Insect

Researchers have created a new camera system that’s so small and light it can perch on the back of a beetle. From there, it can be wirelessly controlled to focus on different things, streaming video and photos back to a phone connected via Bluetooth.

Although there are many insects with wings that fold down beneath covers when not in use, the earwig's wings fold the most compactly. Scientists have now copied that folding mechanism, with an eye towards using it in human technology.

Currently the only way of getting stable video of flying insects involves tethering them in place – which some people would say isn't "flying" at all. Now, French scientists have developed a camera platform that moves through the air with the insect.

It was seven years ago that we first heard about Harvard University's HAMR cockroach-inspired robot. Although the bot was already on the tiny side, its designers have now created a version that's just half its size – it's time to meet HAMR-JR.

Researchers claim to have identified the world's oldest bug. The specimen is a millipede found on an island in Scotland, and it dates back 425 million years. The team says that the finding implies that insects underwent a rapid phase of evolution.

The "sea skater" is one of the few insects that lives full-time in a marine environment. Scientists are now taking a closer look at how the animal repels water, with an eye towards the development of more hydrodynamic ship hulls.

Scientists investigating the genetics underlying a peculiar behavior in South Africa’s Cape honey bee have made a groundbreaking discovery, pinpointing the single gene that enables them to reproduce without having sex.

Responsible for millions of dollars in crop losses annually, the red palm weevil is a flying beetle that lays its eggs inside date palm trees. It could soon be possible to detect such infestations earlier than ever, using fiber optic cables.

A newly discovered microbe identified in wild mosquito populations in Kenya has been found to protect the insects from malaria infection and could be recruited for malaria control strategies to limit transmission of the disease into human populations.

Insects rapidly transition between walking gaits, in response to external stimuli. Scientists have now created a robot that does the same thing, utilizing an artificial neural network – the tech might ultimately find use in better prostheses.

Soft-bodied robots have numerous desirable qualities, such as the ability to squeeze through gaps. And so far, they've typically been manually assembled on a one-off basis. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a new manufacturing method.

Pesticide contamination may be triggering abnormal brain development in baby bumblebees, according to the results of a newly published scientific paper during which researchers scanned the brains of 92 worker bees using micro-CT technology.