Researchers track fall migratory patterns of insects

To study the nocturnal flight patterns of migrating insects during the fall, researchers at the University of Delaware have been spending their nights on the Newark Farm launching a balloon equipped with a tow net to try ...

Smithsonian asks judge's help with bug collection

Entomologist Carl J. Drake spent his life studying bugs. When he died in 1965, he left his life savings and his vast insect collection to the Smithsonian. But now Drake's will has become something of a pest.

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Entomology

Entomology (from Greek ἔντομος, entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented", hence "insect"; and -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology. At some 1.3 million described species, insects account for more than two-thirds of all known organisms, date back some 400 million years, and have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth. It is a specialty within the field of biology. Though technically incorrect, the definition is sometimes widened to include the study of terrestrial animals in other arthropod groups or other phyla, such as arachnids, myriapods, earthworms, land snails, and slugs.

Like several of the other fields that are categorized within zoology, entomology is a taxon-based category; any form of scientific study in which there is a focus on insect related inquiries is, by definition, entomology. Entomology therefore includes a cross-section of topics as diverse as molecular genetics, behavior, biomechanics, biochemistry, systematics, physiology, developmental biology, ecology, morphology, paleontology, anthropology, robotics, agriculture, nutrition, forensic science and more.

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