Insects and Spiders
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Why Cockroaches Meticulously Groom Their Antennae
Just as humans scrub off to remove dead skin cells, sweat and dirt from the day, insects also busy themselves to keep clean
February 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Honey, I Blew Up the Bugs
Italian artist Lorenzo Possenti created 16 enormous sculptures of giant insects, all scientifically accurate, now on display at an Oklahoma museum
February 04, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
African Dung Beetles Navigate At Night Using the Milky Way
A new study shows the tiny feces ball-rolling insects orient themselves by the stars
January 24, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Sustainable Meat of the Future: Mealworms?
Mealworms might seem unpalatable to many, but a new study indicates that they might be the climate-friendly protein alternative of the future
December 19, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Video: This 750-Leg Millipede is the Leggiest Creature in the World
Illacme plenipes, an extremely rare species endemic to just a few wooded areas in Northern California, is fully described for the first time
November 15, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Beetles Invasion: One Artist’s Take on the Insect
A swarm of giant beetles, lovingly sculpted by Washington D.C.-based artist Joan Danziger, descends on the American University Museum
November 02, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Nikon Announces the Winners of its “Small World” Competition
See a selection of beautiful images captured by scientists gazing through light microscopes
October 29, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes
The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap
October 26, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Winged Tapestries
Jim des Rivières' portraits of moths capture the insects' exquisite patterns
September 28, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Science Images that Border on Art
This year's Wellcome Image Award winners pull at your "art" strings. The curious seek out the science behind them
September 26, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Biomimicry is Inspiring Human Innovation
Creative minds are increasingly turning to nature—banyan tree leaves, butterfly wings, a bird's beak— for fresh design solutions
September 2012 |
By Tom Vanderbilt
New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies
The meticulous records of an amateur butterfly club in New England are opening a window into changes happening to the regional climate
August 21, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
14 Fun Facts About Fireflies
Fact number 3: In some places at some times, fireflies synchronize their flashing
June 27, 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
How Do Mosquitoes Fly in the Rain?
High-speed cameras revealed that the insects' minuscule mass—and a zen-like approach of non-resistance—allows them to survive impacts with raindrops 50 times their size
June 08, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Bed Bugs Are Even Peskier Than We Thought
A new study reveals that common over-the-counter bed bug eradication products are essentially ineffective
June 04, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Deep in the Ndoki Jungle, A Few Sheets of Nylon Can Feel a Lot Like Home
The founding editor of Outside magazine explains why a tent is sometimes the difference between life and death
June 2012 |
By Tim Cahill
This Insect Uses Its Victims’ Carcasses As Camouflage
Acanthaspis petax, a type of assassin bug, stacks dead ant bodies on its back to confuse predators
May 08, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Edward O. Wilson’s New Take on Human Nature
The eminent biologist argues in a controversial new book that our Stone Age emotions are still at war with our high-tech sophistication
April 2012 |
By Natalie Angier
The Mollusc Militia is Coming
I have glimpsed the future. And it is teeming with creepy crawly cyborgs
March 26, 2012 |
By Cassandra Willyard
Bizarre Bee-havior in the Battle Against the Giant Hornet
To protect their hive from an invading hornet, Asian honeybees gang up and surround it, forming a "hot defensive bee ball"
March 19, 2012 |
By Cassandra Willyard

