insects
The secret to how scorpions, spiders, and ants puncture tough skin
These animals to grow scalpel-sharp and precisely shaped tools that are resistant to breaking.
Nightmarishly large bird-eating centipedes are propping up a whole island ecosystem
These enormous centipedes are straight out of science fiction.
Fossilized dinosaur poop contains new insect species
Discovering fossilized insects is difficult, but a new find suggests a unique place to look.
Researchers breed a fungus that kills mites to save bees
Researchers develop a fungus that kills mites that contribute to honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder.
First-of-its-kind flower smells like dead insects
Life finds a way — in this case, by smelling like death.
Charles Darwin’s 165-year-old “wind hypothesis” finally proven true
Darwin was right again—sort of.
Mosquitoes’ taste for blood is finally explained
Mosquitoes can taste your blood using unique sensory abilities. Can we use that to keep them off us?
Weird science shows unseemly way beetles escape after being eaten
Certain water beetles can escape from frogs after being consumed.
Rutgers-led research finds bee decline threatens crop yields
Declining bee populations could lead to increased food insecurity and economic losses in the billions.
This might be the oldest creature to have ever lived on land
Scientists think an insect similar to the modern millipede crawled around Scotland 425 million years ago, making it the first-ever land-dweller.
The surprise reason sleep-deprivation kills lies in the gut
New research establishes an unexpected connection.
The mystery of moving, mossy, ‘glacier mice’
Atop certain glaciers are herds of small mossy balls that somehow move together when no one's looking.
The future of the Amazon may depend on tapir poop
Each pile of dung contains a cornucopia of seeds, perfect for reforesting.
Insects on Mars? Ohio scientist claims NASA images show life on red planet.
Entomologist William Romoser of Ohio University says NASA images depict insect- and reptile-like creatures on Mars.
Forgotten Nazi pesticide rediscovered — it was safer than DDT
For decades, Americans sprayed the notorious pesticide DDT all over their homes and fields. But it turns out we may have known about — and ignored — a safer alternative used by the Nazi regime.
Cockroaches are evolving to become invincible
They're hiding in your house, carrying germs, and now there's virtually no way to kill them.
New study ranks the animals we fear most. Here’s what they are.
The animal we fear most? Spiders.
Forget the Anthropocene: We’ve entered the synthetic age
Synthetic biology is changing the way the planet works.
Bedbugs sucked blood in the age of dinosaurs
Despite the moniker, bedbugs evolved long before mattresses and even survived the K-T extinction.
Are you ready for cricket burgers?
Over two billion people regularly eat insects. Why are Americans so squeamish?
World’s first malaria vaccine can save thousands of children lives
One of the world's deadliest diseases, malaria takes the life of a child every two minutes.
Why the ocean you know and love won’t exist in 50 years
Can sensitive coral reefs survive another human generation?
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Is wasp venom the next healthcare revolution?
MIT researchers have discovered how to turn wasp venom into an antibiotic.
Eat a ‘flexitarian’ diet to help stop climate change
Whether or not there are tropical islands in 50 years might depend on whether or not we can eat fewer hamburgers.
How Google plans to eradicate dangerous mosquitoes: Breed more.
Verily, a branch of Google's parent company, recently finished its second study of a counterintuitive technique that kills mosquitoes without using traditional insect sprays.
4,000-year-old termite mounds are so vast they’re visible from space
Long hidden under trees, it's utterly massive.
Heatwaves significantly impact male fertility, says huge study
As the world gets hotter, men may have fewer and fewer viable sperm
5 Halloween horror stories found in nature
The natural world evolved many pop culture frights long before storytellers used them to terrify us.