Bugs | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/bugs/RSS feed for BugsenTue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:10 +0000Cyborg Cockroaches Could Help Find Survivors of Natural Disasters. New Diving Suits Allow the Insects to Expand Their Search Underwaterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Previously, researchers created electrical implants to control cockroaches' movements for search-and-rescue missions. Now, they've made 3D-printed suits that provide oxygen, allowing the critters to survive submerged for up to three hoursTue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Earth Might Be Home to 20 Million Insect Species—More Than Three Times as Many as Previously Thought, a Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-might-be-home-to-20-million-insect-speciesmore-than-three-times-as-many-as-previously-thought-a-study-suggests-180989062/Recent estimates have come to the consensus that our planet hosts roughly six million species. But new research reveals that those counts may be drastically underestimatedThu, 02 Jul 2026 15:30:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-might-be-home-to-20-million-insect-speciesmore-than-three-times-as-many-as-previously-thought-a-study-suggests-180989062/These Male Fruit Flies Have Sperm That Are Nearly as Long as Their Bodies. Here's How the Cells Don't Become a Tangled Messhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/Males of the species Drosophila melanogaster pack thousands of almost two-millimeter-long sperm cells into significantly smaller storage organs. A new study reveals how they move in an orderly mannerWed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/Ants Can Get Distracted by Cookies, Chips and Other Junk Food. Here’s Why That Could Be a Problem for the Environmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/The insects enjoy snack crumbs, but new research shows that this unnatural food source can divert them from one of their most significant roles: dispersing plant seedsTue, 16 Jun 2026 16:15:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/More Than 100,000 Illegal Exotic Cockroaches Were Seized by Australian Authorities in a Record-Setting Bug Busthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-100000-illegal-exotic-cockroaches-were-seized-by-australian-authorities-in-a-record-setting-bug-bust-180988913/The insects are estimated to be worth up to $141,000, according to Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. Exotic cockroaches could harm the country’s wildlife and agricultureTue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-100000-illegal-exotic-cockroaches-were-seized-by-australian-authorities-in-a-record-setting-bug-bust-180988913/Google Wants to Release 32 Million Mosquitoes in California and Florida. Here's Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-wants-to-release-32-million-mosquitoes-in-california-and-florida-heres-why-180988892/The company is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for permission to release millions of sterilized mosquitoes in order to fight their disease-spreading counterpartsWed, 03 Jun 2026 19:04:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-wants-to-release-32-million-mosquitoes-in-california-and-florida-heres-why-180988892/Could Bug Spray Attract Mosquitoes? Lab Insects Learned That the Smell of DEET Would Lead Them to a Tasty Treathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-bug-spray-attract-mosquitoes-lab-insects-learned-that-the-smell-of-deet-would-lead-them-to-a-tasty-treat-180988866/Researchers don't know how the findings might overlap with real-world settings. But the discovery suggests that we're most vulnerable when our insect repellent is wearing off, meaning we should reapply it regularlyMon, 01 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-bug-spray-attract-mosquitoes-lab-insects-learned-that-the-smell-of-deet-would-lead-them-to-a-tasty-treat-180988866/