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House Termites

House Termites Made It Over to England, But a 27-Year Government Funded Program Eradicated Them in 2021.

A bungalow owner in Devon called pest control in 1994 to report a mysterious “white ant” chomping through her conservatory. The culprit was eventually revealed to be a colony of millions of subterranean termites, the first and only colony ever recorded on UK soil. Did you know how were termites eradicated in England?  House Termites […]

House Termites Made It Over to England, But a 27-Year Government Funded Program Eradicated Them in 2021. Read More »

Planthopper

A Plant Hopper, Issus coleoptratus, is the First Species Found to Have Functional Biological Gears.

Planthoppers are the only known creatures known to possess a gear mechanism. The Issus coleoptratus is the first type of planthopper to describe its gear-like mechanism formally. Most of the species under the Issus genus are found in Europe, Near East, and North Africa. According to a new study, the Issus coleoptratus, a plant-hopping insect,

A Plant Hopper, Issus coleoptratus, is the First Species Found to Have Functional Biological Gears. Read More »

Tiger Beetle

Tiger Beetles Run so Fast That They Temporarily Blind Themselves. They Move About 120 Body Lengths Each Second. Their Environment Becomes a Blur, and Their Eyes Cannot Gather Light to Form an Image.

According to entomologists, tiger beetles are known to move quickly and then pause when pursuing their prey. The reason why this kind of beetle assaults its meal in stops and starts has eluded scientists up until now, though. But did you know that tiger beetles run so fast that they temporarily go blind? Tiger beetles

Tiger Beetles Run so Fast That They Temporarily Blind Themselves. They Move About 120 Body Lengths Each Second. Their Environment Becomes a Blur, and Their Eyes Cannot Gather Light to Form an Image. Read More »

Parasitoid Wasps Inject Their Eggs Into Caterpillars and Eat Their Hosts from Whitin

Charles Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection was said to have been inspired by apes, but in reality, there was another species that truly influenced Darwin’s theory. Have you heard of parasitoid wasps? Charles Darwin’s faith in God was seriously shaken by parasitoid wasps, who inject their eggs into caterpillars and eat their still-alive hosts from

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Chernobyl

How Did the Fungi in Chernobyl React to the Radiation?

The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was a nuclear accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Pripyat. To this day, it is considered the worse nuclear disaster in history. The area is highly radioactive and inhabitable. However, many areas bordering the zone are relatively safe to live in. Researchers who constantly study

How Did the Fungi in Chernobyl React to the Radiation? Read More »

Daddy Long Legs

Why Are Daddy Long Legs Not Considered Spiders? 

The Opiliones or more commonly known as Daddy Long Legs belong to an order of arachnids called the harvestmen. But even if these creatures have spider-like features, they are actually not considered spiders.  Daddy Long Legs are not actually spiders. They’re arachnids, but they’re more closely related to scorpions than spiders. They don’t manufacture venom

Why Are Daddy Long Legs Not Considered Spiders?  Read More »

Which Insect Has the Toughest Exoskeleton?

The beetle is an insect with forewings that have been transformed into rigid wing casings or elytra that cover and protect the hind wings and abdomen. These insects belong to the Coleoptera order of the Endopterygota superorder. Their front wings have solidified into wing cases, called elytra, which distinguishes them from most other insects. Did

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How Does the Zombie Fungus Take Over Ants’ Bodies and Control Their Minds?

Described by entomologists as a puppeteer controlling a marionette doll, the Ophiocordyceps fungus is known to victimize numerous insects by taking control of its entire body. An Ophiocordyceps species is known to use its ant host to infect the rest of its colony. With that said, how does the notorious zombie fungus infect its victims?

How Does the Zombie Fungus Take Over Ants’ Bodies and Control Their Minds? Read More »

How Did Charles Darwin Contribute to the Discovery of the Xanthopan?

Charles Robert Darwin is celebrated as one of the most outstanding British scientists. His works in Biology and his famous theory of Evolution helped transform how we understand the world and ourselves. But did you know that his theory ultimately led to the discovery of an exotic moth species? Charles Darwin received orchids from a

How Did Charles Darwin Contribute to the Discovery of the Xanthopan? Read More »