Exposing insects' sense of smell
...ein, but cannot be ejected. This would prevent the insect from detecting other chemical signals," Leal said. These insects would not be able to survive without their sense of smell, he said. Insects "smell" with their antennae. Pheromone-binding proteins (PBP) pick up pheromones at pores in the outside of ...Antimicrobial peptides: new weapons to fight infection
...l is almost always free of signs of infection. The insect flourishes without lymphocytes or antibodies. A plant seed germinates successfully in the midst of soil microbes, writes Dr. Zasloff. How is this accomplished? Both animals and plants possess potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides, which the...Outside-in conservation: What's around an area
...erse group of species and ants comprisemost of the insect mass in the tropics. The reserve is a forest fragmentthat lies between two types of coffee farms: a shady, organic farmoverplanted primarily with native trees, and a sunnier, conventionalfarm that uses pesticides and herbicides. After petroleum, coff...What remains to be discovered in Central American forests
...t. The shape of a flower blossom may tell us what insect is absolutely essential for its pollination. Mariela Bermdez, one of the editors told the audience that to prepare the report, they surveyed 50 professional biologists, asking them to rate ecoregions for the level of botanical, geographical, ecologic...Predators drive evolution of virtual prey appearance
...ehavior can promote variation in the appearance of insect prey species, particularly if the predators use "s... polymorphism (variance in physical appearance) of insect prey might be that it makes it harder for the predator to find prey. "What's amazing is that it has ...Tent caterpillars and their parasites
...rest tent caterpillar is the principal defoliating insect of trembling aspen in the boreal forest across the country. "During a major outbreak," says Roland, "forest tent caterpillars can completely defoliate an aspen forest; virtually stop their growth - reducing growth increment by as much as four cubic ...Medicines, caffeine and antibacterial soap among contaminants found in American streams
...ist of most frequently detected compounds were the insect repellant DEET, triclosan, the active ingredient in antimicrobial soaps and detergents, a flame retardant (tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate) and a detergent breakdown product with endocrine disruptive properties (4-nonylphenol). Of the 95 target compoun...Fly brains provide new insights into the growth and development of human nerve cells
... discovery could have applications well beyond the insect world, providing new insights into human nerve cel...ons, which is the center of memory and learning in insect brains. By eliminating the Rac1, Rac2 and Mtl- genes separately and in combination, Luo and his col...UF research: methyl bromide more effective, economical for killing anthrax
...e fumigant used for more than 50 years to control insect pests in buildings, grain elevators and fresh fruit is a better option than current treatments such as chlorine dioxide for killing anthrax and other bacterial spores," said Rudolf Scheffrahn, a professor of entomology with UF's Institute of Food an...Australian frog is first to make its own chemical weapons
...most are still believed to have originated from an insect food source. Frogs are the only vertebrates known to obtain alkaloids from the diet. While snakes and other vertebrates can make their own venom or poison, these materials are made of toxic proteins or other chemicals, not alkaloids, Daly said. One c...K-State professors make discovery in pesticide-resistant bugs
...sistance. "There are millions of individuals of an insect pest species in a field. Some individuals may have certain genes that can confer resistance. Insects without such mechanisms will be killed by an insecticide. Those with the mechanisms survive and reproduce," Zhu said. Greenbugs with the special immu...Caterpillar saliva beats plant defenses
...use the plant to react more to stresses other than insect chewing, stresses like temperature or pathogens."...Max-Planck doctoral student discovers 'living fossils'
...und insects which cannot be allocated to any known insect order. During an international entomologist group ...ear to be something like a mixture between a stick insect and a preying mantis and have been given the provisional name "Gladiator". Prior to this, Oliver Zom...New insect order discovered for first time since 1915
...tists announced today the first discovery of a new insect order since 1915. The discovery will be posted on ... animal which best resembles a mix between a stick insect and a preying mantis, was originally found by Oliver Zompro, a doctoral student at the Max-Planck In...Tropical scientists find fewer species than expected
...ch; besides Weiblen, the principal scientists were insect expert and project coordinator Scott Miller of the Smithsonian Institution and insect community ecologists Yves Basset of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Voytec...Picky eaters rare among tropical insects
...held belief that more than ten percent of tropical insect species feed on a specific plant host is revised b... high because closely related plants tend to share insect herbivores. Early in the 1980s, Terry Erwin of the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History (...Single gene leap led to flea-borne transmission of plague bacterium
... bacteria to be transmitted through the bite of an insect - in this case, the flea - an adaptation that distinguishes Yersinia pestis, the plague germ, from all closely related, more benign gut bacteria. In turn, as Y. pestis adapted to rely on its new blood-feeding host for transmission, the emergence of ...From nanotechnology to raspberries, Virginia Tech inventions and creations can improve our lives
...ast, and Ontario, Canada. It has broad disease and insect resistance. In many regions, it expresses resistance to powdery mildew, leaf rust, and Hessian Fly. It is one of few commercial varieties having recognized resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (also know has Scab) and to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, whic......pproximately one-third of the U.S. population uses insect repellents containing DEET, available in more than...s like insecticide-based lice-killing shampoos and insect repellents are assumed to be safe because severe consequences are rare in the medical literature. Ye...