How can we best measure the largely negative impact mankind has had on the planet? Well, we can measure the increasingly dramatic global temperature spikes, observe the disappearance of arctic ice, or tally the number of species that have been pushed to extinction by human expansion. Those are all great data points that we should […]
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‘Bug bombs’ make life worse for you, not roaches
Discovering your home or apartment has a roach problem may be enough to make you want to take some seriously drastic measures. Nobody likes seeing bugs taking over their living space, and foggers — or “bug bombs” if you prefer — are a popular choice for clearing pests out of a home. However, a new […]
Read MoreBees can wear backpacks now thanks to the University of Washington
Wearables are all the rage for us humans, delivering all kinds of useful information about our bodies and surroundings. Now, scientists from the University of Washington have developed a wearable system for a much, much smaller creature. Engineers from the university created tiny sensor-packed “backpacks” for bumblebees. As you might have guessed, the devices don’t […]
Read MorePhiladelphia science museum employees accused of stealing $50,000 worth of bugs
The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion is missing $50,000 worth of bugs; the loss wasn’t immediately discovered because bugs are small and the Insectarium often moves its specimens around for exhibitions, lendouts, etc. — but when 80-90% of your collection goes missing, you notice. An examination of CCTV footage from the Insectarium showed […]
Read MoreThis nearly 100-million-year-old beetle is preserved so well it practically looks alive
Fossilized tree sap, called amber, is an absolutely amazing substance. It lasts for an incredibly long time, and it has yielded some of the most incredible fossil discoveries of our time. If you need more evidence that amber is a paleontologists’ best friend, look no further than the new paper published today in Current Biology. […]
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Amazing Macro Winners of the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2018
“Mayflies” by Petar Sabol, Goričan, Croatia. 1st place. The International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) contest has just announced the winners of the 2018 Macro Art category. Run in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, the project is the world’s leading competition and exhibition for garden, plant, flower, and botanical photography. For the […]
Read MoreGlobal Health: Maybe You Were Thinking About Eating Raw Centipedes. Don’t.
Scientists in China now have hard evidence that eating raw centipedes is a really bad idea. That might go without saying in most parts of the world. But centipedes are an established remedy in traditional medicine in China. As an ancient nostrum for epilepsy, stroke, cancer, tetanus or rheumatoid arthritis, the two-inch-long arthropods are supposed […]
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Amazing Video Shows Butterflies in the Amazon Drinking Turtle Tears
[embedded content] Phil Torres, host of The Jungle Diaries, captured this fascinating footage of butterflies in the Amazon drinking the tears of a turtle in an effort to get sodium in their system. Channels: AMAZING, INFORMATIVE, STRANGE Tags: · animals, butterflies, food, insects, nature, rare, the amazon, turtles
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A 12 Million Year Old Praying Mantis Encased in Amber
Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com Sold by Heritage Auctions in 2016, this small lozenge size piece of amber is water clear and pale yellow which makes it very easy to see the amazing praying mantis preserved forever inside. The creature with its triangular head, bulging eyes, and flexible neck is clearly visible in the exceptional […]
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rolls-royce is developing a tiny robot cockroach to crawl inside airplane engines and fix them
in a bid to revolutionise the way engines are maintained and repaired, rolls-royce is developing what can only be described as a tiny robot cockroach, that can crawl inside airplane engines to fix them. kitted out with a camera and 3D scanner, these tiny robots would allow engineers to remotely assess problems before tooling them with […]
Read MoreResearchers Discover Monstrous Stinger On Wasp In The Amazon
SOUTH AMERICA (CBS Local) – Most of us have a healthy fear of wasps. Now most of us can also be thankful we don’t share a habitat with a newly discovered wasp species found in the Amazon that has a shockingly large stinger. Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland were surprised by the super-sized stinger found […]
Read MoreA bug’s life was cut short when it met its doom, twice, 100 million years ago
To humans, ticks are vile little creatures that do little but annoy and at times cause pain. You’ve probably never felt sorry for one of the little buggers under any circumstances, but this 100-year-old tick discovered in Myanmar might actually tug at your heart strings a bit. Discovered trapped in ancient amber, the tiny creature […]
Read MoreTrilobites: Stick Insects Are Easy Bird Food, and That Might Help Them Reproduce
Advertisement The tough eggs carried by bugs that mimic plants may be spread by hungry birds to new locations where they hatch. June 5, 2018 ImageNew research suggests that when the stick insect R. irregulariterdentatus is eaten its eggs can be dispersed far and wide.CreditHakuren Kato It’s obvious why a stick insect’s wardrobe is the […]
Read MoreTrilobites: Ladybugs, Aphids and the Toxic Combat That Might Be Happening in Your Garden
Advertisement June 1, 2018 ImageAn Asian lady beetle larva, bottom, eating the head of a seven-spotted lady beetle larva. A type of toxic aphid was found to limit the population of the Asian lady beetles.CreditPaul Lenhart Aphids are a familiar sight in the garden, sucking the juices out of your rose bushes. Luckily, so are […]
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