When Colin Purrington looked at a sample of dried figs under a microscope recently, he answered a question that had been bugging him for years. Inside the chewy fruits, he found the shriveled remains ...

Philadelphia — When Colin Purrington looked at a sample of dried figs under a microscope recently, he answered a question that had been bugging him for years. Inside the chewy fruits, he found the ...

Colin Purrington, a retired Swarthmore College biology professor at his home in Swarthmore, holds a tube with a tiny wasp that he found in a dried fig from Trader Joe's. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The ...

An example of "fallen fig fauna": a beetle larvae which feeds on the fig from the inside, then migrate to the soil when the ripe fruit falls to the ground. Credit: Luciano Palmieri An example of ...

Insect pollination is vital for many fruits and food crops. From apples and berries to almonds, bees and other pollinators help fertilise flowers, ensuring fruit development, better yields and ...