A dangerous, sometimes deadly, infection spread by kissing bugs is regularly spreading within America. In a recent paper, researchers are claiming that Chagas disease is endemic to parts of the southern U.S. and is probably here to stay. Scientists in Florida, Texas, and California made the case in a paper published last month in the […]
Scientists Discover New Parasitic Wasps Invading the U.S.
There are all sorts of cruel parasites out there, and more are being uncovered all the time. Scientists have recently found several invasive species of parasitic wasps that have now landed in the U.S. Researchers at Binghamton University and the University of Iowa made the discovery. For the first time ever, they detected the presence […]
Plague Case Confirmed Near Lake Tahoe After Likely Flea Bite
A California resident has tested positive for the plague after camping near Lake Tahoe, local health officials confirmed. It’s the latest in a string of positive cases in the western U.S. this year. The infected person was likely bitten by a plague-infected flea in the South Lake Tahoe area, according to local health officials. This […]
Horrifyingly Huge New Stick Insect Discovered Exactly Where You Think
Australia is famous for hosting the weirdest creatures we’ve ever seen. Sometimes, these weird creatures also come extra-large—like the newly discovered stick insect that researchers believe may be the heaviest of all Aussie insects. The insect, named Acrohylla alta, is about 15 inches (40 centimeters) long—about the height of a bowling pin—and weighs around 0.1 […]
Our Neanderthal Cousins Were Big Maggot Eaters, Scientists Argue
Modern humanity’s most famous cousins, the Neanderthals, may have had a clever, if unappealing, dietary trick for survival: maggots. Research out today posits these creepy crawly fly larvae provided Neanderthals an ample source of essential nitrogen and fat. Scientists at Purdue University, the University of Michigan, and others conducted the study, published Friday in Science […]
The Next Wave of 17-Year Cicadas Is About to Party, Scream, and Die
A special brood of cicadas—an ancient lineage of the periodical insects—is set to burst from the soil this May and June, covering more of the United States than any other 17-year brood. These bugs—collectively known as Brood XIV—have been biding their time underground since the last Bush administration, biding their time and counting the years […]
The Oldest Known Ant Specimen Held Its Prey With Weird Mandibles, Researchers Claim
When you think of predators, you likely imagine big animals with sharp claws or teeth, like tigers or sharks. Over 100 million years ago, however, a tiny yet freakishly fearsome predator impaled its prey with scythe-like jaws. While investigating a large collection of fossil insects at the Museum of Zoology at the University of São […]
New Caterpillar Found in Hawaii Wears Dead Bugs and Lives With Spiders
Scientists have discovered a rare and ancient lineage of caterpillar in Hawai’i that wears the “bones” of insects as a form of camouflage. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa detailed their discovery in a paper published Thursday in Science. The caterpillar—which they’ve dubbed the “bone collector”—uses the disguise to live hidden within a […]
This Tiny Robot Is Part Bee, Part Crane Fly—and It Finally Has Solid Legs
Imagine tiny robotic bees buzzing around fields of wildflowers, helping real bees carry out their crucial pollinating duties decades in the future. It’s a vision that Harvard’s Microrobotics Laboratory has been working on for years. The barrier? Until recently, the only landing the Harvard RoboBee had mastered was a crash landing. Harvard researchers have now […]