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An international team of scientists used sensitive instruments to show that oil from human skin reacts with ozone to generate potent, free radicals. These chemicals can further react with most organic compounds present in the indoor environment to produce dangerous pollutants.
Caught on Camera
See some of the coolest images recently featured by The Scientist
Caught on Camera
Caught on Camera

See some of the coolest images recently featured by The Scientist

See some of the coolest images recently featured by The Scientist

entomology

A fossil imprint of the stridulatory apparatus from an extinct cricket species
Listen to Extinct Crickets Chirp
David George Haskell | May 16, 2022 | 4 min read
The land’s first known singer may have sounded like a raspier version of today’s familiar insect fiddlers.
A fossil imprint of the stridulatory apparatus from an extinct cricket species
Book Excerpt from Sounds Wild and Broken
David George Haskell | May 16, 2022 | 5 min read
In a chapter entitled “Predators, Silence, Wings,” author David George Haskell explores the soundscapes of bygone eras of animal communication.
A close-up of the eyespot on the wing of a forest mother-of-pearl butterfly (Protogoniomorpha parhassus)
Caught on Camera
The Scientist | Apr 18, 2022 | 2 min read
See some of the coolest images recently featured by The Scientist
Close up photo of a wing
Unearthing the Evolutionary Origins of Insect Wings
Jef Akst | Apr 4, 2022 | 6 min read
A handful of new studies moves the needle toward a consensus on the long-disputed question of whether insect wings evolved from legs or from the body wall, but the devil is in the details.
Photo of a Jewel beetle <em>(Sternocera aequisignata)</em>.
Why Are Some Beetles Shiny? It’s Not What Researchers Thought
Connor Lynch | Mar 1, 2022 | 4 min read
The glossy shell of some beetles, it has long been speculated, helps hide the insects from predators. A recent paper put the hypothesis to the test—and found it wanting.
larva
Leaping Larvae Intrigue Scientists
Chloe Tenn | Jan 20, 2022 | 6 min read
The Scientist spoke with entomologist Matt Bertone about the characteristics of Laemophloeus biguttatus larvae jumps—a previously unreported behavior in this group of beetles.
man sitting outdoors
E.O. Wilson, Renowned Ant Researcher, Dies at 92
Chloe Tenn | Dec 27, 2021 | 3 min read
The naturalist was recognized for his work on social behavior and pheromones in ants and as a champion of wildlife conservation.
Fireflies lighting up a tree at night
Firefly Tourism Sparks Calls for Sustainable Practices
Asher Jones | Jun 1, 2021 | 5 min read
More and more people are traveling around the world to watch the luminous displays of fireflies, but tourism-related light pollution and habitat degradation threaten to snuff out the insects at some locations.  
Frozen Fecal Knives Honored by 2020 Ig Nobel Prizes
Lisa Winter | Sep 18, 2020 | 2 min read
Other recipients of the award for laugh-worthy achievements experimented with alligators on helium and vibrating worms.
Fly Colonies Help Calculate Time of Death of Car Trunk Cadavers
Ashley Yeager | Jul 13, 2020 | 4 min read
Using pigs as human proxies, forensic entomologists reveal how bodies in vehicles decompose differently from those dumped outside.
The Hidden World of Millipede Sex
Yao-Hua Law | Jun 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Researchers use advanced imaging techniques to see what happens when a male and a female mate.
hannah burrack entomology tobacco budworm caterpillar spotted wing Drosophila coronavirus pandemic covid-19
Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Some Scientists Bring the Bench Home
Emma Yasinski | May 13, 2020 | 5 min read
PCR moves into the laundry room, while insect colonies take up residence in the shower.
When Is an Endosymbiont an Organelle?
Ruth Williams | Oct 3, 2019 | 3 min read
The finding that a bacterium within a bacterium within an animal cell cooperates with the host on a biosynthetic pathway suggests the endosymbiont is, practically speaking, an organelle.
national museum brazil rio de janeiro fire museu nacional
Amid Science Cuts, Brazil’s National Museum Tries to Recover
Ignacio Amigo | Jun 11, 2019 | 4 min read
Nine months after a fire destroyed priceless collections, scientists are working restore the archives and keep their research afloat.
marianne shockley university of georgia entomology
University of Georgia Entomologist Marianne Shockley Dies
Ashley P. Taylor | May 15, 2019 | 2 min read
The young faculty member was active in outreach and teaching.
Monarch Butterfly Conservationist Dies
Catherine Offord | Jul 23, 2018 | 2 min read
Lincoln Brower, an American entomologist famous for his work to conserve the monarch populations of Mexico and the US, has passed away at age 86.
Trump Nominates Scott Hutchins for USDA Top Scientist
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jul 18, 2018 | 1 min read
A pesticide industry leader, Hutchins was formerly president of the Entomological Society of America.
How Corpse-Eating Beetles Avoid Infection
Yao-Hua Law | Jun 1, 2018 | 4 min read
Some beetle species may have evolved to tunnel into the ground to escape the pathogens that abound on dead and rotting animals.
Image of the Day: Ant Attack!
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Apr 24, 2018 | 1 min read
A new species of ant discovered in Borneo fends off invaders with a uniquely suicidal strategy.
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