New Research Deepens Mystery About Evolution of Bees’ Social Behavior
A new study has mounted perhaps the most intricate, detailed look ever at the diversity in structure and form of bees, offering new insights in a long-standing debate over how complex social behaviors arose in certain branches of bees' evolutionary tree. The report offers strong evidence that complex social behavior developed just once in pollen-carrying bees, rather than twice or more, separately, in different evolutionary branches—but researchers say the case is far from closed.
Shades of Jurassic Park: Museum Specimens Shown to be “Treasure Troves” of Genomic Data
Advances in genetic analysis methods have opened new research opportunities using old source material: museum specimens. A study on three families of moths illustrates the potential of the new technique, dubbed "museomics."
Rise of the Grasshoppers: New Analysis Redraws Evolutionary Tree for Acrididae Family
A new study of genetic relationships in the grasshopper family Acrididae points to an origin in South America, not Africa, as previously thought. The findings about grasshopper evolution are reported in Insect Systematics and Diversity.
Today’s Termites Offer Clues to Ancient Migrations Across Asia
How did a ground-dwelling insect like the termite Macrotermes gilvus get from mainland Myanmar all the way out to the islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia? The answer lies in ancient land bridges.