Insect

Genetic studies have revealed that when male mosquitoes lose their hearing, they also lose their sex lives. The surprising discovery could lead to new ways to reduce mosquito populations and the diseases they spread.

For 50 years now, camera company Nikon has been highlighting microscopic marvels with the annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition. Headlining this year’s winners is a groundbreaking view of mouse brain tumor cells.

For the 60th year in a row, the Natural History Museum of London has held its Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. And for the 60th year in a row, the images are guaranteed to stir your love of the natural world and the animals that live in it.

Despite what you might say when drunk, you’re not the best backflipper in the world. That honor belongs to a tiny little bug called a globular springtail, whose superfast backflips have now been caught on slow-motion camera for the first time.

Some species have an incredible knack for hacking others to get what they want. Scientists have now discovered a fascinating new example – some spiders have been seen manipulating fireflies’ flashes to attract more bugs to their webs.

Mosquitoes are masters of evasion when indoors, seemingly disappearing after you unsuccessfully try to swat them or grab them out of the air. That's where the Bzigo Iris comes in, as it tracks them and shows you where they are.

"We can feed black soldier flies straight, dirty trash," says a team that's working to turn insects into landfill-clearing biomanufacturing machines that turn regular, dangerous or contaminated garbage into a range of high-value products.

Tiny aerial drones have many potential uses, but their ability to navigate is severely limited by their minuscule amount of onboard processing power. Scientists have now set about addressing that limitation, taking a cue from foraging insects such as ants.

This part of the animal kingdom may not be most people's favorite, but insects are a diverse and resilient bunch that date back almost 400 million years. But because of their size, many of us don't really get a chance to admire their beauty up close.

In a first, scientists have found that painted lady butterflies use favorable winds and a strategy of active flying and autopilot to cross the world nonstop. The flight, spanning five-to-eight days, takes up to half the adventurous animals' adult life.

This serene gap between Pyrenees mountains becomes abuzz with flying insects each year, as they journey across Europe. We may not always like to live with them, but we can't live without them – so paths like this are critical for all life on Earth.

When it comes to protein sources that are more eco-friendly than traditional livestock, two of the most promising candidates are insects and microalgae. Scientists have now devised a method of using waste from the former as food for the latter.