We need a revolution in artificial intelligence and learning from insects will help us achieve it, says James Marshall Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933220-100-insect-brains-will-teach-us-how-to-make-truly-intelligent-robots/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: insect
50 million-year-old insect penis reveals new species of assassin bug
Scientists describe a new species of assassin bug from a fossil that dates to around 50 million years ago and includes the insect’s intact genitals. Source: https://www.livescience.com/fossil-bug-genitals.html
Weirdo ancient beetle looks like a scrub brush
Scientists recovered the insect from 100-million-year-old amber. Source: https://www.livescience.com/new-cylindrical-bark-beetle.html
Leaf-Cutter Ants Have Rocky Crystal Armor, Never Before Seen in Insects
Leaf-cutter ants are named for their Herculean feats: they chomp foliage and carry unwieldy pieces, like green flags many times their size, long distances to their colonies. There they chew up the leaves to feed underground fungus farms. Along the way, the insects brave all manner of predators — and regularly engage in wars with other ants. But these insects are…
200 ‘murder hornet’ queens found inside first US nest of this invasive insect
There were nearly 200 new queens poised to start their own colonies in a ‘murder hornet’ nest destroyed by Washington state entomologists. Source: https://www.livescience.com/murder-hornet-nest-hundreds-of-queens.html
This beetle can survive being run over by a car
Scientists have discovered that one particularly hardy beetle has an almost indestructible exoskeleton. When you accidentally step on an insect, there… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/340330/this-beetle-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car…
You can’t squish this ‘iron’ beetle. Now, scientists know why.
A tough exoskeleton in ironclad beetles protect them against piercing and crushing, and scientists recently uncovered the unusual interlocking structures that strengthen the insect’s hard shell. Source: https://www.livescience.com/unbreakable-beetle.html
Inside the secret lives of synchronous fireflies
In the Smoky Mountains, thousands of fireflies flash in unison. Researchers want to know how. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/inside-secret-lives-synchronous-fireflies-video…
Which insects have the worst stings?
Some of the most painful stings come from tarantula hawk wasps, warrior wasps, and bullet ants. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/which-insects-have-worst-painful-stings…
Space nematodes: A giant leap for interplanetary agriculture
In a successful return-to-space mission, research study results indicate that beneficial insect-killing nematodes (small round worms) can be used in the future for natural control of insect pests when humans are growing crops in space. The research objective was to study entomopathogenic (insect-killing) nematodes (EPNs) foraging and infection dynamics in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS) between December 2019 and…