Orphan Army Ants Join Nearby Colonies Nov 19, 2009
Army ants are group predators that overwhelm large arthropods and other social insect colonies. Here, a raiding swarm of Dorylus molestus is attacking a grasshopper at Mt Kenya. (Science Daily)
Bug Evidence May Help FBI With Ohio Murder Case Nov 12, 2009
As a forensic entomologist, he studies beetles, flies and other arthropods to help solve crimes. In this case, his research may help to determine when the women died based on the bugs at the scene. (Fox News)
Bird Feathers "Sing" Nov 11, 2009
In her report, Bostwick also points out that the new evidence places the Club-winged manakin with arthropods that also use their wings to produce singing sounds, such as the Castanet moth and many crickets. MOST VIEWED NEWS. (National Geographic)
It's all happening at the zoo Nov 6, 2009
Today, the zoo is a nonprofit operated by the East Bay Zoological Society, where visitors can see birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods native to the African savanna, the world's rain forests and beyond. Images. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Layaway plans revived in tough times Nov 4, 2009
3 million for the U.S. Forest Service to rear large numbers of arthropods, including the Asian longhorned beetle, the nun moth and the woolly adelgid. - $3. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
After flurry of stimulus spending, questionable projects pile up... Nov 4, 2009
3 million for the U.S. Forest Service to rear large numbers of arthropods, including the Asian longhorned beetle, the nun moth and the woolly adelgid ... " This is incorrect. The money was used to buy the pickups. The pickups will be used to carry materials and crews to weatherize low-income homes. Still a waste of taxpayer money, IMO. Keith Nov 3, 2009 Can we all admit the "stimulus" package was NOT WORTH IT??? Texas222 Nov 3, 2009 I suppose I only choose to focus on the fact that while all of... (The Drudge Report)
The lore of insects and allure of eateries Nov 1, 2009
The 26 animals treated here are all arthropods and have been subjects of urban legends or other unfortunate misunderstandings. Berenbaum, an entomologist, aims to correct the record scientifically, but also to identify the germ of truth that has inspired the error. (Boston Globe)
Climate change shrank underground creatures Oct 20, 2009
Hasiotis and Smith initially didn't expect to find any discernible change in the underground environment during PETM nor the creatures that lived there including insects, arthropods, crustaceans and earthworms. But the researchers found the tiny creatures' food sources, mainly plant material, weren't as nutritious during higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, said Hasiotis. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Charlotte, the eight-legged Cloverbud leader Oct 17, 2009
Since 2006, Charlotte has been teaching people of all ages about spiders, insects and other arthropods. Charlotte has traveled all over Bureau County, from Walnut to Spring Valley and everywhere in between. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Nanometric Butterfly Wings Created Oct 10, 2009
They also used immersion in an aqueous orthophosphoric acid solution to dissolve the chitin (substance typically found in the exoskeleton of insects and other arthropods). The methods used to date to replicate bio structures are very limited when it comes to obtaining effective copies on a nanometric scale and they often damage the original biostructure because they are used in corrosive atmospheres or at high temperatures. (Science Daily)
Schrödinger's virus Oct 4, 2009
Tardigrades are tiny but resilient arthropods. They can survive in vacuums and at very low temperatures. (The Economist)
October 2009 Geology and GSA Today highlights Oct 2, 2009
Although the majority of the pyritized fossils are trilobites, new organisms with pyritized soft parts have been discovered, including ostracods and other arthropods. This work highlights the importance of exploratory fieldwork, and clarifies the sedimentary and geochemical conditions required for pyritization. (EurekAlert!)
Threat Down Below: Polluted Caves Endanger Water Supplies, Wildlife Sep 9, 2009
Caves are home to some of the planet's most unusual creatures and important drinking water supplies. Now these underground resources are being polluted by surface activities, ranging from sewage spills to old factories. (Scientific American)
Around your town Aug 28, 2009
Spiders and Arthropods will be the subject of a presentation 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Wellness Depot at the Mall at Sierra Vista. A bird walk will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, leaving the San Pedro House, sponsored by Friends of the San Pedro River. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Pitcher Plants' Red Colors Don't Attract Prey Aug 20, 2009
24, 2007) Carnivorous plants supplement the meager diet available from the nutrient-poor soils in which they grow by trapping and digesting insects and other small arthropods. Pitcher plants of the genus. (Science Daily)
2008 eruption transforms an Aleutian island Aug 16, 2009
"Other studies have found that these arthropods dispersing to these barren sites and expiring add considerable nutrients and enable a predator/scavenger community to develop before the herbivore community," Sikes wrote in an e-mail. On a visit to the island in June, biologist Jeff Williams of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge said that auklets had returned to the island, but its new ashen surface was not good for birds accustomed to nesting on rocky cliffs. (Anchorage Daily News)
Ground beetles produce lemon/orange-scented aromas as predator repellents, according to new research Aug 14, 2009
Many arthropods use benzoquinones as repellents ... Apparently nonpolar compounds facilitate the transport of active polar compounds through the waxed epicuticle of enemy arthropods. (EurekAlert!)
Researchers to study rebirth of an island after volcanic eruption Aug 7, 2009
"Work in similar systems shows that flying- and wind-borne insects and spiders form a fairly constant rain during the summer months," says Sikes, adding that some of these species survive by preying or scavenging on other arthropods. "We'll be looking for spiders, which are all predators, and ground beetles, which are mostly predators, as well as other species associated with bird droppings or vertebrate carrion.". (EurekAlert!)
Birds of a featherfind company at festival Aug 7, 2009
Carl Olson, The Bug Man from the University of Arizona, gave an eye-catching presentation on some of the area s more interesting insects and arthropods. He dispelled some myths about certain insects, including the crane fly, a large long-legged fly that primarily lives underground and resembles a large mosquito. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Insect study draws scientist into Big Trees' forest canopy Aug 5, 2009
Once Kerr has prepared, preserved and studied the insects, they will be donated to the California State Collection of Arthropods, which will curate them in a professional manner and make the specimens available to others for research. After a long day of work, Kerr found some shade on the forest floor and reflected on what special places state parks are, and what it would mean to lose them. (San Andreas Calaveras Enterprise, CA)
Life in the Clouds Aug 2, 2009
Pollen and tiny seeds from flowering plants are often temporary passengers on the air as are arthropods like tiny insects and small spiders ... Aeroecologists study how airborne organisms microbes, bats, birds, and arthropods function and survive in the atmosphere (or aerosphere) and clouds. (Suite101.com)
Red List overlooks island species Jul 25, 2009
This would mean the 3,672 species endemic to the Canary Islands (38 vertebrates, 510 plants, 2,960 arthropods or invertebrates and 196 molluscs) should be labelled as threatened, because only the largest island of the Canaries, Tenerife, covers an area of around 2,000 km2. The scientists believes that "many of the more than 4,000 endemic species on the Canary Islands are in a very healthy condition, and are not at any risk whatsoever", although he adds that specific conservation measures are... (EurekAlert!)
Extreme Survival: Creatures Survive Deep Freeze Jul 21, 2009
Melody Clark led a team of researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Novi-Sad, Serbia, who studied the arthropods. She said, "This is the first in-depth molecular study on the underlying cold survival mechanisms in this species. Such information is not only of interest to ecologists, but also to the medical field of cryobiology.". (Science Daily)
Dana's View: Always changing, always the same Jun 23, 2009
Out at sea again, out on the sea bottom, the gawky, awkward-looking arthropods are coming in closer to shore. Lobsters are moving inshore and very soon our ocean s surface will be studded with buoys. (Upper Cape Codder, MA)
Giant sperm shows size does matter Jun 20, 2009
Now the discovery that ostracodes, an extinct ancient class of arthropods, displayed the same trait shows that making giant sperm is a long-standing and evolutionarily successful reproduction strategy. "Giant sperm have been produced in at least some species over long periods of time, even though they come at an extremely high price for both males and females," said Renate Matzke-Karasz of the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Our night among the dinosaurs and boars May 22, 2009
Werby showed Lila around, from the live centipede in the arthropods gallery to the massive whales hung in the oldest area, the "Hall of Mammals." Then it was time for the director to turn out the lights, around 10 p.m. And that's when the museum came alive. My daughter and I both knew that Robin Williams wasn't about to ride in on a horse and that little, dart-shooting men weren't going to attack our sleeping bags. (Boston Globe)
Gene May 'Bypass' Disease-linked Mitochondrial Defects May 13, 2009
Therefore, there's a chance that the strategy might also prove beneficial in mammals, including humans, which like arthropods have also lost the AOX gene over the course of evolution. (Arthropods are represented by insects, spiders, and crabs. (Science Daily)
May 2009 Geology media highlights May 5, 2009
Fossils from 465 million years ago recently discovered in Portugal have revealed the huge size reached by trilobites, the most diverse group of extinct marine arthropods. Gutierrez-Marco et al. describe the largest trilobites ever found, which, in life, would have reached up to 90 centimeters (35 inches). (EurekAlert!)
The Life That Escaped Darwin’s Notice Apr 29, 2009
Predators such as the trilobites, which were among the first arthropods in the Paleozoic era, are probably the reason why stromatolites were driven away into ecological niches of this kind. Stromatolites formed entire reefs and were the first ecosystems in the Precambrian era more than 540 million years ago. (Science Daily)
Have shell, will travel Apr 28, 2009
Hagadorn and Yale University paleontologist Adolf Seilacher say that a different group of animals, called arthropods, probably beat the first land vertebrates by more than 100 million years. Arthropods are animals that lack a backbone and have a hard exoskeleton ... These ancient arthropods may have dragged themselves out of the ocean 500 million years ago. (Science News for Kids)
Spider "Resurrections" Take Scientists by Surprise Apr 28, 2009
"This is the first time we know of arthropods returning to life from comas after submersion," said lead researcher Julien P;tillon, an arachnologist now at Ghent University in Belgium. Marsh-dwelling A. fulvolineata, which took longest to "die," typically requires about two hours to recover, the researchers discovered. (National Geographic)
Fish researcher demonstrates first 'non-visual feeding' by African cichlids Apr 14, 2009
They feed by gliding through the water with their chin close to the sand like a metal detector, seeking out twitching arthropods and other unseen prey items. There are about 16 species of Aulonocara cichlids in Lake Malawi, all of which feed in the sand. (EurekAlert!)
Hermit Arthropods 500 Million Years Ago? Apr 5, 2009
Hermit Arthropods 500 Million Years Ago ... Hermit Arthropods 500 Million Years Ago ... Hermit arthropods 500 million years ago. (Science Daily)
Public Health: Tick talk, tick talk, tick talk: its that time of the year Apr 4, 2009
Arthropods are the animals with exoskeletons, like those lobsters we love to eat, and they make up more than 90 percent of the animal kingdom. That s a lot of animals to ignore or pay attention to. (Pembroke Mariner, MA)
Evidence of a tick RNAi pathway by comparative genomics and reverse genetics screen of targets with known loss-of-function phenotypes in Drosophila Mar 27, 2009
The Arthropods are a diverse group of organisms including Chelicerata (ticks, mites, spiders), Crustacea (crabs, shrimps), and Insecta (flies, mosquitoes, beetles, silkworm) ... Our preliminary studies indicate that tick RNAi pathways may differ from that of other Arthropods such as insects. (BioMed Central)
Catching Criminals with Bugs Mar 24, 2009
There are many definitions of , but a good one is that it is the application of insects and other arthropods to legal issues. This includes the study of industrial and urban issues. (Suite101.com)
Giant Bug Terrorized Ancient Seas Mar 21, 2009
The first fragments of (a species called Hurdia victoria) were described nearly 100 years ago, and at the time, they were thought to be part of a crustacean-like animal, and other parts were subsequently described as multiple organisms including jellyfish, sea cucumbers and other arthropods ... A study of the fossil by Caron and his colleagues, detailed in the March 20 issue of the journal Science, sheds light on the origin of the largest group of living animals, the arthropods a group that... (Fox News)
500-million-year-old Monster Predator Mar 21, 2009
Now, researchers from Uppsala University and colleagues reveal it to be just one part of a complex and remarkable new animal that has an important story to tell about the origin of the largest group of living animals, the arthropods ... It was not then realised that other parts of the animal were also in collections, but had been described independently as jellyfish, sea cucumbers and other arthropods ... "This structure is unlike anything seen in other fossil or living arthropods," says Ph. (Science Daily)
Monster creature had circular jaw, claws on head Mar 20, 2009
"This structure is unlike anything seen in other fossil or living arthropods," said lead author Allison Daley, who has been studying the fossils for three years as part of her doctoral thesis at Uppsala University in Sweden ... Hurdia and Anomalocaris are both early offshoots of the evolutionary lineage that led to arthropods, a large modern group that contains spiders, crustaceans, insects, millipedes and centipedes ... The fossils reveal details of the origins of important features that define... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
New animal discovered by Canadian researcher Mar 20, 2009
Mr. Caron said the discovery is important to scholars' understanding of the development of arthropods, the group of animals with jointed legs that includes crustaceans, spiders and other insects. The segmented body of the hurdia, for example, is the feature that would have eventually developed into the arthropods' limbs ... Both during the Cambrian period and today, arthropods represent the biggest group of animals. (Globe and Mail)
Most Diverse Animals Have Widest Size Range Mar 18, 2009
Molluscs (snails, squid, clams, chitons), and Arthropods (crabs, insects, lobsters, copepods) also showed great diversity. So did our family, the Chordates, which ranges from a half-inch fish in the swamps of Borneo to the truly leviathan 100-ton Blue Whale, with all the fishes, birds and mammals in between. (Science Daily)
A Handful of Soil Mar 13, 2009
A handful of good soil should contain billions of bacteria, millions of protozoa and other microscopic animals, thousands tiny arthropods invisible to the eye, miniscule. In soil, the role of all these living organisms is to break down raw materials and turn them into soil. (Suite101.com)
DIY tips for controlling termites Mar 9, 2009
It will also control other pest arthropods such as cockroaches, silverfish, crickets, scorpions, centipedes and various hunting spiders. Q: Can you recommend any good homemade baits for cockroaches. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Rock, Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show starts SaturdayLocal club hosts activities and vendors at fairgrounds Mar 5, 2009
Ho by Andrew Mariman: Along with rocks, gems and minerals, 12-year-old Alyssa Carnes, is also interested in fossils such as this trilobite, an extinct marine arthropods, she's added to her ever-growing collection. To view this and other photos on this Web site, click on the "Photo Gallery" button on the upper right side of the home page. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Role Of Climate Change In Disease Spread Examined Feb 10, 2009
9, 2009) Ever since scientists first proposed that our planet might be experiencing widespread climate change, concerns have been raised about its implications for the spread of arboviruses viruses carried by arthropods such as mosquitoes, midges and ticks. However, while alterations in temperature and rainfall are important factors in making new territory hospitable to an invading arbovirus, many other forces also play significant parts in new patterns of viral emergence. (Science Daily)
Natural, Alternative Insect Repellent As Effective As DEET, Study Shows Feb 10, 2009
Since isolongifolenone is easily synthesized from inexpensive turpentine oil feedstock, the authors write, we are therefore confident that the compound has significant potential as an inexpensive and safe repellent for protection of large human populations against blood-feeding arthropods. In addition, a new, patented method developed by the authors to efficiently produce isolongifolenone would make it even more cost effective. (Science Daily)
Origin Of Claws Seen In Fossil 390 Million Years Old Feb 7, 2009
ck Slate has previously produced some of the most valuable clues to understanding the evolution of arthropods including early shrimp-like forms, a scorpion and sea spiders as well as the ancient arthropods trilobites. "With a head like the giant Cambrian aquatic predator Anomalocaris and a body like a modern arthropod, the specimen is the only known example of this unusual creature," said Derek Briggs, director of Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and an author of the paper appearing in... (Science Daily)
GREAT APPENDAGE PHOTO: Fossil Linked to Claw Evolution Feb 7, 2009
Modern and other arthropods often have a grasping claw that looks like it might have evolved from the great appendage ... Described in this week's issue of the journal Science, the fossil could offer valuable clues to solving the long-standing dispute over how arthropods are related to one another. (National Geographic)
