These Beetles Withstand Cyanide Blasts to Eat Millipedes
Flat-backed millipedes that defend themselves with cyanide have a fearsome foe in Promecognathus beetles, which are unfazed by the potent poison. A new study shows the beetles have evolved a unique tolerance for cyanide—rather than avoidance behavior or some other countermeasure—but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.
Study Shows Mosquitoes Can Still Spread Malaria After Long-Distance Flights
Last year, groundbreaking research showed Anopheles mosquitoes can ride high-altitude winds to spread far and wide. A new study published in July confirms that, after such flights, the mosquitoes remain healthy and capable of transmitting the pathogen that causes malaria.
Tracking the Invasion: New Technique Traces Spotted Lanternflies for Life
A tracing technique involving a stable nitrogen isotope gives scientists a new window into the life cycle of the invasive spotted lanternfly.
Advanced Mass Spectrometry Method Could Give Forensic Entomologists Faster Fly IDs
Identifying the species of blow flies that colonize a corpse is a critical step in forensic entomology investigations, but it typically requires rearing collected fly larvae to adults first. However, a new "real time" method for conducting mass spectrometry could allow maggot specimens to be analyzed and identified in a matter of minutes—even up to six species at a time from the same sample.