Researchers have developed an autonomous navigation system for small, lightweight drones, inspired by insects. A team from TU Delft was inspired by biological discoveries about how ants use their ability to see their environment and calculate their steps to navigate safely back home. According to engineers, this method allows robots to travel long distances and … Read more
Scientists have found the first evidence of insects crossing an entire ocean – after finding butterflies making a 2,600-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Gerard Talaveraan evolutionary biologist at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona, made the discovery in 2013 in French Guiana, when he saw a flock of painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) sitting on … Read more
Every autumn, a narrow pass in the Pyrenees Mountains between southern France and northeastern Spain is overrun by a flood of marmalade hoverflies, pollinators with citrus-colored bodies and black stripes. The hoverflies avoid the mountain’s strong headwinds by flying close to the ground, making the sunlit flurries “almost look like a river of golden light,” … Read more
UC Riverside scientists discovered a new termite control method that uses pinene to attract termites to insecticides, providing a non-toxic, cost-effective alternative to traditional fumigation. Credit: Dong-Hwan Choe/UCR UC Riverside scientists have introduced an effective and sustainable termite control strategy using pinene to attract termites to insecticide-treated areas, achieving greater than 95% effectiveness and reducing … Read more
Recent research on stick insects shows that genes associated with lost traits may be conserved across evolutionary timescales due to their multiple roles in biological processes, allowing for the potential reemergence of these traits. This study sheds light on the complex genetics of trait maintenance and reemergence, and points to broader implications for evolutionary biology. … Read more