Insects

Scientists Create a Super-White Coating, with Help from a Super-White Beetle

The Cyphochilus beetle’s scales boast intricate networks of chitin, a molecule that reflects light with high efficiency

March 15, 2018

New Research

Termites Are Moving in With Cockroaches, Taxonomically

The wood-munching critters are technically just social roaches

March 5, 2018

Will a New Mosquito Emoji Create Some Buzz About Insect-borne Diseases?

Available in mid-2018, the emoji could provide a new means for communicating the science and health implications of mosquitoes

February 28, 2018

How Exploding Beetles Can Survive Being Eaten Alive

Bombardier beetles can escape the stomachs of toads by setting off a powerful chemical reaction

February 20, 2018

New Research

These Ants Give Life-Saving Treatment to Injured Nest-Mates

It is the first time that non-human animals have been documented giving medical care to others

February 15, 2018

New Research

Praying Mantises Don Tiny Goggles to Help Us Understand 3-D Vision

Unlike humans and other animals, the insects rely on movement to judge distances to their prey

February 9, 2018

New Research

Swatting May Teach Mosquitoes to Avoid Your Scent

Though it won’t work for all species, Aedes aegypti mosquitos seem to have a memory for near-death experiences

February 5, 2018

The Oldest Known Butterflies Existed Before Flowers

A new study raises intriguing questions about the evolutionary trajectory of butterflies and moths

January 11, 2018

Trending Today

Meet Riley, the Puppy Training to Sniff Out Bugs in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts

The Weimaraner will inspect incoming artwork for beetles, moths and other critters that can damage museum collections

January 11, 2018

All Praise The Humble Dung Beetle

By recycling and removing feces, these unsung insects make the world go ‘round

January 10, 2018

New Research

How Peacock Spiders Make Rainbows on Their Backsides

The adorable arachnids use specialized scales to break light into its component colors to produce some of nature’s tiniest rainbows

January 5, 2018

New Research

This Fierce 508-Million-Year-Old Relative of Scorpions Had Five Jaws and Body Armor

A new analysis of Habelia optata could help us understand the history of modern arthropods

December 22, 2017

New Research

99-Million-Year-Old Tick That Feasted on Dino Blood Found Trapped in Amber

Sorry, there’s no DNA left. But the find does provide the first strong evidence that the parasites preyed on dinosaurs

December 13, 2017

How One Mycologist Saved France’s Wine (Among Other Things)

Bordeaux mixture saved many crops besides grapes from fungus

December 13, 2017

Revive the Charm of an 1800s Show with These Modern-Day Flea Circuses

Take a trip to the (very small) Big Top

November 29, 2017

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2017

These eye-opening works invite us to find ourselves in history and nature

November 28, 2017

The Next Pandemic

Before You Swat That Mosquito, Record It on Your Cell Phone

That’s the strategy behind Abuzz, a crowdsourcing project designed to track mosquito activity around the world

November 24, 2017

How Fruit Fly Brains Could Improve Our Search Engines

Fruit flies have a unique way of matching data, which could teach scientists to create better, faster search algorithms

November 17, 2017

New Research

How Mosquitoes Sneak Away After Feasting on Your Blood

Special wingbeats and long legs help mosquitoes take off without getting smushed

October 24, 2017

New Research

Over Three Quarters of Flying Insects Disappear From German Nature Preserves

A combination of habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change may be behind the dramatic three-decade decline

October 20, 2017