Insect

No matter what humans come up with, chances are nature has already done a better job. Now researchers have discovered the latest example – beetles naturally lubricate their knees with a strange substance that works better than Teflon.

UC Berkeley engineers have created an insect robot that can scamper along quickly and turn on a dime – perhaps literally. The bot owes its fancy footwork to… well, its fancy feet, using varying voltages to alternate stickiness and make sharp turns.

Amber is amazing at preserving insects and small creatures, but now it might have some competition – fossilized feces. A hapless beetle has become the first species discovered and described after being preserved in poo for 230 million years.

One of nature’s most intriguing horror stories is that of the fungus that “zombifies” ants to spread its spores. Now, researchers have discovered the oldest known example of this kind of parasite at work, preserved in ancient amber.

Although we've already heard about plants that mimic the smell of rotten meat in order to attract scavengers, botanists have now discovered that a certain plant focuses that concept – it mimics the smell of dead beetles, to draw in one type of fly.

The first thing many of us might wish for is eternal youth, but there’s always a catch. Now, scientists have discovered a version of this story playing out in ant nests, as parasites drastically extend the lifespan of worker ants – at a terrible cost.

New findings are indicating a commonly used herbicide appears to weaken the immune systems of insects. One mosquito experiment suggests the chemical can amplify insect susceptibility to parasitic infection, possibly increasing malaria transmission.

Scientists have discovered a fascinating new example of impressive teamwork among army ants, in which the insects join their bodies together to form scaffolds that stop nest mates from tumbling down steep terrain.

More and more, insect protein is being suggested as a more sustainable alternative to meat. Humans aren't the only omnivores, though, which is why a new insect-based cat food should soon be hitting the market – and it won't be the only one.

When we think of camouflage, it’s usually a visual pattern. But how do you hide from a predator that uses sound to find food, like a bat? If you’re a firefly, it turns out you might resort to a cacophony of ultrasound that acts like “musical armor.”

Researchers have managed to create a kind of cyborg, integrating the ear of a locust into a robot. The robot was then able to respond to noises that the biological sensor picked up, which could pave the way for more sensitive and efficient sensors.

If a drone were to inadvertently end up upside-down while flying, it would be good if the aircraft could automatically flip itself back over again, to avoid crashing. Such may someday be the case, thanks to a recent study on dragonfly flight.