A research team led by Associate Professor Junji Konuma of Toho University, in collaboration with Nobuaki Nagata of the National Museum of Nature and Science and Professor Teiji Sota of Kyoto University, reconstructed the evolutionary and geographic history of this beetle species by combining genetic data from 170 individuals sampled at 70 sites with morphological data from 50 populations. These analyses suggested that body shape underwent adaptive divergence not only among islands—including Hokkaido and Sado Island—but also between regions within Honshu, the largest island of Japan.

New World screwworm flies, highly destructive parasitic insects, have returned to parts of the U.S. and pose a significant danger. UC San Diego Professor Omar Akbari discusses how the insect was eliminated in the past and the ways new genetics technologies could help combat today’s threat.