March 14, 2018
Pesky ticks even plagued dinosaurs
Blood-sucking, disease-spreading ticks are one of the most maligned parasites in the world, and new evidence shows they’ve been doing their dirty …
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10 articles · Page 1 of 1
April 14, 2017
Neonicotinoids: Prominent pesticides escape into the environment
The 1990s was a watershed era in pest control — and, by extension, agriculture — thanks to a particular bit of chemical innovation. With the …
March 29, 2017
To find a mate, go big or go small, just don't go medium
The showy features of male animals are often advantageous for attracting mates. Yet these same traits can also prove harmful: A peacock’s long, …
February 9, 2017
Ants developed farming millions of years ago
A new study in Nature suggests that ants may have invented agriculture as much as 3 million years before humans. On the Fijian islands of Viti …
December 27, 2016
Busy as a bee: New species of bee quarries into sandstone
Researchers have discovered five nesting sites of a new species of bee (Anthophora pueblo) that prefers to make its home in sandstone. The newly …
December 27, 2016
Ant bodies shaped by environment
Ants are ectotherms, which means their metabolisms are controlled by the temperature of their environment. New research shows that the …
June 16, 2016
Cretaceous amber suggests societal behavior in insects is at least 100 million years old
Many insects are social animals. Some, including ants, form colonies with complex social hierarchies, wherein specific roles like reproduction …
March 22, 2016
Underground ants can't take the heat
Army ants, which move in swarms and show their prey little mercy, are some of the most ferocious insects in the animal kingdom, but a recent …
July 16, 2015
Bark beetles not to blame for big fires?
Since the mid-1990s, outbreaks of voracious bark beetles have devastated more than 71,000 square kilometers of forests in the Rocky Mountain …
January 5, 2015
Crumbly amber holds dinosaur secrets
In the movie “Jurassic Park,” dinosaurs were resurrected from DNA in blood harvested from Mesozoic mosquitoes preserved in amber. The plot was …