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Insects News Stories
Current Insects News Events, Discoveries and Articles

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Deterring signals: Tobacco plants advertise their defensive readiness to attacking leafhoppers
Empoasca sp. is not a typical pest of wild tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata). When this plant grows in its natural habitats in North America, however, it is attacked by tobacco hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta). (2012-05-24)

DNA barcoding verified the discovery of a highly disconnected crane fly species
Northwestern Europe harbors one of the best known biotas, thanks to the long faunistic and floristic traditions practiced there. (2012-05-21)

Heliconius butterfly genome explains wing pattern diversity
Pooling funds and putting their heads together, more than 70 scientists from 9 institutions including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, sequenced the entire genome of the butterfly genus Heliconius, a brightly colored favorite of collectors and scientists since the Victorian era. (2012-05-17)

Where bees are, there will be honey (even pre-historic)
Amber from Cretaceous deposits (110-105 my) in Northern Spain has revealed the first ever record of insect pollination. (2012-05-15)

Vitamin K2: New hope for Parkinson's patients?
Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. (2012-05-14)

Increasing predator-friendly land can help farmers reduce costs
Having natural habitat in farming areas that supports ladybugs could help increase their abundance in crops where they control pests and help farmers reduce their costs, says a Michigan State University study. (2012-05-14)

Early spring means more bat girls
There must be something in the warm breeze. A study on bats by a University of Calgary researcher suggests that bats produce twice as many female babies as male ones in years when spring comes early. (2012-05-07)

Protein signal is crucial for accurate control of insect size
Two independent groups of researchers have identified a hormone that is responsible for keeping the growth and development of insects on track. (2012-05-07)

Dry rivers, vibrant with culture and life
'When the River Runs Dry' is a familiar song in Australia. Some rivers in the arid center of the continent flow only after a stiff monsoon season, and smaller tributaries all over the country commonly shrink to puddled potholes and dry river beds during the dry season. (2012-05-07)

Insect glands may illuminate human fertilization process
Insect glands are responsible for producing a host of secretions that allow bees to sting and ants to lay down trails to and from their nests. (2012-05-04)