Scientists find gene that fuels 'sexual arms race'
...t. This is especially true in birds, fish and some insects where colors and other adornments can spell the difference between mating success and failure. Now, thanks to the lowly fruit fly and a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at Washington University in St. Louis, one genetic c...Insects caught in a nutrient-poor food web
...s at end of this release) found that plant-feeding insects are provided with a diet so poor in nutrients that...s to evaluate the un-nutritious menu available for insects living in terrestrial habitats. They then compared it to the food available to plant-eating animals ...... developing genetically modified rice resistant to insects and microbes, which could revolutionize the food a...de would be needed. "We are interested in killing insects that eat rice plants, like the rice water weevil," says Timothy C. Hall, distinguished professor of ...Clemson hosts workshop in frontier-science field of biological computation
...recognition, agility, data storage everything from insects to human beings do these things wonderfully well, and our computer systems don't do it nearly as well. Not even as well as simple biological systems," said Clemson's James J. Hickman, workshop organizer. This workshop will bring together physicists,...Touching effects: Visiting plants in the field may alter their future
...hing plants in the field may alter the chance that insects will feed upon the plants' leaves. Their discoveries appear in a study published in the February issue of Ecology (volume 82 number 2). More than a novelty, this study may change the way future ecological studies are conducted. James Cahill (now ...Parasite's sperm-encryption keeps species apart
...own that the ability of the bacterium to alter the insects reproduction predates other genetic reproductive barriers. That supports the argument that Wolbachia can promote host speciation. Bordenstein, OHara and Werren needed to look at the numerous genetic barriers that kept the species from interbreeding...Major unique new study shows infrequent inspections lead to greater stream pollution
...esearchers monitored benthic macroinvertebrates -- insects and other critters living near and on the bottoms of 17 state waterways -- upstream, downstream and adjacent to construction sites in the N.C. Piedmont. They focused on Orange County, Wake County and the 16-county central Piedmont area known as Distr...... promote health, and new preservatives that battle insects such as termites will be presented at the 221st national meeting of the American Chemical Society April 1-5 in San Diego, Calif. The ACS, the world's largest scientific society, will hold its meeting at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 West Har...Maryland crab shell team wins top engineering award
...rom chitin, the structural polymer in crustaceans, insects and some fungi. CAB researchers are changing the basic chemistry of chitosan in order to create products such as water-resistant adhesives, lubricants for oil drilling, and thickeners for cosmetics and other consumer products. Louisiana-based Ventu...Scientists go online to discuss threat posed by exotic forest pests
...ry 20, 2001) -- In the past, imported diseases and insects have devastated forests and plant life throughout the world and caused millions of dollars of economic damage. This April, scientists, along with business, government and other interested individuals from around the world will gather at their keyboa...The enemy of my enemy is my friend
...es also create problems for plants: 1) herbivorous insects rapidly evolve resistance to these defenses, which 2) allows the insects to sequester plant defenses and use them for their own defensive purposes; a...Purdue researchers develop new delivery system for gene therapy
...a family of viruses often transmitted to humans by insects and can cause neurological disease and arthritis."These viruses are fairly difficult to study because they pose some health risks," Sanders says. "Also, because they kill cells, scientists were previously unable to study the process of how the virus ...Small streams important in controlling nitrogen
...eria and fungi, which then become food for aquatic insects and fish. As the plant or organism dies, the nitro...r, algae and other plant life, bacteria, fungi and insects for six weeks at each site. "This study provided clear, controlled methods across all of the sites, ...Wood preservation: stopping termite destruction and making safer wood preservatives
...atives whose ability to fight fungi (wood rot) and insects is enhanced by the addition of antioxidants and metal chelators. (The paper on this research, CELL 123, will be presented at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, April 5, in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 11A.) • Liam E. Leightley, Ph.D., of Ro...Scientists invite others to join them online to discuss exotic species threat
...not usually considered a national security threat, insects that find their way into new countries can wreak havoc on forests and agricultural plants, causing untold devastation to the countries they enter. There is enough concern that scientists, businesses and government representatives from around the worl...Household ant invasions are determined by weather, not pesticide use, new study finds
...as little to do with Argentine ant invasions. The insects might go after leftovers on your dining room table, she says, but it`s the weather - not the food - that brings them into your home in the first place. In addition to Gordon, the other co-authors of the American Midland Naturalist study are Lincoln M...Technology patented to create Pierces disease-resistant grapevines
...use of insecticides in California aimed at killing insects that spread disease. Such insecticides provide, at...nge than that of previous Pierces disease-carrying insects in California. The problem has just exploded in the past few years, Gray said. Pierces disease ha...Fragmentation linked to stress in birds
...kin's diet includes fruit and the woodcreeper eats insects living on tree trunks and branches, and fragmentation does not reduce either type of food. In fact, fragmentation may not even affect feather growth directly. Rather, less robust birds may be more likely to end up in undesirable habitats like fragme......rectly responsible for the evolution of very large insects - much larger than could live in todays relatively oxygen-poor air (insects rely upon more or less passive diffusion of O2 into their tissues, so large bodies become impossible at lower concentrations). As well as the formation of huge coal deposits ...Biting may drive division of labor among social wasp workers
...t could be chemical because we do know that social insects tend to react chemically to each other." He pl...ntalis. Scientists like O'Donnell study social insects looking for clues about how social behavior evolved and how it is maintained since there are element...