Butterfly proboscis to sip cells
A butterfly's proboscis looks like a straw -- long, slender, and used for sipping -- but it works more like a paper towel, according to Konstantin Kornev of Clemson University. He hopes to borrow the tricks of this piece of insect anatomy to make small probes that can sample the fluid inside of cells. view more (2009-11-23)
CU-Boulder Butterfly Payload to Launch Nov. 16 on Space Shuttle
When NASA's space shuttle Atlantis launches for the International Space Station on Nov. 16 it will carry a University of Colorado at Boulder butterfly experiment that will be monitored by thousands of K-12 students across the nation. view more (2009-11-11)
New structure discovered in butterfly ears
A clever structure in the ear of a tropical butterfly that potentially makes it able to distinguish between high and low pitch sounds has been discovered by scientists from the University of Bristol. view more (2009-10-22)
Panama butterfly migrations linked to El Niño, climate change
A high-speed chase across the Panama Canal in a Boston Whaler may sound like the beginning of another James Bond film-but the protagonist of this story brandishes a butterfly net and studies the effects of climate change on insect migrations at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. view more (2009-10-06)
Moths cloaked in color
Travelers to the neotropics-the tropical lands of the Americas-might be forgiven for thinking that all of the colorful insects flittering over sunny puddles or among dense forest understory are butterflies. view more (2009-08-31)
A question of height
Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. view more (2009-07-06)
Notre Dame study provides insights into how climate change might impact species' geographic ranges
A new study by a team of researchers led by Jessica Hellmann, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, offers interesting insights into how species may, or may not, change their geographic range - the place where they live on earth - under climate change. view more (2009-06-24)
When Hosts Go Extinct, What Happens to Their Parasites?
Hands wring and teeth gnash over the loss of endangered species like the panda or the polar bear. But what happens to the parasites hosted by endangered species? view more (2009-06-02)
Sexy or Repulsive? Butterfly Wings Can Be Both To Mates and Predators
Butterflies seem able to both attract mates and ward off predators using different sides of their wings, according to new research by Yale University biologists. view more (2009-04-02)
AAAS plenary: Intrepid explorers and the search for the origin of species
Evolution, we know, is the guiding thread of biology and explains life as we know it. But how that big idea was inspired and expanded over two centuries of natural history is really a tale of the adventures of a handful of intrepid scientists whose derring-do, perseverance and intellectual curiosity sparked a revolution that forever changed our... view more... (2009-02-13)
Hind wings help butterflies make swift turns to evade predators, study finds
New tires allow race cars to take tight turns at high speeds. Hind wings give moths and butterflies similar advantages: They are not necessary for basic flight but help these creatures take tight turns to evade predators. view more (2009-01-09)
Migratory moths may hitch their rides, but they're anything but drifters
Night-traveling migratory moths may hitch a ride on the wind, but a new study in the October 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, confirms that they are anything but drifters. view more (2008-10-14)
Monarch butterflies help explain why parasites harm hosts
It's a paradox that has confounded evolutionary biologists since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859: Since parasites depend on their hosts for survival, why do they harm them? view more (2008-05-15)
Researchers find natural section favors parasite fitness over host health
Why do parasites harm their hosts? Classic evolutionary theory predicts that parasites become more virulent because they must transmit themselves between hosts, yet scientists have found little data to support this idea, until now. view more (2008-05-13)
Flowers' fragrance diminished by air pollution, University of Virginia study indicates
Air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying the fragrance of flowers and thereby inhibiting the ability of pollinating insects to follow scent trails to their source, a new University of Virginia study indicates. view more (2008-04-11)
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History reveals ants as fungus farmers
It turns out ants, like humans, are true farmers. The difference is that ants are farming fungus. view more (2008-03-25)
Can moths or butterflies remember what they learned as caterpillars?
Butterflies and moths are well known for their striking metamorphosis from crawling caterpillars to winged adults. In light of this radical change, not just in body form, but also in lifestyle, diet and dependence on particular sensory cues, it would seem unlikely that learned associations or memories formed at the larval or caterpillar stage... view more... (2008-03-05)
Zoologists challenge longstanding theory that 'eyespots' mimic the eyes of predators' enemies
Circular markings on creatures such as butterflies are effective against predators because they are conspicuous features, not because they mimic the eyes of the predators' own enemies, according to research published today in the journal, Behavioral Ecology. view more (2008-02-22)
Math Models Snowflakes
Three-dimensional snowflakes can now be grown in a computer using a program developed by mathematicians at UC Davis and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. view more (2008-01-17)
Scientists unravel the molecular basis of monarch butterfly migration
Since its discovery, the annual migration of eastern North American monarch butterfly has captivated the human imagination and spirit. That millions of butterflies annually fly up to 2000 miles to reach a cluster of pine groves in central Mexico comprising just 70 square miles is for many an awesome and mysterious occurrence. view more (2008-01-09)
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