Butterfly Diplomacy: An Immigration Policy for Monarchs
Traveling en masse from the U.S. and Canada and settling in populations estimated at 20 million to 25 million per acre when they arrive in their traditional winter home in Mexico, monarch butterflies...
View ArticleThe Ticking Compass Inside a Butterfly
Retiring from a naval engagement in 1588, the captains of the Spanish Armada lost their way rounding the coast of England. They had hoped to sail west, far out to sea before turning south toward home,...
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Bumblebees for Crash Avoidance
Back in the 20th century, seatbelts and crash resistant materials were critical components of auto safety. Now engineers at Nissan Motor Company are implementing a bigger-picture approach by mimicking...
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Cockroaches and Running Robots
While the average human being probably doesn't find the sight of a cockroach dashing through the kitchen at 1 a.m. anything short of disgusting, researchers at Oregon State think it's inspiring. They...
View ArticleStopping Malaria With a Chastity Belt
Meddling with the sex lives of malarial mosquitoes could stop the spread of the disease. A recent study of Anopheles gambiae conducted at London’s Imperial College found that a “male mating plug”...
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Pine Beetle Infestation Under the Presidents’ Noses
Here, on the western flank of Mount Rushmore, from the vista that highlights George Washington's 60-foot profile, a few Ponderosa pines are showing signs of autumnal shedding. Nothing indicates...
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Predators Make Great Mosquito Repellent
Quiet as they are, mosquitoes generate a lot of buzz from scientists, pharmaceutical companies, aid groups and governments trying to get rid of them and the diseases they carry, including dengue, West...
View ArticleHanging Around in the Rainforest
Biologists are fascinated by tropical rainforests partially because they contain all sorts of biological oddities found nowhere else on earth. One example in the Amazon are ant-gardens, which are...
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Bedbugs Have Evolved to Live With Mankind
"Bedbugs sure is evil, they don't mean me no good. Yeah, bedbug sure is evil, they don't mean me no good. Thinks he's a woodpecker and I'm a chunk of wood.” — Bessie Smith ("Mean Old Bedbug Blues")...
View ArticleCould Organic Farming Threaten Our Food Supply?
Untold numbers of species are threatened by extinction due to people. Yet, a class of animals is thriving, despite humans' best efforts to wipe them out: agricultural insect pests. And these pests pose...
View ArticleBody Count: Putting a Price on Invasive Insect Damage
Like many of us, the emerald ash borer is most destructive in its youth. As an adult, the beetle, about a third of an inch long, nibbles on the leaves of ash trees and is more notable for its striking...
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New Zealand Imports Foreign Workers: Dung Beetles
New Zealand farmers Dean and Marjorie Blythen are poised for an unlikely spot in the history books — early next year their property, about 30 miles north of Auckland, will become home to the country's...
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You Can Help Net a Fluttering of Data Points
If you’re looking for a good measuring stick for change in the world—whether in climate, land use, pollution—consider the butterfly. Not only are they sensitive to temperature changes, hot and cold,...
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