Arthropods
Photo Contest Finalist: Spider in the Light of Daybreak
This photo, Spider in the light of daybreak, is a finalist in the Natural World category of Smithsonian magazine's 7th Annual Photo Contest. The image was taken by Csaba Meszaros of Budapest, Hungary. He writes:Velence is the second largest lake in Hungary and Sukoro is a village closely. I went o...
March 12, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Odd Malaria Risk Factor: Drinking Beer
Here in the United States, we rarely have to worry that a mosquito bite will cause malaria. Like Canada, Australia, much of Europe and a few other places, we've been designated "malaria-free" by World Health Organization. Other places aren't so lucky. Nearly one million people died from the disease...
March 11, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Spiders "Under The Influence"
It hasn’t taken much research (aside, I guess, from trial-and-error) to know humans under the influence of anything, from martinis to marijuana, tend to function less efficiently .But that doesn’t seem true for certain spiders, according to research done by William Eberhard, an entomologist at the ...
January 27, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Picture of the Week—Spike-headed Katydid
Yasuní National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, according to scientists who recently completed a study examining the park's plant and animal populations. A single hectare (2.47 acres) of land, for example, contains 655 tree species, more than you ...
January 22, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Birds and the Bees and the...Crickets?
Orchids of the Angraecum genus are famous—in evolutionary biology, at least—because of the comet orchid, A. sesquipedale, of Madagascar. After Charles Darwin examined this orchid, he hypothesized in 1862 that, based on the length of the flower's nectar-spur, there would be a a moth with an equally ...
January 14, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Advice for Tarantula Owners: Wear Goggles
Eye doctors in England have some advice for tarantula owners: wear protective glasses when caring for your pet.The Chilean Rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea), the species of tarantula most likely to be found in your local pet shop, has tiny hairs on the rear portion of its body. If the spider feels...
January 04, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Invasion of the Longhorn Beetles
In Worcester, Massachusetts, authorities are battling an invasive insect that is poised to devastate the forests of New England
November 2009 |
By Peter Alsop
The Country's Most Dangerous Beetles
Invasive beetles of various colors and sizes have infiltrated U.S. forests, despite efforts by government experts
October 18, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
How Do Male Butterflies Know Which Cradles to Rob?
Zebra longwing butterflies (Heliconius charithonia) can be found flitting about the southern United States through Central and South Americas. Like several other species of the Heliconius genus, male zebra longwings often find a mate before she has emerged from the pupal stage of life, guarding her...
October 15, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Return of the Sandpiper
Thanks to the Delaware Bay's horseshoe crabs, the tide may be turning for an imperiled shorebird
October 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Picture of the Week — Ancient Spider in 3-D
Eophrynus prestivicii (left) and Cryptomartus hindi are species of spiders that lived about 300 million years ago. Discovering the details of their biology from fossils isn't easy, especially since these arachnids were only about an inch long. So scientists from England and Germany took more than 3...
August 07, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Hidden World of Ants
A new photo exhibit featuring the work of biologist Mark Moffett reminds us that we still live in an age of discovery
July 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Going Buggy at the New Audubon Museum
Crickets, spiders, ants and many other insects thrive in historic New Orleans, where kids and adults learn about creepy crawlers
May 13, 2009 |
By David Zax
The Curious Do's and Don'ts of Insect Dating Behavior
Bugs tap, dance and buzz to attract their mates—and some get eaten
February 12, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Spiders Are Not As Old As We Thought
The oldest fossil spider was thought to be Attercopus fimbriunguis, which lived around 386 million years ago. But the scientists who discovered that fossil 20 years ago have found a few more in recent years and have now rethought their original conclusion. What they really found, they report this w...
December 24, 2008 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Bugs, Brains and Trivia
No detail is too small for students at the Linnaean games, an annual national insect trivia competition
November 17, 2008 |
By Abigail Tucker
Insect Trivia
Test your insect knowledge by answering these trivia questions
November 17, 2008 |
By Abigail Tucker / University of Maryland Linnaean Games Team
Termite Bellies and Biofuels
Scientist Falk Warnecke's research into termite digestion may hold solutions to our energy crisis
August 01, 2008 |
By Julia Olmstead
Spin Cycle
Silkworm farming, or sericulture, was a backbreaking job that often required the participation of entire families
July 2008 |
By Peter Ross Range
