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ScienceHealthRoaches Are Getting Harder and Harder to Kill
The cockroaches that plague our homes are even more indestructible than we thought, according to a recent study by researchers at Purdue University in Indiana. The bug scientists used a variety of strategies and different insecticides to root out real-life infestations of the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), but found that the roaches were able to survive … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthEven the Flies Inside Hospitals Carry Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Upwards of 90 percent of insects found in British hospitals carry potentially harmful bacteria, according to new research. Alarmingly, a significant portion of this bacteria is resistant to one or more antibiotics, highlighting a previously under-appreciated health risk—though the researchers caution that chances of infection are low. New research published last week in the Journal … Continued
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ScienceBiologySpider Eating a Pygmy Possum Is Obviously Australian
That’s a photo of a huntsman spider eating a pygmy possum. Yikes! A woman named Justine Latton posted this photo in a public Facebook group dedicated to discussing the invertebrates inhabiting the Australian island of Tasmania. Her husband, Adam, spotted the brutal meal at a ski lodge in the island’s Mount Field National Park a … Continued
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Tech NewsBlood Feasts, Cashless Stores, and Quantum Computing: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Excellent news here at Gizmodo, where I presume what’s left of our blogger-chewed Forbidden Sandwich is still festering in the back of a fridge. We have discovered yet more ingredients to add to the mix, including head cheese from an ancient species of Pleistocene wolf found preserved in Siberia, cannabis residue scraped from a brazier … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthBlood Feasts and Roach Vacuums: The Life of an Urban Pest Scientist
It’s not often you get to witness one of the most brutal acts of the natural world up close: bed bug sex. But there I was, at North Carolina State University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology this May, as researcher Saveer Ahmed arranged the meet-cute in a lab dish. The more oblong, poppy seed-sized … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsWho Knew Signs of the Apocalypse Would Be So Adorable?
Imagine for a moment that you’re having a boring Tuesday evening at work watching the radar in Southern California for the National Weather Service. Then something strange catches your eye. There’s a slow-moving mass coming in from the north and bearing down on Southern California. It’s not a rain cloud, you soon realize, or a … Continued
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ScienceBiologyBed Bugs Have Been Creeping Around and Sucking Blood Since the Age of Dinosaurs
While bed bugs have been tormenting humanity for millennia, it’s long been assumed their evolutionary journey as parasites first began tens of millions of years ago, when they fed on bats. But an international team of scientists has found evidence suggesting the origin of these vampiric insects extends even further into the past—back to the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Earther103 New Beetle Species Named After Star Wars Characters, Mythological Beasts, and More
There are more species of beetle than just about anything else on Earth—approximately 400,000 species described, with perhaps a million or more left to catalog. Now, researchers have identified 103 new species of weevil (a tiny variety of beetle), all from a single Indonesian island. Trigonopterus weevils are wee, egg-shaped insects, dimpled like a golf … Continued
By Jake Buehler -
Tech NewsFake FCC Comments, Shark DNA, and the Edge of Everything: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Hopefully your week has been better than leading New York politicians, like NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew “Amazon” Cuomo—both of whom are still dealing with the disastrous fallout from the failed deal to subsidize a new Amazon facility in Queens’s Long Island City neighborhood. (Adding insult to injury: de Blasio, who has … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceBiology
The World’s Biggest Bee Just Buzzed Into My Heart
I don’t remember when or where I was first stung by a bee. What I remember is the pain. Radiating from the pink welt was a sharp, throbbing ache. Adults said there was no treatment except ice. At the time, my tiny torment felt endless and unfair, but later encounters with yellowjackets reframed my first … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
EartherWorld’s Biggest Bee, Once Thought Extinct, Has Been Found Alive
A black, thumb-sized missile sails through the jungle air, a thunderous buzzing announcing its arrival. The massive insect lands heavily on a tree-bound termite nest, taking a moment to fold its brassy wings and stretch its humongous, curved jaws. This is Wallace’s giant bee, the beefiest and bumbliest bee on Earth. After going missing for … Continued
By Jake Buehler -
Tech News
This Walking Robot Navigates Using the Sun, No GPS Required
Researchers in France are calling their six-legged creation the “AntBot.” This 9-inch robot doesn’t just skitter around like a desert ant, though—it also borrows their unique navigational skills. These skills, showcased in a new study published in Science Robotics on Wednesday, could someday allow robots to find their way back home without the need of … Continued
By Ed Cara -
EartherClimate Change
Project to Eradicate Termites Reveals How Much Rainforests Need Them
Homeowners tend to equate termites with property value apocalypse, but ecologically speaking, they’re more a force of stability than destruction. A new study points to how termites can help the rainforests they call home to weather droughts—which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as climate change causes the tropics to heat up. Termites … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
ScienceBiology
Scientists Got Fruit Flies Drunk and Maybe Figured Out Why We Get Buzzed
Anyone who’s been part of a rowdy New Year’s celebration knows that a little alcohol can make us euphoric, energetic, and affectionate. But the more we drink, the more we descend into a (sometimes life-threatening) stupor. The scientists behind a recent study claim to have worked out how that initial buzzed feeling happens, all thanks … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiology
Look How Tightly You Can Squish Mosquitoes Without Killing Them
Far more lethal than sharks, wolves, bears, or any other fanged beast is the tiny mosquito, which holds the title of world’s deadliest animal. The World Health Organization estimates that “millions” of people die every year from mosquito-borne diseases. Thankfully, scientists have come up with a strategy to greatly reduce the mosquito population, but it … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiology
Dear Lord, Praying Mantises Can Actually Catch Fish
Praying mantises are what scientists call “generalist” hunters, meaning they eat pretty much whatever they want. Despite their eclectic taste, however, no one has ever seen a praying mantis eat fish—until now. These formidable insects have been observed to eat other insects (especially fly-like bugs), lizards, frogs, snakes, turtles, mice, and even small birds (namely … Continued
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Tech NewsWatch the Awesome Way in Which Plants Defend Themselves Against Threats
We tend to think of plants as helpless, passive green blobs, but a fascinating new study, in which scientists used fluorescent light to visualize alarm signals within plants, shows how our photosynthesizing friends are able to mobilize their defenses. New research published today in Science is providing an unprecedented view of the signaling action that … Continued
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ScienceBiology
French Ban on Neonicotinoid Pesticides, Which Bees May Find Addictive, Goes Into Effect
A French ban on five neonicotinoid pesticides intended to protect the nation’s bees from colony collapse disorder went into effect on Saturday, Agence France-Press reported. Per AFP, the French rules ban all five neonicotinoid pesticides once cleared for use throughout the continent. Earlier this year, the European Union upheld a moratorium of three out of … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsSleep Science, DIY Submarines, and Infectious Kissing Bugs: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
The end of summer is fast approaching, though the fun in the sun is coming to an even swifter conclusion for some of us: Take the tale of Paul Ceglia, the man who allegedly used forged documents naming him as a Facebook co-owner to try and rip off CEO Mark Zuckerberg in court. This week, … Continued
By Tom McKay
