“Insect herbivores have long been known to accumulate plant defense metabolites from their diet as defenses against their own enemies,” she said in a study recently published in PNAS. “However, as ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The Cordyceps mushroom, an exotic fungus, grows by infecting ...

As periodical cicadas emerge from the ground across the eastern U.S., some might be infected by a bizarre parasitic fungus that hijacks the brains of the insects, manipulating them so that they try ...

The Cordyceps fungus has evolved a terrifying ability to hijack the bodies of insects – but it's also being studied for an impressive range of potential medicinal effects. Researchers have found a way ...

Bark beetles moving between trees routinely carry two fungi that are responsible for the Dutch elm tree disease outbreak.

Many plants and crops rely on insects to pollinate them so they can reproduce. A new study has shown that several flowering plants from the group Euonymus are pollinated by fungus gnats, a dipteran ...

A fly is going about its day, buzzing here, buzzing there—but then, it starts behaving weirdly. Its movements become sluggish; its abdomen swells. Its body sprouts white fuzz. Around sunset, there’s a ...

Come along on a guided tour of the strangest animals in Cincinnati's strangest neighborhood, from fungus-eating ants to a ...