The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) has at times been presumed to be a vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in humans. A new review of three decades’ worth of research, however, concludes otherwise: While lone star ticks are guilty of transmitting bacteria that cause several human illnesses, the scientific evidence says Lyme disease is not one of them. (Photo credit: Graham J. Hickling, Ph.D., University of Tennessee)