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Butterfly Soup
My first introduction to metamorphosis was in my 1st-grade class. We were given Monarch caterpillars in a little tub filled with mushy brown food. During the next several weeks, we watched the caterpillars eat and grow (and the tubs get progressively more disgusting). One day, we arrived at class, and almost all the caterpillars…
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Could Yogurt Save the Honeybees?
Like humans, honeybees are given antibiotics to help fight off bacterial infections. But these antibiotics can disrupt the normal bacteria found in their gut, which can ultimately make the bee even sicker. Usually, when antibiotics give us an upset stomach, our doctor might recommend food rich in probiotics, like yogurt – and a similar thing…
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Cranberry Bogs and Their Eight-Legged Residents
Cranberries are by far my favorite fruit – unpopular opinion, I know. I also love bugs, another unpopular opinion of mine. So, when I discovered that cranberry bogs were home to dozens of spider species, my interest was piqued. Native to North America, cranberry plants provide a home for dozens of different species. The…
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Webs and Rivalry
Widow spiders alter web architecture and attractiveness in response to same-sex competition for prey and mates and predation risk. Competition for mates is well-documented in the animal kingdom; almost all species desire to reproduce, to pass their genes along from generation to generation. Mating is an aspect fundamental to the continuation of life. You…
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Mosquitos might be as useless as they are annoying
The recent release of genetically modified mosquitos in Florida and Brazil with the goal of eradicating disease vectors has sparked a debate – how important are mosquitos to the ecosystem, and will their absence have a ripple effect on the rest of the environment? To answer this question, it’s essential to understand where these disease…
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The Creepy World of Insect-Invading Fungi
Fungus has recently gained nefarious notoriety. With the popular TV show The Last of Us and an increase in fungus-caused hospitalizations, people are becoming more aware of just how dangerous some fungi species can be. While there are 6 million species of fungi, only 600 cause disease in humans, but insects are also susceptible to…
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Some People Really are Allergic to Mosquitoes
We’ve all had that friend who insists, “My mosquito bites are way worse,” or claims, “Mine itch like crazy!” But is there any truth to the notion that some people’s mosquito bites really are worse? Yes, actually, some people are allergic to mosquitoes. Mosquito allergens can come from either the saliva, which the mosquito…
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Why Few Insects Brave the Ocean Depths
Almost everything lives in the oceans – from single-celled organisms to mammals bigger than school buses. If you can dream up a weird creature, odds are you would probably find something similar in the ocean. However, one thing you don’t really find in the ocean is true bugs. Insects belong to the arthropod phylum, and…
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Why don’t bed bugs spread diseases?
There are plenty of examples of blood-sucking insects passing on diseases to their hosts. Mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and several different species of flies are just a few insects that pass on human pathogens while getting a meal. However, bed bugs, one of the most prevalent blood-sucking insects, are talked about more for being annoying pests…
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The Larger Impacts of the Mountain Pine Beetle
Many people residing in North America, especially those living in forested areas, have likely noticed an increase in the amount of dying, dead, or diseased trees from year to year. As someone who grew up in Washington, the forests near my childhood home that I remember used to be green and lush and now are…