Male strepsipterans develop inside a host insect during their larval stage and, upon reaching the adult stage, emerge from the host body to begin a free-living phase. In this study, researchers at University of Tsukuba directly observed the emergence behavior of male strepsipterans parasitizing stink bugs, where emergence sites are concealed beneath the host's wings, and found that, during emergence, the host exhibits a characteristic wing-raising behavior.

Soon after hatching, leaffooted bug nymphs must embark on an energetically costly journey from the treetops to the ground to ingest a bacterial symbiont they need to develop successfully. Should they fail on this quest or experience delay, their chances of survival and regular development plummet, a new study found. The results showed that a delay of more than four days resulted in stunted growth and developmental delays. However, if they are successful, at acquiring symbionts from the environment – which is unusual among insects – it may pay off and confer greater fitness. The team pointed out that understanding critical time windows in the development of these bugs can also aid pest management.

Modeling airplane-bird collisions, visitors to giant otter latrines in Brazil and more from ESA’s journals.

The long-term mammal monitoring project on Smithsonian’s Barro Colorado Island (BCI) is one of the most unique camera trap systems in the tropics and the first one of its kind. 

For the first time, scientists have documented rice plants actively trapping and killing fall armyworm caterpillars. 

Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station found that roughly half of young caterpillars on rice plants become ensnared by microscopic hairs, or trichomes, on an open rice spikelet—where the grain develops—and die when the spikelet later closes.

The researchers hypothesize the insects are drawn to the spikelet by floral scents released from the floret. Published in the journal Ecological Processes, the study opens the door to new research on alternative pest‑control strategies against fall armyworm, an insect that has developed resistance to many chemical controls.

The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life

Breeding programs could alter heritable dog characteristics to reduce the rates of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), a breathing disorder common in dogs such as Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs – according to a new study led by Dr. Joanna Jadwiga Ilska of the Royal Kennel Club, published May 13, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One.

When water fleas grow up in the vicinity of predators, they change their body shape. Crowns of thorns or large heads make them more difficult to eat. Researchers in Bochum provide insight into the underlying mechanisms.