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An Edith’s checkerspot butterfly
Genome Spotlight: Edith’s Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha)
A high-quality genome sequence for this versatile insect will likely aid eco-evolutionary research.
Genome Spotlight: Edith’s Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha)
Genome Spotlight: Edith’s Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha)

A high-quality genome sequence for this versatile insect will likely aid eco-evolutionary research.

A high-quality genome sequence for this versatile insect will likely aid eco-evolutionary research.

butterfly

Image of the Day: Structural Colors
Amy Schleunes | Apr 14, 2020 | 2 min read
The films coating buckeye butterflies’ wing scales vary in thickness, creating a broad spectrum of iridescent colors.  
Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Defender Found Dead
Ashley Yeager | Jan 30, 2020 | 2 min read
Details of Homero Gómez González’s death are not yet known.
Genomes Sequenced for Every US and Canada Butterfly
Emily Makowski | Nov 20, 2019 | 2 min read
Researchers analyzed more than 800 species.
Heliconius erato demophoon butterfly mullerian mimicry wnta
Gene Regulation Gives Butterflies Their Stunning Looks
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 14, 2019 | 5 min read
Distantly related, lookalike Heliconius species arrive at the same appearance using the same few genes, but regulated differently, according to recent studies.
Co-mimic pairs from the species Heliconius erato (odd columns) and Heliconius melpomene (even column) sorted by greatest similarity from top left to bottom right
Image of the Day: ButterflyNet
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 16, 2019 | 1 min read
Scientists used machine learning to analyze the coevolution of physical traits in butterflies.
Image of the Day: Attendance Record
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 11, 2019 | 1 min read
Genetic material left behind on flowers can reveal which insects have visited.
Image of the Day: Hearing Aid
Catherine Offord | Oct 18, 2018 | 1 min read
A swollen wing vein helps butterflies detect low-frequency sounds.
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.
Image of the Day: Infrared Tumors
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Apr 18, 2018 | 1 min read
A camera inspired by butterfly eyes allows surgeons to see cancer cells during surgery.
Image of the Day: Butterfly Wing Scents
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Nov 13, 2017 | 1 min read
In Heliconius butterflies, researchers discover the importance of a male wing structure in female choice. 
Image of the Day: Solar Butterfly
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Oct 27, 2017 | 1 min read
The wings of black butterflies are inspiring the design of new solar-cell technology.
Image of the Day: Colorful Crystals
The Scientist | Apr 26, 2017 | 1 min read
Thecla opisena butterfly wings get their unique luster from the crystalline structures in their scales (bottom right).
Behavior Brief
Ben Andrew Henry | Dec 22, 2016 | 4 min read
A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research
Migrating Monarch Numbers Rebound
Bob Grant | Feb 29, 2016 | 2 min read
The iconic butterflies have flocked to their Mexican overwintering grounds, seemingly reversing recent population declines.
Week in Review: November 2–6
Jef Akst | Nov 6, 2015 | 3 min read
How Ebola hides from immune cells; gut microbes’ role in immunotherapy response; new mechanisms of hearing loss; butterflies use milkweed toxins to ward off predators
Butterflies Weaponize Milkweed Toxins
Geoffrey Giller | Nov 4, 2015 | 3 min read
Monarch and queen caterpillars store toxic compounds from their milkweed diet to ward off predators into adulthood, a new study suggests.
Parasite’s Genes Persist in Host Genomes
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | Sep 17, 2015 | 3 min read
Researchers find evidence of gene flow from parasitoid wasps to the butterflies and moths they lay eggs in.
Butterflies in Peril
Bob Grant | Aug 12, 2015 | 2 min read
Several recent studies point to serious—and mysterious—declines in butterfly numbers across the globe.
Genome Digest
Jenny Rood | Mar 4, 2015 | 6 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
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