insects

Meat consumption, especially if the meat was raised using factory farming, is a major contributor to a host of environmental problems including biodiversity loss, pollution and the climate crisis. In fact, some scientists even say that going vegan is the single most important thing an individual can do to reduce their impact on the planet […]

Despite the importance of pollinators to the world’s food supply and ecosystem health, surprisingly little is known about which flowers many pollinator species prefer, which flowers are pollinated by which insects and how these interactions fluctuate over time. To help address this issue, University of Sussex researchers have developed a new online database that documents […]

After many years of plummeting populations of migrating monarch butterflies, a WWF-Mexico survey brings good news: during the 2021-2022 overwintering period, the monarch butterfly presence observed in the forests of Mexico was 35% higher than the previous year. While the butterflies are still vulnerable and require more conservation efforts, the survey gives some hope for […]

What grows up to eight inches long, is dark with a white band, can leap a foot in the air and is the latest threat to California’s forest ecosystems?  The answer is the Asian jumping worm (Amynthas agrestis), a uniquely mobile species of earthworm with an impressive appetite that was sighted in the state for […]

Have you observed that the number of insects landing on your car windscreen has decreased over the past decades?  If so, you aren’t alone. Two conservation groups in the UK set out to test the oft-observed “windscreen phenomenon,” and the result was shocking: The number of flying insects landing on British cars fell by almost […]

Consuming lab-grown meat and insects could lower carbon emissions and save water, as well as make more land available for nature, a new study has found. The scientists said that, compared with a typical European diet, these diet choices could reduce environmental burdens on the planet by more than 80 percent, BBC News reported. The […]

In a balanced ecosystem, every living thing plays an important role. Take away one — trees, for instance — and things start to collapse. Trees provide habitat and food for insects, birds, mammals like koalas, reptiles and other animals, as well as shade and nutrients for the soil from fallen leaves and rotting bark, not […]

Taylor Swift has a long list of pop music accolades. Now, one scientist has added to the “Blank Space” on her resume with a newly discovered millipede species named after her. Entomologist Derek Hennen, along with fellow scientists Jackson Means and Paul Marek of Virginia Tech, discovered the millipede, named Nannaria swiftae, along with 16 […]