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Genes Shared With Viruses Protect Caterpillars from Parasitic Wasps
Genes Shared With Viruses Protect Caterpillars from Parasitic Wasps
A newly identified gene family named “parasitoid killing factor” is found in both insect-infecting viruses and their hosts, although researchers can’t yet tell where they originated.
A newly identified gene family named “parasitoid killing factor” is found in both insect-infecting viruses and their hosts, although researchers can’t yet tell where they originated.
parasitoid
Image of the Day: Bad House Guest
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Oct 9, 2017 | 1 min read
Parasitoid wasps inoculate other insects with their eggs, and their offspring then grow to feed on their "homes," effectively sucking the life out of their dying hosts.
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.
For Some Male Crickets, Silence Means Survival
Sandhya Sekar | May 29, 2014 | 3 min read
Two island populations of male crickets independently evolved to evade parasites by keeping quiet, and have come up with a way to sneak matings with females that still seek the male courtship song.
Animal Mind Control
Jef Akst | Jan 1, 2012 | 10+ min read
Examples of parasites that manipulate the behavior of their hosts are not hard to come by, but scientists have only recently begun to understand how they induce such dramatic changes.