ScienceBiology

Beetle Trapped in 99-Million-Year-Old Amber Was an Early Pollinator 

Amber fossils containing bugs are nothing new, but the discovery of a beautifully preserved Cretaceous Period beetle with bits of pollen still around it is changing what we know about the planet’s earliest pollinating insects. Earth’s oldest pollinating insects are a bit of a mystery, but fossilized insect dung containing bits of pollen suggest they … Continued

Tech News

You Can Build This Creepy, Crawly Robotic Centipede Yourself—and Then Stomp It Back to Hell

Designing robots that emulate how creatures move and walk helps us not only understand the world around us, but also improve how automatons of the future will get around. But on the other hand, that same research has given birth to this creepy centipede robot toy that squirms around on 18 flailing legs like a … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Parasitic Disease Spread by Sandflies Is More Common in the U.S. Than Previously Thought

A disease spread by sandflies seen as an exotic nuisance in the U.S. might not be solely a traveler’s disease after all. A new study published Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology suggests that most American cases of leishmaniasis are actually spread by native bugs, not caught while traveling. And thanks to climate change, the parasitic illness … Continued

ScienceBiology

I Do Not Like This New Wasp Species Whose Giant Stinger Lays Eggs Inside Spiders

Hi, do you see that long red thing? It belongs to that wasp. Its function is to both sting and lay eggs inside of another creature, which is eventually killed from the inside by the wasp’s horrifying offspring. I do not like this wasp and hope that I never meet this wasp. Scientists at the … Continued

ScienceBiology

Meet Jason, the Tiny Beetle Stuck in Amber for 99 Million Years

Featherwing beetles are some of the smallest insects out there—and one researcher managed to spot an ancient specimen in a 99-million-year-old chunk of amber. Just half a millimeter long, this Cretaceous period beetle had its signature fringed wings unfurled when it met its sticky demise. “These beetles lived in the Cretaceous, so they lived with … Continued

ScienceBiology

Fascinating Experiment Suggests Bees Understand the Concept of Zero

Humans have relegated insects to the lower levels of the cognitive totem pole, but scientists are increasingly showing it’s a mistake to underestimate invertebrate intelligence. As a case in point, new research by French and Australian researchers suggests honey bees understand the concept of zero—a rare and complex capacity shared by an exclusive group of … Continued

ScienceHealth

Bug-Sprayed Clothing Really Does Keep Ticks Away

A new CDC-led study published today in the Journal of Medical Entomology suggests it might be a great time to invest in a new fashion trend: bug spray-laced clothing. The study found that clothing treated with permethrin was able to stop several species of disease-causing ticks in their tracks, either paralyzing them or making them … Continued

ScienceHealth

Ticks and Insects Are Making More People Sick, and the Problem Is Only Getting Worse

A new report out Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights a scary reality: Diseases spread by six- and eight-legged bugs are becoming more common. And worse than that, health officials across the country seem woefully incapable of dealing with them. The report’s authors looked at available data on vector-borne diseases collected … Continued

ScienceBiology

Male Brown Widow Spiders Prefer Cannibalistic Older Females for No Apparent Reason

Scientists in Israel have observed a strange behavior among brown widow spiders: When given the choice, the males of this species prefer to have sex with older females even though they’re less likely to bear offspring. More problematically, these older females are also more inclined to devour their partners after mating, making the males’ preference … Continued

ScienceBiology

London Residents Warned That Invasive, Toxic Caterpillars Are Out in Force This Year

Don’t underestimate the humble caterpillar. While it might not look all that dangerous compared to humans mainly worried about stings and bites, many varieties are covered in toxic spines, as residents of London are being warned this weekend. Per the New York Times, UK forestry officials are warning that oak processionary moth caterpillars have been … Continued

ScienceBiology

New Species of ‘Exploding Ant’ Discovered in Borneo

When confronted by an enemy, Southeast Asian “exploding ants” do exactly what their name implies: they explode. Ignored for decades, researchers have completed a detailed survey of these enigmatic ants, discovering over a dozen species that fit into this group, including one that’s completely new to science. Ants are capable of amazing prosocial behaviors, such … Continued

ScienceBiology

The Earthworm Jerky I Bought on Walmart.com Tasted Like Shit

Our friends over at the Takeout discovered last week that Walmart’s website sold Earthworm jerky. As Gizmodo’s resident bug eater, I ordered some the moment I heard. This jerky tasted horrible, to my surprise. But please, don’t let that stop you from trying to eat strange invertebrates yourself. As scientists and futurists ponder food’s future, … Continued

Tech News

Don’t Bother Trying to Outrun This Creepy Spiderbot That Transforms Into a Rolling Wheel

If the only thing more terrifying to you than a spider is a spider chasing you, you’re not going to want to watch this video of Festo’s latest creation. Using eight reconfigurable legs, the BionicWheelBot can creepily crawl along the ground, but then transform into a wheel and roll at an alarming speed. Someone find … Continued

ScienceBiology

Newly Sequenced Cockroach Genome Explains Why They Are So Goddamn Hard to Kill

Cockroaches have been one of humanity’s most unwanted, yet admirably persistent, roommates for thousands of years. But despite our reluctant intimacy, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about these insects. A new study, published today in Nature Communication, unpacks the genes that make roaches tick—and helps explain why they’re so damn hard to get … Continued

EartherConservation

The Bee(tle)s Are Dying at an Alarming Rate

Beetles that depend on dead or decaying wood, often with weighty frames and photogenic jaws—called saproxylic beetles—are fascinating insects, and often kids’ favorites (think stag beetles). According to a new report, they are also some of the most threatened, with nearly one-fifth of Europe’s saproxylic beetles at risk of extinction due to major declines in old … Continued

EartherConservation

Noise Pollution Could Make it Hard For Crickets to Find Love

We humans are a loud group of primates, with the constant clanging and droning of our machines emanating from our cities and towns. All this racket may have permanent and insidious effects on wildlife, including throwing a wet blanket on cricket sex, according to new research. Scientists have recently discovered that noise pollution is disruptive … Continued

ScienceBiology

These Warlike Ants Rescue Wounded Comrades—and Even Provide Medical Care

Sub-Saharan Matabele ants are ruthless killers, raiding termite mounds two to four times each day. But every once in a while, an ant gets hurt and is hauled back home to recuperate—an astonishing insectoid behavior unto itself. New research suggests there’s even more to it than that—these ants also administer medical care to those wounded … Continued

ScienceHealth

Bed Bugs Are Pooping Histamine Into Our Homes—and Possibly Making Us Sick

There are few living things on earth that can set our nerves more on edge than the aptly named bed bug (Cimex lectularius). Even if you’ve never had the displeasure of being their unwilling blood bank, you probably know someone who has. Since at least the 1990s, bed bugs have started to resist the pesticides … Continued

ScienceBiology

Swatting Mosquitoes Teaches Them to Stay Away, Study Suggests

Attempts to kill a mosquito aren’t always met with success—these annoying bloodsuckers seem preternaturally good at evading hand swats. Surprising new research suggests mosquitos learn from these near-death experiences, staying clear of a particular odor they’ve learned to associate with the perpetrator. New research published in Current Biology suggests mosquitoes are more adept at acquiring … Continued

EartherConservation

A Newly Discovered Wasp Is Named After the True Hit King Ichiro

Ichiro Suzuki may be out of a Major League Baseball gig, but perhaps he can take solace in a wasp recently named in his honor. A paper published on Thursday in ZooKeys highlights 10 newly named wasps, four of which are from Florida. Jose Fernandez-Triana, a Cuban-born entomologist and researcher at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, … Continued