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a fuzzy black and tan beetle chews on the bark of a pine tree sapling, whose needles can be seen in the background
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles
Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles

Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.

Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.

pests

Mice Plague Eastern Australia in Record Numbers
Bianca Nogrady | Jul 12, 2021 | 5 min read
A population explosion that began late last year has yet to abate. Meanwhile, researchers are exploring novel approaches to combat the nonnative species.
Circadian Clock Genes Help a Crop Pest Adapt to Climate Change
Emily Makowski | Jan 13, 2020 | 3 min read
As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.
Eavesdropping on Soil Insects Could Aid Pest Management
Michael Graw | Nov 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Insects in the soil are difficult to monitor, but listening in on the noises they make could help farmers detect pest infestations and improve estimates of biodiversity.
Amidst UK Pollinator Declines, Migrant Hoverflies Are Doing Well
Katarina Zimmer | Jun 13, 2019 | 4 min read
A decade-long study tallies the numbers of pest-eating, flower-pollinating hoverflies that travel to the UK every year, and illustrates their important ecological roles in southern Britain.
CRISPR Gene Drive Used to Alter Mouse Coat Color
Shawna Williams | Jul 9, 2018 | 2 min read
It’s the first demonstration of the technology in mammals.
Researchers Look to Sex Pheromones to Trap an Invasive Snake
Steve Graff | Jul 1, 2018 | 4 min read
The brown tree snake has wreaked havoc on the island of Guam, but one solution to the problem could lie in the serpent’s own physiology.
Serotonin Involved in a Slug Host’s Response to a Parasite
Yao-Hua Law | Mar 12, 2018 | 3 min read
Host slugs given Prozac to increase their serotonin levels no longer avoid parasitic nematodes, the same behavior seen in infected slugs.
Insects Are Increasingly Evolving Resistance to Genetically Modified Crops
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 13, 2017 | 2 min read
Plantings of non-GM refuges counter the development of resistance.
Plague Ravaging Madagascar
Kerry Grens | Oct 10, 2017 | 1 min read
Nearly four dozen people have died.
Driving Down Pests
Amy Lewis | Aug 27, 2017 | 4 min read
A computer model estimates that gene-drive technology could wipe out populations of an invasive mammal on islands. 
Gene Drive’s Achilles Heel
Kerry Grens | May 22, 2017 | 1 min read
Rare genetic variants could blunt efforts to destroy pest populations. 
Arthropods Abundant in American Homes
Catherine Offord | Jan 20, 2016 | 2 min read
The average US household contains 62 distinct families of arthropod species, according to an entomological census.
Genome Digest
Abby Olena, PhD | Feb 6, 2014 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
Top Genomes of 2013
Abby Olena, PhD | Dec 25, 2013 | 4 min read
What researchers learned as they dug through the most highly cited genomes published this year
Bed Bug-Trapping Plants
Kate Yandell | Apr 11, 2013 | 1 min read
Scientists are trying to create pest control devices inspired by tiny hooks on bean plant leaves.
Memory Tools for Plants
Amy Coombs | Jun 4, 2012 | 2 min read
How plants pass defenses to offspring through a complex molecular network
Seeds Inherit Memories of Enemies
Amy Coombs | May 31, 2012 | 4 min read
Infested plants pass on a defense memory of pests and pathogens to help the next generation withstand invasions.
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