
Researchers ran an outdoor experiment to see if diesel exhaust and ozone would interfere with pollinators’ search for floral scents......»»
The insect brain: We froze ants and beetles to learn how they remember their way home
We humans are versatile and accomplished navigators, but insects might have navigation skills that are even better. For them, it's literally a matter of life and death—and that's why we decided to freeze some ants and beetles (don't worry, they sti.....»»