insects

The behavior is the first example of a mammal mimicking a more-dangerous species.

Insect populations and species diversity are drastically reduced in areas affected by both climate change and agriculture-related habitat destruction, according to a new study.

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.

A new study has identified a molecular tradeoff between growth and immunity in moths in response to the administration of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics, a common practice in animal husbandry.

The practice, which hasn’t been previously observed among nonhuman animals, may be a display of empathy. 

Dampwood termites with the potential to leave the colony have larger optic lobes before ever being exposed to different visual environments, an example of predictive brain plasticity.

The transcription factor can also drive the opposite transition depending on which hormone activates it, according to a new study.

Watch one scurry around upside down in a remarkably unusual form of locomotion.

Brood X’s emergence tunnels—numbering in the hundreds per square meter of soil—give researchers a special opportunity to study how such extreme soil aeration affects the ecosystem.

An experimental study explores how plant communities may be affected by future declines in invertebrate populations.

Using pigs as human proxies, forensic entomologists reveal how bodies in vehicles decompose differently from those dumped outside.

To avoid wasting digestive energy, the plant only seals shut after sensing certain prey movements.

Trigger hairs on the lobes of the trap are tuned to respond to wriggling prey.

Goldenrods that evolved in the presence of herbivores release volatile chemicals that trigger defenses in neighboring plants of their species, even those that are genetically unrelated.

Watch a predaceous diving beetle dine on a tadpole.

Organisms with unusual genomes are helping scientists investigate gene regulation, evolution, and development.

Of the Hemiptera bugs, milkweed-chomping Oncopeltus fasciatus have hung onto more smell and taste receptors than their liquid-guzzling relatives.

A virtual exhibition of C.R. Percival’s slides reveals the natural world up close.

Genetic material left behind on flowers can reveal which insects have visited.