The prevalence of political and scientific misinformation in the media is a hot-button topic these days, and rightfully so — it has serious negative consequences for society. Emerging research shows that not even the animal kingdom is safe from the dangers of misinformation: a new study has quantified the global spread of misinformation about spiders, […]
Tag: insects
World heading towards a devastating insect apocalypse according to new study
Land overuse, resource depletion, and global warming have all had disastrous implications for the world. According to a new study, portions of the planet are now on the verge of an insect apocalypse. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, discovered a link between high-intensity agriculture and the ever-present climate emergency. They discovered […]
Spiders use their webs as “hearing aid” to sense incoming prey or predators
Orb-weaving spiders, according to a recent study, use their webs as extended auditory arrays to catch sounds, potentially providing them earlier warning of approaching prey or predators. Jonathan Cohen is the photographer for this image. Humans and most other vertebrate species hear through eardrums, which convert soundwave pressure into signals for our brains. But what […]
Scientists have discovered why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood
Scientists compared the genomes of common vampire bats to those of 26 other bat species and discovered 13 genes in vampire bats that are either absent or no longer function. Those gene changes allowed them adapt to a blood diet high in iron and protein but low in fats and carbohydrates over time, according to […]
Tawny Crazy Ants may have finally met their Kryptonite – a naturally occurring fungus can crush local populations
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — When tawny crazy ants invade a new location, they act as an ecological wrecking ball, displacing native insects and small animals while also generating huge issues for homeowners. Scientists at The University of Texas in Austin have showed how to harness a naturally occurring fungus to kill small populations of crazy […]
Insects are vanishing from our planet at an alarming rate. But there are ways to help them
Insects have been around for more than 400m years, their ancestors crawling from the oceans to colonise the land long before dinosaurs appeared. They have been enormously successful, evolving into a staggering diversity of more than 1m known species, with perhaps as many as another 4m yet to be described by science. There are more […]
LED streetlights decimating moth numbers in England
“Eco-friendly” LED streetlights produce even worse light pollution for insects than the traditional sodium bulbs they are replacing, a study has found. The abundance of moth caterpillars in hedgerows by rural roads in England was 52% lower under LED lights and 41% lower under sodium lights when compared with nearby unlit areas. In grass margins, […]
Death by 1,000 cuts: Are major insect losses imperiling life on Earth?
Chances are, the works of the world’s insects touch your lips every day. The coffee or tea you savor, both are insect pollinated. Apples, oranges, cabbages, cashews, cherries, carrots, broccoli, watermelon, garlic, cinnamon, basil, sunflower seeds, almonds, canola oil — all are insect pollinated. Honey, dyes, even some vaccines require insects to come to fruition. […]