Insects

An isopod, well adapted to the harsh conditions of arid regions, crawls on the desert floor in search of plant remains. Credit: Viraj R Torsekar

New research reveals the critical role of large insects in the decomposition process in desert ecosystems

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The assumption until now was that the decomposition rates were mainly driven by microorganisms and decreased in drier environments. The new research reveals that large arthropods play a critical and hitherto unappreciated role in the systems
The researchers placed artificial flowers in the area that contained mixtures of fragrances. A night moth approaches a cardboard flower that emits scents of the night candle Charles Hedgcock/University of Washington

Polluted floral scent

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ruined city Illustration: depositphotos.com

If humans become extinct, what will the earth look like a year later?

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What will happen to all our stuff? What will happen to our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods, our cities? Who will feed the dog? Who will cut the grass? Although this is a common theme in movies, shows
Although the attacking ants far outnumber the attackers, they are not able to defend themselves against them - nor do they try. A polyergus ant surrounded by enslaved formica anthills, photo: Adrian A. Smith, CC BY 2.5

We were slaves to the ant and the butterfly

Special for Passover: It turns out that slavery is not limited to humans, and various insects survive and multiply in nature thanks to the "slavery" of other species. So what do an army of small ants and Sparta have in common? What were cow barbers?
Namib desert beetle. Photo: Igor Karamlev, Paxel

Removes insects

Development of water collection and transport systems based on the characteristics of the desert beetle and the female beetle
The webbing of the clustered citrus bar is unique. Photo: Olaf Leillinger, CC BY-SA 2.5

Spiders for tomatoes

wasp Illustration: depositphotos.com

An ecological tragedy

A wasp gathers as food for its future offspring larvae that contain maggots of another wasp in their bodies, thus harming their survival
Madagascar cockroach. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Five super abilities that insects have that we could only dream of

Cockroaches will survive even a nuclear holocaust (provided it doesn't happen when their wings are cut off), bed bug extermination is almost impossible today even with the pesticides we have because of the resistance it has developed and the spider webs are stronger than
A swarm of hexagons is crushed into a passing car. Photo: shutterstock

The humming of the tentacles' inclusions

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The tentacles, relatives of the mosquitoes, have a strange wedding custom, they choose their spouse in a huge swarm of tentacles and yet continue to stick together. A new study managed to decipher
A deadly mantis in a horror movie. An insect of this size would have suffocated in the absence of a mechanism for transporting oxygen. Reynold Brown, Wikimedia

Things people know: why are insects small?

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Over a million species of insects breathe through cilia, so there is a limit to their growth capacity.
The camera is a kind of "Go Pro for insects", which records what is happening from the insect's point of view. Photo: Mark Stone University of Washington

An insect with a camera

Researchers from the University of Washington present a unique development in the field: a camera so small and light that even insects can carry it on their bodies like a backpack
Headless Mike, Wikimedia

Things that Yoram knows: Is it possible to live without a head?

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Insects are less efficient pollinators than bees, but they compensate for this disadvantage by visiting each flower more frequently. Photo: shutterstock

Environment for insects and vice versa

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The aphid Myzus persicae. Harms crops of potatoes and peaches. Photo: Scott Bauer

Harmful but less

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A bee visits the evening primrose flower. Photo: shutterstock

Sweet hum

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insect. Photo: from PIXABAY.COM

The silent collapse of the insect kingdom

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A tiny neural controller developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut could provide more accurate analysis of biological micro-robots, for example using devices in search and rescue missions in collapsed buildings. Image: University of Connecticut

A cyborg cockroach could one day save your life

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Source: Dmarshal (David C. Marshall) / Wikimedia Commons.

On cicada wings and the potential in insect wings

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One of the most surprising findings in the study was that no relationship was found between the variety or amount of insects and the lifestyle of the residents of the house. Photo: Annie Spratt.

A hotel for insects

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Meet the Turkmenocampa mirabilis. Photo: Alberto Sendra.

The amazing bug and the stinky cheese

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The innovative drone developed inspired by insect wings, by researchers from Switzerland. Source: EPFL.

Stiff, flexible, and doesn't crash

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The tobacco moth aphid. Source: Courtesy of Tel Aviv University.

Researchers have uncovered the take-off mechanism of the tobacco moth aphid

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The jewel leper is a spectacular species both visually and from an evolutionary point of view. Its unique venom is capable of enslaving the minds of other insects. Source: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GNU Free Documentation License.

How a wasp turns a cockroach into a zombie under her control

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Fireflies in Japan. Fireflies have properties that make them important in the ecological fabric Photo: zabby

Where did the fireflies go?

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Roach. From Wikipedia

Cockroaches - from all my educational teachers (not for the faint of heart)

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Antibiotics inspired by the defense mechanisms of the insects

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Insects are less efficient pollinators than bees, but they compensate for this disadvantage by visiting each flower more frequently. Photo: shutterstock

Not on the bee alone

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A flock of bats foraging for food. Photo: Shankar S., Flickr

Bats in a different light

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A bowl of boiled crickets. Photo: shutterstock

Switch to eating insects?

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A bumble bee sucks nectar and in the process pollinates a flower. Photo: shutterstock

Everything is honey (but only for now)

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Credit: Nika Wiltse; Courtesy of John Bush, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Micromachines on the bar / Rachel Feltman

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Shrubs at grass height. An ant carries a load weighing 5,000 times its body weight. Photo: shutterstock

Studies prove that the built-in mechanics of the ant's neck allows it to lift a weight of up to 5,000 times (!) its body weight.

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Water Striders. Photo: shutterstock

Master chef inspired by nature

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Surinamese cockroach. Photo: shutterstock

Cockroaches instead of dung beetles (or vice versa)

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Roach. From Wikipedia

Fruit-loving pests / Anna Kuchment

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Natural Gears - Image courtesy of Prof. Malcolm Burrows

Who invented the gear wheel?

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Robotic insects. Illustration: shutterstock

Artificial Fossils / Lux Larsen

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Warming affects the species distribution and size of Orius bugs. Photo courtesy of BioBee

(Climate) change starts with bedbugs

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It is possible that the honey substitute does not provide the bees with the protection they need to deal with the pesticides. Photography: Shutterstock

Has the bee disappearance puzzle been solved?

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A larva of the parasitoid Endaphis after emerging from the body of its host, the banana aphid. Photo: from the original article, courtesy of Frédéric Muratori

The enemy within: the fugitive

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[Adult moth of the species Phyllonorycter blancardella]

XNUMX

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Tiny robotic insects (Credit: Kevin Ma and Pakpong Chirarattananon, Harvard University.)

Flying robotic insects took first controlled flight

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One of the many illustrations drawn by Maria Sibylla Marian. From Wikipedia

The 366th birthday of nature book illustrator and researcher Maria Sibylla Marian

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The band of desert locusts that entered Israel during the month of November 2004. From Wikipedia

locust plague

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The free fall position of leaf aphids. The aphids bring the tentacles up and forward and the hind legs back and up to create an aerodynamically stable position that ensures a proper landing. Illustration Nick W. Sloff

Not only cats fall on their feet

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A dung beetle whose eyes are covered, in an experiment designed to test the beetles' use of the light of the Milky Way for orientation. Photo: Prof. Marcus Byrne from Wits University in Dr

The dung beetle - the first animal to use the milky path for orientation in space

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Insects discovered in amber in northeastern Italy. Photo: University of Padua

Arthropod fossils 230 million years old were discovered encased in amber

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A Metarhizium type fungus attacks cockroach. From Wikishare

There are hidden predators

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Carpenter ants - feed on furniture. From Wikipedia (CC license)

The social network of the ants

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Honey bees enter the hive. From Wikipedia

A common pesticide, imidacloprid, is apparently the cause of the disappearance of the bees

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