Insect

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.

Inspired by a carnivorous plant, scientists have created a sticky spray that could kill pest insects as effectively as traditional toxic pesticides. And what's more, it's derived from plain ol' vegetable oil.

A new ant has been named after the creepiest of all Harry Potter villains, Lord Voldemort. Like the lord, the ant is pale, slender and lives in the dark – unlike Mr. Voldemort, however, the ant did not give Harry his lightning-bolt forehead scar.

Would you want to eat this beetle? Probably not, as it appears to be covered in fungus. That "fungus" is actually hair, however, which the recently discovered insect may use to put off would-be predators.

In many cases nature has better versions of our tech. The newest example comes from a common insect in your backyard, which makes nanoscale soccer balls that hide it from predators – inspiring new, better UV protection and maybe even cloaking tech.