Using a transparent elastomer, Iowa State University scientists have created tiny tentacles that robots can wrap around delicate objects to handle them safely. The spiraling microrobotic tentacles are described in a research paper published in the journal Scientific Reports. Demonstrating how one of the tentacles encircled an ant’s thorax, softly trapping the insect, lead researcher […]
The scientists who discovered that urban bees are using plastic bags and building sealant to construct hives say it demonstrates bees’ resourcefulness and flexibility in adapting to a human-dominated world. The study, published in the journalEcosphere, was carried out by University of Guelph researchers Scott MacIvor and Andrew Moore. MacIvor says it’s an important discovery […]
Homosexual behaviors in birds and mammals are thought to provide a number of evolutionary benefits, but scientists trying to find explanations for similar behavior in insects say a different imperative may be at work. Reviewing past studies on some 110 species of male insects and spiders, researchers Inon Scharf (Tel Aviv University) and Oliver Martin […]
Attaching tiny sensors, recording devices and control mechanisms to insects is now a more realistic prospect after the discovery that electricity can be generated using the insect’s digestive system. The researchers, from Case Western Reserve University, stress that the fuel cell does not depend on movement or light; only on normal insect feeding. Details of […]
UK researchers at the University of Derby and University of Cambridge believe they have found which species has the largest testicles in relation to body weight on the planet, and also why such gargantuan gonads are necessary. The Tuberous Bushcricket (Platycleis affinis) gets the honors, say the researchers who noted that its testes represent 14 […]
Fifty-five million years ago, the Earth experienced a rapid jump in global carbon dioxide levels that raised temperatures across the planet. Now, researchers studying fossilized plants from that time have found that the rising temperatures may have boosted the foraging of insects. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could […]
