Science Update
Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS
Insect populations are declining worldwide, and insect species are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate. Before you say “Yay!” and perform your (unique and impressive) end zone dance, you should know that insects that plague humans– like mosquitoes, cockroaches, bedbugs, and fleas– are doing quite well, thanks to the warming planet; our willingness to transport …
The Maya Riviera is a 40-mile strip of coast on the Yucatan Peninsula, from Puerto Morelos to Tulum. Midway down is the city of Playa Del Carmen, a fast-growing tourist mecca with high-end hotels, cruise ships and a boardwalk packed with shops and cafes. But stroll just a few blocks inland, and you’ll find a …
World-famous evolutionary biologist and entomologist E.O. Wilson died on Sunday, leaving behind a legacy as exceptional and wide-ranging as was his intellect and curiosity. An eye injury as a child permanently damaged his distance vision, limiting him to the examination of little things, and ultimately leading him to focus on ants, which became his lifelong …
Bees the world over would rejoice if everyone knew just two things about them: what they aren’t, and what they are. 1. What they aren’t. If you’ve been stung, it was probably courtesy of yellow jackets, bee-like wasps whose primary purpose in life is to make bees look bad. They’re shaped kind of like honeybees …
A Fond Farewell to the Brood X Invasion. In the spring of 2021, everyone lucky/cursed enough to live east of Illinois, south of New York and north of Georgia, enjoyed/barfed up over one of the “Seven Insect Wonders of the World”: the emergence of the 17-year periodical cicadas. These insects swarm out into the sunshine …
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Insects and other assorted creepy crawly critters can help inspire student learning, not only in the life sciences, but in physics and engineering as well. Fruit flies studies are at the heart of genetics research; migratory butterflies and dragonflies inspire aeronautical engineering; bombardier beetles are at the heart of jet engine designs; spiders and silkworms …
Do bombardier beetles that stay together, spray together?
The 2017 total solar eclipse captured the public imagination and taught kids about bees.
A giant insect gobbles up guppies - and other small animals.
INSECTS & SPIDERS (Encore Edition) - Could spider venom be the next insecticide? Why mosquitoes smell you better at night. And debunking the myth of extracting dinosaur DNA from insects preserved in amber. Also, insect legs that bear an uncanny resemblance to modern machinery.
The diet of baby bee larvae activates genes that turn some into workers and others into queens.
Edible crickets could improve gut health.
Bee alarm pheromones act as an effective elephant repellent.
Miniature transmitters help scientists track a blood-sucking pest.
An oral pesticide could turn the tables on biting insects.
Bees take a break from work every night, even when the sun never sets.
Flowers produce invisible smell patterns on their surfaces to lure bees in.
The secret behind a beetle’s ability to shoot rapid pulses of high temperature toxins.
Distinctive odor compounds may help doctors find out who is infected with malaria.
What did our mammalian ancestors eat during the age of the dinosaurs? The answer might bug you.
