http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Summer just wouldn't be complete without mosquitoes nipping at exposed skin. Or would it? Research conducted by a Kansas State University team may help solve a problem that scientists and pest controllers have been itching to for years. http://phys.org/news198758572.html Nanotechnology Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:43:14 EST news198758572 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most commonly studied laboratory animals is the zebrafish — a tiny fish with transparent embryos, or larvae, whose internal organs can be easily seen as they develop. http://phys.org/news198572272.html Biology Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:00:03 EST news198572272 A new method enables anisakids to be detected in any fish product, from a whole fish, fresh or frozen, to tinned fish and surimi. Developed by Spanish scientists, the system is based on molecular techniques and overcomes the limitations of traditional procedures. http://phys.org/news198425106.html Biology Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:05:27 EST news198425106 What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development. Their work not only adds to understanding about bees, but also adds insights into our own development and aging. http://phys.org/news198345586.html Biology Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:00:11 EST news198345586 (PhysOrg.com) -- A North Carolina State University entomologist has for the first time shown which specific chemicals are used by some termite queens to prevent other termites in the colony from becoming mommies like themselves. http://phys.org/news197823242.html Biology Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:54:35 EST news197823242 (PhysOrg.com) -- You could say that Bert Hölldobler's career began during a childhood walk in the Bavarian woods with his father. The elder Holldobler turned over a rock out in the forest, exposing a colony of carpenter ants underneath. http://phys.org/news197138293.html Biology Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:38:32 EST news197138293 Protecting ourselves from backyard mosquito bites may come down to leaving the vacuuming for later, a study from York University shows. http://phys.org/news196945830.html Biology Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:50:19 EST news196945830 Discoveries about tropical coral reefs, to be published on 23 June 2010, are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide. The research gives new insights into how the scientists can help to preserve or restore the coral reefs that protect coastlines, foster tourism, and nurture many species of fish. The research, which will be published in the journal PLoS One, was accomplished by an international team whose leaders include Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State University. http://phys.org/news196517113.html Space & Earth Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:00:01 EST news196517113 (PhysOrg.com) -- Conkers, a favourite playground game in British schools, could soon be just a fond memory if a serious threat to horse chestnut trees continues to spread. Now academics from the Universities of Hull and Bristol are asking for the public's help in keeping an eye on the country's beloved conker trees, whose beauty is gradually being destroyed by an alien moth. http://phys.org/news195478399.html Biology Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:33:52 EST news195478399 (PhysOrg.com) -- A study by University of Queensland researchers reveals that corals are more adapted to smaller ecological niches than previously thought, and provides new insights into the processes that generate diversity on coral reefs. http://phys.org/news195374019.html Biology Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:34:03 EST news195374019 Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have discovered a new sea anemone that is thought to have established itself in Swedish waters. Larvae from similar anemones causes skin problems for sea bathers in the USA. http://phys.org/news195310004.html Biology Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:10:01 EST news195310004 Scientists can predict almost to the hour when the reef-building "rice coral" off Oahu will spawn, but no one knows where the resulting floating coral larvae go. http://phys.org/news195296484.html Space & Earth Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:01:43 EST news195296484 When a plant endemic to several islands in the Western Pacific Ocean taps the services of a helpful insect, a double-dose of benefits comes its way. http://phys.org/news195295675.html Biology Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:48:11 EST news195295675 Some 153,000 baby eels will be flown to Finland from France on Wednesday to help boost the Nordic country's stock of the endangered fish, the Federation of Finnish Fisheries Association said. http://phys.org/news194710369.html Biology Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:40:02 EST news194710369 A plague of caterpillars is munching its way through the leaves on our trees. Oak forests are suffering the most, reports the Nature Calendar. Cause for concern? Not according to entomologist and expert on insect pests, Leen Moraal of Alterra, part of Wageningen University (The Netherlands). http://phys.org/news194545698.html Biology Mon, 31 May 2010 17:40:01 EST news194545698 (PhysOrg.com) -- When a major South American pest infests potato tubers, the plant produces bigger spuds, reports a study by Cornell, University of Goettingen and National University of Colombia researchers. http://phys.org/news194111605.html Biology Wed, 26 May 2010 16:53:49 EST news194111605 German scientists have succeeded to genetically modify Drosophila (fruit fly) larvae allowing them to smell blue light. The research team can activate single receptor neurons out of 28 olfactory neurons in the larvae for this sensory perception. Normally animals avoid light. However, blue light simulates in genetically modified larvae the smell of an odorant i.e. banana, marzipan or glue, odors which are all present in rotting fruit and attractive to fruit fly larvae. http://phys.org/news194080336.html Biology Wed, 26 May 2010 08:12:38 EST news194080336 The most common aquatic habitat in Dar es Salaam - drains - are important vectors for the development of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and malaria, according to new research. The study, published May 25 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows that more than 70% of open Anopheles and Culex larval habitats in Dar es Salaam are human-made, and may be treatable. http://phys.org/news194027246.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 May 2010 18:10:03 EST news194027246 (PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat plants found to be resistant to Hessian fly larvae may be calling in reinforcements to build up rigid defenses. http://phys.org/news193504837.html Biology Wed, 19 May 2010 16:50:10 EST news193504837 (PhysOrg.com) -- Baby corals find their way home in their first days as free-swimming larvae by listening to the noise of animals on the reef and actively swimming towards it, an international team of researchers working in the Caribbean has discovered. These findings raise new concerns for the future of coral reefs as increasing human noise pollution in the world's oceans is masking reef sounds. http://phys.org/news193130389.html Space & Earth Sat, 15 May 2010 08:20:04 EST news193130389 A rare species of solitary bees found in the Middle East, Osima avoseta, constructs its nests from petals, creating chambers of pink, yellow, blue, and purple for its larvae. The colorful nests moist, secure chambers for the larvae to grow, consume provisions, and build a cocoon to wait out the winter. http://phys.org/news192195058.html Biology Tue, 04 May 2010 12:31:23 EST news192195058 (PhysOrg.com) -- Your worst enemy can sometimes also be your best friend, according to entomologists from the University of Florida and Illinois State University. http://phys.org/news188766680.html Biology Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:11:46 EST news188766680 A rare blue butterfly took flight Saturday morning on a windswept bluff of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California. Then another. And then another. http://phys.org/news187366787.html Biology Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:30:02 EST news187366787 A study into why some people are more resistant than others to diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy has identified a new genetic variant which affects susceptibility to these diseases. The findings, published today in the journal Cell, may have implications for future treatments for the two conditions. http://phys.org/news186928163.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:29:38 EST news186928163 Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, University of Utah researchers have discovered why the fly's silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an adhesive tape during surgery. http://phys.org/news186641968.html Chemistry Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:01:38 EST news186641968 (PhysOrg.com) -- Resistant wheat plants stave off attacks by Hessian fly larvae by essentially destroying the fly's midgut and its ability to absorb nutrients, according to a study by Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://phys.org/news184878260.html Biology Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:04:39 EST news184878260 The day when restaurants will serve garlic grasshoppers or beetle larva skewers is getting closer in Costa Rica, where scientists are "growing" insects for human consumption. http://phys.org/news184403855.html Biology Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:40:01 EST news184403855 Figs and fig wasps have evolved to help each other out: Fig wasps lay their eggs inside the fruit where the wasp larvae can safely develop, and in return, the wasps pollinate the figs. http://phys.org/news183834526.html Biology Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:40:12 EST news183834526 There is good news for coffee lovers and growers worldwide: A predator for the devastating coffee berry borer has just been discovered in Africa. Looking at coffee berries in Western Kenya, Dr. Juliana Jaramillo from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya, Dr. Eric Chapman from the University of Kentucky, and colleagues have identified a previously unknown predatory thrips - Karnyothrips flavipes - which feeds on the eggs and larvae of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei. http://phys.org/news183642175.html Biology Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:10:02 EST news183642175 (PhysOrg.com) -- A long-standing theory is that the first function of fish gills was to allow fish to breathe, but new research is casting doubt on the idea that this activity developed first. http://phys.org/news183024861.html Biology Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:50:01 EST news183024861