A group of scientists from Minami Kyushu University in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, accidentally discovered a virus that only targets male insects, a discovery that could, one day, potentially help control the populations of disease vectors like mosquitoes. A caterpillar: The discovery of the virus, later named Spodoptera litura male-killing virus or SLMKV, all happened accidentally after Misato Terao, a research technician at the university, found a green caterpillar, identified as a tobacco cutworm, eating impatiens inside the campus greenhouse, according to The New York Times. Instead of properly disposing of the intruder, Misato decided to bring the caterpillar to the university’s insect physiologist, Yoshinori Shintani, who thought that it would be a good feeder for the other insects.
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