Certain species of beetle have evolved unusual "back pockets" to safely house symbiotic bacteria during metamorphosis—the only known instance of this among insects. It's part of a mutually beneficial ...

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) offer a fascinating example of biological control, effectively suppressing insect pests through a unique tripartite symbiosis with specialised bacteria. These ...

Insect symbiosis with endosymbiotic bacteria represents a fundamental biological association that shapes insect ecology, evolution and adaptability. Across a diverse range of insect taxa, mutualistic ...

This press release is available in German. Aggregations of the red and black colored firebugs are ubiquitous under linden trees in Central Europe, where the bugs can reach astounding population ...

Lagria beetles have developed unusual physical traits to protect their progeny: Small invaginations on the backs of the larvae are inhabited by defensive bacteria. As shown in a new study, the ...

Scientists discover the genetics inside legumes that control the production of an oxygen-carrying molecule, crucial to the plant's close relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The finding offers ...

Susceptibility of their microbial partners to the herbicide may be an underestimated weak spot of insects that could add to their decline. Saw-toothed grain beetles live in a symbiotic association ...

Evolution is unfolding in real time within many natural animal populations and researchers are now observing how this influences biodiversity in the field. In a newly published study in Molecular ...

Uber Eats deliveries to Mars are going to be expensive, so the first colonists of the Red Planet will need to figure out how to grow their own food locally. A new study has shown that dosing plants ...

Wood-eating termites are one of the most numerous and ecologically relevant soil-dwelling insects on earth. They thrive on the abundant biopolymer lignocellulose, depending upon a phy-logenetically ...

In the shallow waters of the ocean, hiding between the individual grains of sand, live flatworms known as Paracatenula. With neither a stomach nor internal organs, they survive using through a ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...