The fly species Coenosia tigrina with two large holes in the abdomen. The holes are an effect of infection with the fungus Strongwellsea tigrinae. The infective spores are discharged through these holes. Image credit: University of Copenhagen
After infecting the host bodies, the flies buzz around for days as fungal spores are released into the air from the holes and drift onto new victims. The fungi find nourishment from within the rear segment of the bodies of the flies right up to the end. Following a few days of the infection, the flies lie on their back and keep on having spasms till they die.
Study shows epigenetic changes, passed to new generations, may solve paradox of rapid resistance Native to the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado potato beetle has now spread to many parts of the world, chowing potato leaves, costing farmers millions and quickly overcoming most every pesticide thrown in its way. A new UVM study sheds light on how these insects become resistant so fast. (Photo: Lily Shapiro)
The Colorado potato beetle is a notorious pest and a kind of unstoppable genius.
The modern pesticide era began in the 1860s when Midwest farmers started killing these beetles by spraying them with a paint color called Paris Green that contained copper arsenate. The beetles soon overcame that poison as well as lead arsenate, mercury DDT, and dieldrin and over fifty other pesticides. At first, with any new chemical, many beetles are killed but none of them last for long. The beetles develop resistance, usually within a few years, and continue merrily chomping their way th
The Mass of Human-Made Materials Now Equals the Planetâs Biomass, Weizmann Institute Finds
We are doubling the mass of the anthropogenic part of the world every 20 years â and the curve is not flattening
Weizmann Institute of Science
Newswise The mass of all human-produced materials – concrete, steel, plastics, asphalt, etc. – has now grown to equal the mass of all life on the planet, its biomass. According to a new study from the Weizmann Institute of Science, we are exactly at the crossover point, and humans are currently adding buildings, roads, vehicles, and products at a rate that is doubling every 20 years, leading to a “concrete jungle” that is predicted to reach over 2 teratonnes (2 million million) – or more than double the mass of living things – by 2040.
Zombie Flies Driven by Mind-Controlling Fungus Strike a Death Pose to Shoot Spores chronicle.co.zw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chronicle.co.zw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers discover and describe two fungal species for the first time
University of Copenhagen researchers have found and described two fungal species for the first time. The fungi infect adult flies and subsequently create a hole in the abdomen of their hosts bodies. Infected flies then buzz around days as the fungi devour them from within and eject fungal spores from these holes in their bodies. The discovery marks a contribution to the mapping of global biodiversity. At the same time, the new studies open the door for potentially useful nature-made pharmacological discoveries.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Denmark have found and described two new fungal species. Both fungi were discovered in the Capital Region of Denmark with