Sunday 30 July 2017

Ants Tending the Aster Hopper, Publilia concava

Time to knock the cobwebs of this blog with some new posts. Let’s start by taking a look at...
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Saturday 29 July 2017

Assuming an Apiary - Bees at SPARK Elementary School

When I give talks about bees, I always begin by saying that if you ask ten beekeepers a question,...
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Friday 28 July 2017

Can Florida mosquitoes transmit new strains of painful chikungunya virus?

Researchers used a baseline comparison of infection and transmission rates of Florida mosquitoes to...
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Thursday 27 July 2017

DNA links male, female butterfly thought to be distinct species

Researchers recently discovered what was thought to be a distinct species of butterfly is actually...
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Crops that kill pests by shutting off their genes

Plants are among many eukaryotes that can ‘turn off’ one or more of their genes by using...
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Tuesday 25 July 2017

Dodder: A parasite involved in the plant alarm system

Parasitic plants of the genus Cuscuta (dodder) not only deplete nutrients from their host plants,...
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Dragonfly brains predict the path of their prey

New research has shown how a dragonfly’s brain anticipates the movement of its prey, enabling...
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Biological pest management: Infected insects cause a stink

Researchers have shown how nematodes use smell to seek out uninfected insects, which they then enter...
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Monday 24 July 2017

300 million-year-old 'modern' beetle from Australia reconstructed

He’s Australian, around half a centimeter long, fairly nondescript, 300 million years old...
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Friday 21 July 2017

Gene drives likely to be foiled by rapid rise of resistance

A study in fruit flies suggests that existing approaches to gene drives using CRISPR/Cas9, which aim...
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A wolf's howl in miniature: Researchers discover mice speak similarly to humans

Grasshopper mice, rodents known for their remarkably loud call, produce audible vocalizations in the...
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Thursday 20 July 2017

Scientists discover combined sensory map for heat, humidity in fly brain

Neuroscientists now can visualize how fruit flies sense and process humidity and temperature...
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In making decisions, are you an ant or a grasshopper?

New findings add to a growing body of evidence that, although it may seem less appealing, the...
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Could sharks help save shipping industry billions?

Whales, sharks, butterflies and lotus leaves might together hold the secret to saving the shipping...
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Nesting aids make agricultural fields attractive for bees

Wild bees are important pollinators of many crop plants - sometimes they are even more efficient...
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Tuesday 18 July 2017

Scientists unlock planthoppers' potential to control future crop disease outbreaks

Researchers have discovered how a severe rice virus reproduces inside the small brown planthopper, a...
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'No solid evidence' for biopesticide-diarrhea link

A report commissioned by EU food regulators wrongly linked a highly effective biopesticide with...
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Bac-for good: Bacteria passed between generations benefits you more than others

Bacteria passed straight to children have more healthcare benefits than if they are transmitted via...
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Monday 17 July 2017

Mow before you spray, and other tips for protecting pollinators in grassy landscapes

With the right combination of methods, landscape managers can strike an effective balance between...
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Friday 14 July 2017

Tracking leishmaniasis in dogs, wild animals and sand flies in Brazil

Researchers have surveyed the environmentally protected area in Campinas, Southeastern Brazil, which...
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Walking like ants gives spiders a chance

To avoid being eaten, some jumping spiders pretend to be ants, a new study has found. Protective...
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Wednesday 12 July 2017

Studying how bats hunt in flight

For the first time, researchers are studying how bats maneuver when they capture their prey in...
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Ants build sinking Eiffel Towers when trying to escape

Fire ants use their bodies to construct Eiffel Tower-looking structures when they run into a tall...
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Insecticides damage bee socialization and learning skills, study reports

The effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on bees has been widely covered in the news recently, with...
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Tuesday 11 July 2017

Insect 'anti-antiaphrodisiac' tells males when females are ready to mate

A pheromone has been discovered that is released by female insects after mating that tells males...
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Cannibalism: A new way to stop the spread of disease

Cannibalism may be just what the doctor ordered, according to a new study. from Nature’s...
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Monday 10 July 2017

Decoding ants' coat of many odors

Biologists report a major advance in deciphering the molecular genetics underlying the ant’s...
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Plants under attack can turn hungry caterpillars into cannibals

When does a (typically) vegetarian caterpillar become a cannibalistic caterpillar, even when there...
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Monarch butterfly parasitoids brough to light by citizen science

Scientists now know more than ever about the flies that attack monarch butterfly caterpillars,...
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Forensic Scientists Recover Human DNA from Mosquitoes

Human blood extracted from mosquitoes remains viable for DNA analysis up to two days after feeding,...
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Friday 7 July 2017

Defensive bacterial symbionts of fruit flies attack ribosomes of parasitic wasps

Bacteria of the Spiroplasma genus produce toxic, ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) that appear...
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When butterfly male sex-bias flaps its wings

In butterflies, sex is determined by chromosome differences. But unlike in humans with the familiar...
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Thursday 6 July 2017

Climate change threatens domestic bee species

There are around 550 different bee species in Germany. Most of them are solitary bees. They...
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A twist in the tail: Flying fish give clues to 'tandem wing' airplane design

Ribbon halfbeak are a species of fish with the ability to fly above the sea surface – but...
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Wednesday 5 July 2017

Removal of invasive shrub could be an easy way to help reduce malaria transmission

Removing the flowers of an invasive shrub from mosquito-prone areas might be a simple way to help...
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Tuesday 4 July 2017

In urban Baltimore, poor neighborhoods have more mosquitoes

In Baltimore, Maryland, neighborhoods with high levels of residential abandonment are hotspots for...
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Praying mantises hunt down birds worldwide

Praying mantises are carnivorous insects with powerful raptorial front legs that usually depend on...
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Painted Jezebel butterflies deter predators with flashy wing colors

The mystery behind the wing colors of the Painted Jezebel has been revealed by researchers. The...
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Monday 3 July 2017

How insect outbreaks affect forests and bats

New research indicates that bark beetle outbreaks in forests create several new roosting and...
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Sunday 2 July 2017

Tiny mite takes a major bite out of New York honeybee population, threatens fruit and vegetable crops

A tiny mite is causing major problems for New York’s honeybee population and is threatening...
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