p>

<caption: bmsb on pear> The biochemical conflict between plants and the insects that eat them is vastly complex, as illustrated by new research identifying nearly 700 proteins in the saliva of just five stink bug species, many of which play potential roles in suppressing or deactivating plants’ own chemical defenses. The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), shown here in its nymphal stage, was one of the species included in the study. (Photo by Adrian T. Marshall, Ph.D.)