Coating copies microscopic biological surfaces
Someday, your car might have the metallic finish of some insects or the deep black of a butterfly's wing, and the reflectors might be patterned on the nanostructure of a fly's eyes. view more (2008-09-18)
University invention enlisted in battle against the brown-tailed moth
An environmentally friendly insect trap devised by researchers at the University of Southampton is the latest weapon in Portsmouth City Council's long-running battle to control infestations of the caterpillars of the brown-tailed moth. view more (1998-09-04)
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)
Edible fish feasts beats malaria
The emerging threat of pesticide resistance means that biological malaria control methods are once again in vogue. view more (2007-08-09)
Multiple Eyes for the VLT
First System of Deployable Multi-Integral Field Units Ready The ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory is being equipped with many state-of-the-art astronomical instruments that will allow observations in a large number of different modes and wavebands. Soon to come is the Fibre Large Array Multi-Element Spectrograph (FLAMES), a... view more... (2002-01-28)
The Guatemalan moth Tecia solanivora devastating potato crops in Equador
Colorado beetles, cyst nematodes, noctuid moths and green-spotted aphids all have something in common. They are pests that attack potato crops. They are by no means the only ones. The moth Tecia solanivora from Guatemala could be added to the list. At present, this ravaging insect is one of the major concerns of farmers in Equador where a harvest... view more... (2000-11-07)
NASA satellites can see how climate change affects forests
A NASA-funded study shows that satellites can track the growth and health of forests and detect the impact of a changing climate on them. view more (2006-08-30)
Chamomile tea and lotion causing internal bleeding in patient on anti-coagulant medication
Researchers at the MUHC in Montreal have documented a severe case of internal hemorrhaging in a patient that drank chamomile tea and used chamomile lotion while taking anti-coagulant medication for a heart condition. view more (2006-04-28)
Fabrics of the future preserved for posterity
An investigation into whether today's cutting-edge fabrics might stand the test of time is underway at the University of Southampton's Textile Conservation Centre. This "Innovations" project with the Victoria and Albert Museum is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB). Techno textiles and smart fabrics are already... view more... (2003-04-10)
Common pesticide may reduce fertility in women
Methoxychlor (MXC), a common insect pesticide used on food crops, may interfere with proper development and function of the reproductive tract, leading to reduced fertility in women, researchers at Yale School of Medicine write in the August issue of Endocrinology. view more (2005-09-13)
Species detectives track unseen evolution
New species are evading detection using a foolproof disguise - their own unchanged appearance. Research published in the online open access journal, BMC Evolutionary Biology, suggests that the phenomenon of different animal species not being visually distinct despite other significant genetic differences is widespread in the animal kingdom. view more (2007-07-19)
New study uncovers secrets behind butterfly wing patterns
The genes that make a fruit fly's eyes red also produce red wing patterns in the Heliconius butterfly found in South and Central America, finds a new study by a UC Irvine entomologist. view more (2007-10-26)
Collision-course science: when a single locust joins a swarm
If an animal is to cope with changing environmental conditions, activity in its nervous system must also change. Scientists from Cambridge and Oxford are studying these changes in collision-detecting nerve cells in the visual system of the locust, an insect that alternates between two lifestyles. Their research, to be presented at the SEB... view more... (2003-03-26)
|
|
