In Greek myth, Icarus was the high-flying son of Daedalus who, due to his own arrogance, flew too close to the sun. Now his name has been given to a newly-discovered moth, Admetovis icarus, thanks to its fiery markings and partiality to high altitudes.
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Most species of termites reproduce the old fashioned way. But nature, always looking for more efficient ways to do things, may be in the process of removing unnecessary steps in the process – males. Researchers have now found colonies with no male termites at all, and they seem to be thriving.
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Praying mantises may not actually pray, but they do PREY heavily on their fellow insects, along with other small land animals. Now, however, for the first time, scientists have documented a praying mantis catching and eating fish.
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According to a new study, the humble, and arguably disgusting fruit fly shares a surprising characteristic with early human explorers – the ability to navigate vast swathes of land using the Sun as a landmark.
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Scientists from Rice University, Texas, have identified a parasitic plant that preys on both trees and the wasps that use them as a nursery for their young. The team hope that their discovery could one day aid scientists in controlling agricultural pests, and maybe even help target cancer cells.
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Although the scent of freshly-cut grass may SEEM nice, what you're actually smelling is a distress signal. Thanks to a recent-conducted study, scientists from the University of Delaware now believe that such signals could be used to summon insect-eating birds to valuable crops.
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Insects are already known to be a cheap and plentiful source of protein, that can be raised on relatively small amounts of land. If that isn't enough to get you chowin' down on the things, how about this – a recent study indicates that eating crickets may be good for your gastrointestinal tract.
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An impressive Australian trial releasing millions of sterilized male mosquitoes has resulted in a more than 80 percent drop in the population of this disease-spreading insect.
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If you're a fan of insect-inspired robots, then you probably like creations such as RoboBee, VelociRoACH, and Harvard University's HAMR. Should the latter's scurrying around not be enough for you, though, it can now move across the water, sinking itself and walking beneath the surface on command.
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Although it's associated with nasty cigarettes, the tobacco plant is also a potential source of vaccines, biofuel and antibiotics. Now, a chemical from the plant is also being used as a bug repellent for crops, which could replace eco-unfriendly insecticides.
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