Insects

30 Real Animals with Science Fiction Names

It’s no secret that many scientists are great fans of science fiction, and sometimes tributes to characters and authors end up in their work. We list 30 species, alive and extinct, that bear scifi-themed names. Otocinclus batmani (Batman) In 2007, ichthyologist Pablo Lehmann named a newly discovered species of catfish after the caped crusader. Why?…

io9 Lauren Davis Aug 20

Britain Uses Imported Bugs To Combat Invasive Plant Species For The First Time

A team at University of Leicester is using nature against itself for the first time in Europe. They are calling it “biocontrol”; the team is bringing in sap-sucking insects from Japan to control an invasive plant species called Knotweed. The Knotweed is also originally from Japan, and it was first introduced in Britain in the…

io9 StephenGoldmeier Aug 19

Parasitic Fungus Turns Carpenter Ants Into Its Own Personal Zombie Army

Scientists have discovered a fungus in Thailand that takes over ant brains, compelling them to mindlessly do the fungus’s bidding. We’ve heard about parasitic ant zombification before, but scientists have no idea how the fungus controls the ants so effectively. https://gizmodo.com/headless-fire-ant-zombies-are-your-friends-5252549 The carpenter ants in question build hives in trees and forage on the forest…

io9 StephenGoldmeier Aug 12

Cyborg Insects Could Save Your Life

It sounds like the oddest conspiracy theory ever, but amazingly, the Pentagon is behind a plan to turn crickets, cicadas and katydids into cyborg chemical detectors to help protect soldiers from chemical attacks. Your tax dollars at mad science work? New Scientist reports that Pentagon-backed scientists are planning to implant electronics in insects that will…

io9 Graeme McMillan Jul 12

Headless Fire Ant Zombies Are Your Friends

Farmers fighting invasions of fire ants have a new weapon in their arsenal. It’s a natural, non-toxic way to kill the ants by turning them into zombies whose heads pop off. For the past several years, people in farming communities in Florida have been using this weapon, and now a group in Texas is also…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 13

How Would You Like A Giant Poison Stinger Buried Deep Inside Your Brain?

Here you can see an ant shooting a dose of venom straight into a centipede’s head. The centipede is translucent, so you can actually see the stinger in its brain. And there’s more. Alex Wild, who took these photographs, is a scientist who researches ants. He also happens to be an extremely talented photographer who…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 7

Video of the Remote-Control Flying Beetle Would Be Sad If It Wasn’t So Terrifying

When some scientists at Berkeley say they’ve managed to remote-control a Rhinoceros beetle it’s one thing, but a video of the impressive, morbid experiment has a little more impact. https://gizmodo.com/scientists-demo-living-remote-control-flying-cyborg-be-5141750 The first part of the video would seem to show that initial reports of the experiment’s success were overblown—the bug is pretty much just switched…

Tech News John Herrman Feb 10

Scientists Demo Living, Remote-Control Flying Cyborg Beetles

Berkeley University scientists demoed a remote-control Rhinoceros beetle at a conference this week, repeatedly flying the cyborgian creature into observers’ faces while screaming “WE ARE GODS! WE HUNGER FOR BLOOD SACRIFICE! The first part of that, the true part, represents a huge step in the mechanical control of living things. It’s far from the first…

Tech News John Herrman Jan 29

Mosquitoes Have the Most Annoying Mating Habits in the Animal Kingdom

In this video of mosquitoes on the verge of mating, scientists reveal something that laypeople might already have known. Even in the act of love, mosquitoes are really annoying. Though scientists have known for a long time that the mosquito whine is a mating call, a group of Cornell researchers has revealed that there’s more…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 8

RealBug Mouse Contains Giant Dead Insect Specimen

I know there are people out there that are into bugs…Jame Gumb (aka Buffalo Bill) and Gil Grissom for example—but this crap is just gross. Nonetheless, if you are a budding entomologist you will probably get a kick out of this USB mouse with a giant green beetle forever preserved in a plastic tomb. Also…

Tech News Sean Fallon Oct 28

Could A Starship Troopers Arachnid Attack Happen to You?

If yesterday’s release of Starship Troopers: Marauder has you constantly scratching your back or hearing imaginary grasshopper sounds, you might not want to read any further. Then again, perhaps the best way to allay your fears is to confront them — and learn everything you can about the gargantuan cockroaches, beetles, and spiders that might…

io9 Nivair H. Gabriel Aug 6

10 Hilarious Ways To Kill Summertime Pests With Gadgets

Nothing puts a damper on summertime activities quite like an infestation of pests. The warm weather brings out all kinds of creepy-crawlies, and getting the upper hand on them is no easy task. There are plenty of traditional methods of handling the situation, but they all lack one key element-fun. Indeed, a twisted type of…

Gadgets Sean Fallon Jul 25

Has a New Species of Insect Appeared in the Middle of London?

When an unknown insect starts showing up in ever-growing numbers in London, England, the most logical step would be to take one to some experts so they can identify it. What do you do when the insects first appear in the experts’ own back yard, the Wildlife Garden outside the Natural History Museum? Even after…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jul 17

A Parasite that Induces Love in its Host

A Brazilian wasp has evolved a very peculiar mind-control power in order to reproduce: It induces love in a species of caterpillar. The wasp lays its eggs in a baby caterpillar, which grows normally as the eggs grow inside it. Eventually, larvae burst out of the caterpillar’s body, and that’s when things get weird. The…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jun 11

Solar Dragonfly Flaps Wings Feebly, Makes Us Sad

James Watts spends his time putting together fantastic insect-bot sculptures, and the Solar Dragonfly is one of the best. The solar panels running down the body actually power the wings, which are then kicked into motion using a pager motor. Sure, it looks swell, but we can’t help but think the Solar Dragonfly would lose…

Tech News Haroon Malik Feb 24

The Insect Brain of a New Analytical Computer

Mike Libby uses the carapaces of real insects to create tiny, mechanical works of art. They look like they could be part of a new insect-driven A.I. Not only does Libby’s work adorn a new anthology of speculative writing from Tachyon Press called The New Weird, but he has upcoming shows you can check out…

io9 Annalee Newitz Feb 11

Discovery Venus Fly Trap Robot Swallows Bugs Alive

Sure, it’s an easy enough thing to find a Little Shop of Horrors plant robot that snaps shut to kill bugs, then burp comedically. But how about a bionic Venus Fly Trap that lures insects, detects them with its hidden motion detectors, then gulps them down whole and alive? The bugs fall into the clear…

Tech News Wilson Rothman Feb 5

Growing Mice with Human Livers

“Chimera” mice grown with livers made of human cells are the ultimate test bed for new liver drugs, say scientists. Already, bio geeks have been growing mice with human brain cells, so this liver stuff is just icing on the genetic cake. [Salk Institute] A new study shows that the more manly you are, the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 4

Ants Know When They Will Die

Ants apparently know exactly when they’ll die, and when the insects are closer to death they choose to do more risky jobs like foraging for food far from the nest. Many scientists had observed that older ants tend to take on risky tasks, but had postulated that this was just a function of age. But…

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 18

Spider Catcher, for Catch-and-Release Spider Hunting Fun

OK all you wussies, instead of smashing that spider against the wall with your bare hands and leaving a permanent stain, keep that eight-legged creepy-crawly arachnid at arms length with this Spider Catcher, made of stiff bristles that let you practice catch-and-release tactics in your own home. This device is even delicate enough to catch…

Gadgets Charlie White Feb 26

30 Real Animals with Science Fiction Names

Britain Uses Imported Bugs To Combat Invasive Plant Species For The First Time

Parasitic Fungus Turns Carpenter Ants Into Its Own Personal Zombie Army

Cyborg Insects Could Save Your Life

Headless Fire Ant Zombies Are Your Friends

How Would You Like A Giant Poison Stinger Buried Deep Inside Your Brain?

Video of the Remote-Control Flying Beetle Would Be Sad If It Wasn’t So Terrifying

Scientists Demo Living, Remote-Control Flying Cyborg Beetles

Mosquitoes Have the Most Annoying Mating Habits in the Animal Kingdom

RealBug Mouse Contains Giant Dead Insect Specimen

Could A Starship Troopers Arachnid Attack Happen to You?

10 Hilarious Ways To Kill Summertime Pests With Gadgets

Has a New Species of Insect Appeared in the Middle of London?

A Parasite that Induces Love in its Host

Solar Dragonfly Flaps Wings Feebly, Makes Us Sad

The Insect Brain of a New Analytical Computer

Discovery Venus Fly Trap Robot Swallows Bugs Alive

Growing Mice with Human Livers

Ants Know When They Will Die

Spider Catcher, for Catch-and-Release Spider Hunting Fun

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