insects – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com A Closer Look at the Science Around Us Fri, 05 Nov 2021 12:40:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/athensscienceobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-eye512.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 insects – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com 32 32 94425623 Fighting fire with fire: How “microbe farmers” use bacteria for self-defense and other survival functions https://athensscienceobserver.com/2021/11/05/fighting-fire-with-fire-how-microbe-farmers-use-bacteria-for-self-defense-and-other-survival-functions/ Fri, 05 Nov 2021 12:40:05 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=11484 Insects comprise over half of all described species excluding bacteria and around 90% of the animals on Earth. They are so prevalent that we encounter them every day without thinking twice, and have evolved to live in nearly every imaginable habitat, from mountaintops to the depths of caves. How do insects survive in such harsh […]

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]]> 11484 Mad honey! The secrets and adventures of psychedelic nectar https://athensscienceobserver.com/2021/06/24/mad-honey-the-secrets-and-adventures-of-psychedelic-nectar/ Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:46:51 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=11320 The remote, obscure high Hills of Nepal have their fair share of remarkable things. While the existence of some of the beings said to be living in the Himalayas is controversial, such as the Yeti, there are others whose existence will hit you like a brick wall should you ever come across it. Believe it […]

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]]> 11320 Preventing the Loss of a Natural Spectacle https://athensscienceobserver.com/2021/04/23/preventing-the-loss-of-a-natural-spectacle/ Fri, 23 Apr 2021 14:25:25 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=11121 There is a certain art to finding fireflies, and it comes down to understanding suitable habitats for common species in your area. As a child, you may have turned off your house lights and used a flashlight to attract fireflies, desperate to catch a glimpse of these bioluminescent creatures. These flashing beetles generate a sense […]

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]]> 11121 Flight of the Living Dead: Is the Zombification of Flies Facilitated by an Interkingdom Host Switch? https://athensscienceobserver.com/2019/05/22/flight-of-the-living-dead-is-the-zombification-of-flies-facilitated-by-an-interkingdom-host-switch/ Wed, 22 May 2019 15:21:32 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=9386 In July of 2018, the Eisen lab at UC Berkeley published what Michael Eisen described as one of the wackiest discoveries of his career. They discovered a virus that swapped hosts from a fly to a fungus. This virus might underlie the fungus’ ability to control the minds of insects. Since the 1850s, people have […]

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]]> 9386 A Bad Year for Bugs – The Importance of Cold Winters for Insect Control https://athensscienceobserver.com/2017/07/30/a-bad-year-for-bugs-the-importance-of-cold-winters-for-insect-control/ Sun, 30 Jul 2017 17:56:48 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=7238 “It’s going to be a bad year for bugs.” Last month, I was frequently reminded of this expression as a seemingly endless supply of caterpillars feasted happily on the sunflowers from our most recent study. We were in a month-long, losing battle against these numerous and voracious critters! For the past year and a half, […]

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]]> 7238 Drug Bugs Could Replace Sniffer Dogs in the Detection of Illegal Drugs https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/07/27/drug-bugs-could-replace-sniffer-dogs-in-the-detection-of-illegal-drugs/ Wed, 27 Jul 2016 17:16:09 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=3987 While waiting in line at TSA a few weeks ago, I was sniffed by a drug dog and his handler (well, the handler didn’t sniff me, but you know what I mean). Resisting the urge to get on the floor and roll around with the absolutely adorable black lab, I stood patiently in line as […]

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]]> 3987 Night of the Living Bugs https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/11/03/night-of-the-living-bugs/ Tue, 03 Nov 2015 16:09:56 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=1763 Pretend for a moment you are a cockroach. Now, I don’t want to go all Kafka on you, but bear with me. You are a beautiful species of cockroach in a tropical region of Africa, just living your daily life, out scrounging for some food when, all of the sudden, a bright turquoise wasp stings […]

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]]> 1763 Slimy, Yet Satisfying: Eating Insects for the Modern World https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/09/15/slimy-yet-satisfying-eating-insects-for-the-modern-world/ Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:57:24 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=1443 In the Disney classic, The Lion King, Simba finds out that Timon and Pumba eat nothing by way of mammalian meat. When he asks what they do eat, they produce a bounty of wriggling beetles and grubs arranged on a leaf. Is this gross, or is it smart-eating? Entomophagy, or eating insects, has cropped up […]

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