New data indicates the ongoing collapse of insect populations around the world. We’ve known for a while that widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, light and chemical pollution, loss of habitat, and the growth of industrial agriculture have contributed to loss of entire populations of insects. But what about areas … [continued]
The new Nat Geo TV series A Real Bug’s Life peels back the cover on the secret life of insects, including a dramatic never-before-seen Stag Beetle smackdown.
As we enter the concert seating, sounds of crickets and bullfrogs greet us. An enormous OVO — Portuguese for “egg” — sits on the stage, nearly as high as it is wide: 28′ wide by 22′ tall. The overhead spotlights are chlorophyll green, so we in the audience are basked … [continued]
The newest report from the World Entomology Body (WEB) is absolutely frightening. Buried in the late Friday afternoon news cycle, the most recent annual assessment available of insect health indicates that loss of whole insect communities is imminent — which will have disastrous effects for the global food web. The … [continued]
Conservation agriculture is changing how farmers in many countries grow crops. It costs less and restores the soil at the same time.
With world populations soaring, food production is set to see a bigger demand in our lifetime. But with land scarcity, overfishing, and threats from climate change, traditional animal farming is unsustainable, and organizations such as the United Nations believe it imperative to find new ways of sourcing food. Could the answer lie in insects?
Researchers in Germany report a stunning decline in the insect population over the past quarter century. Loss of insects could be lead to what one scientist calls an “ecological Armageddon.”
Researchers at Stanford have devised a new way to make a compound solar cell from perovskite based on the structure of the eye of an insect.
Herbs and spices like thyme, rosemary and mint, usually used to flavor food, can also offer a green alternative to synthetic pesticides. Research has shown that oils derived from the herbs interfere with insect nervous systems, causing them to spasm haphazardly until they die. Best of all, these all-natural pesticides … [continued]
