Bugs | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/bugs/RSS feed for BugsenFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:03:30 +0000Two New Stick Insect Species Have Been Discovered in Australia—and Another One Was Hiding in Plain Sighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-new-stick-insect-species-have-been-discovered-in-australiaand-another-one-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-180989575/The new discoveries emphasize that scientists have a lot left to learn about insect diversity, even in areas with many observationsFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:03:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-new-stick-insect-species-have-been-discovered-in-australiaand-another-one-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-180989575/Scientists Recreated the Long-Lost Chirps of Jurassic Insects. Listen to the Simulated Soundscape of 165 Million Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-recreated-the-long-lost-chirps-of-jurassic-insects-listen-to-the-simulated-soundscape-of-165-million-years-ago-180989445/With artificial intelligence and careful modeling of fossilized wings, researchers reproduced how some extinct, katydid-like insects might have made noiseThu, 03 Sep 2026 20:08:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-recreated-the-long-lost-chirps-of-jurassic-insects-listen-to-the-simulated-soundscape-of-165-million-years-ago-180989445/This Ancient Insect Had 24 Legs—and Could Help Explain How the Ancestors of Modern-Day Bugs Took Over the Landhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-insect-had-24-legs-and-could-help-explain-how-the-ancestors-of-modern-day-bugs-took-over-the-land-180989420/A previously undescribed critter that lived 324 million years ago appears to have been a transitional species that lived between land and sea. It could help researchers fill an 80-million-year gap in the fossil record of how crustaceans evolved into insectsTue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-insect-had-24-legs-and-could-help-explain-how-the-ancestors-of-modern-day-bugs-took-over-the-land-180989420/Why Don't Insects Live in the Ocean? Scientists Just Ruled Out One Possible Explanation Thanks to Deep-Diving Fly Larvaehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-dont-insects-live-in-the-ocean-scientists-just-ruled-out-one-possible-explanation-thanks-to-deep-diving-fly-larvae-180989348/Researchers thought that insects might not live there because their respiratory systems would implode from water pressure. But certain fly larvae in East Africa make daily trips toward the bottom of Lake Malawi with the help of strong air sacs that contain a stretchy proteinWed, 19 Aug 2026 20:52:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-dont-insects-live-in-the-ocean-scientists-just-ruled-out-one-possible-explanation-thanks-to-deep-diving-fly-larvae-180989348/Flesh-Eating 'Superworms' Could Become a New Skeleton-Cleaning Crew for Museum and Research Specimenshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/flesh-eating-superworms-could-become-a-new-skeleton-cleaning-crew-for-museum-and-research-specimens-180989258/A new study hints that the critters would be a good alternative to traditional methods used to remove flesh from bones, including dermestid beetles, chemical treatments and boiling, which can cause damage or be time-consumingWed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/flesh-eating-superworms-could-become-a-new-skeleton-cleaning-crew-for-museum-and-research-specimens-180989258/