In our case, we have only one object class ("insect") so the

In the future, tiny flying robots could be deployed to aid in the search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble after a devastating earthquake. So far, aerial microrobots have only been able to fly slowly along smooth trajectories, far from the swift, agile flight of real insects -- until now. MIT researchers have demonstrated aerial microrobots that can fly with speed and agility that is comparable to their biological counterparts. A collaborative team designed a new AI-based controller for the robotic bug that enabled it to follow gymnastic flight paths, such as executing continuous body flips. With a two-part control scheme that combines high performance with computational efficiency, the robot's speed and acceleration increased by about 450 percent and 250 percent, respectively, compared to the researchers' best previous demonstrations.

A 20,000 year old fossil uncovered in a tarantula-filled cave has paleontologists stunned. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Bees are frequently associated with large queen-serving colonies featuring hundreds if not thousands of insects . They lay their eggs in small cavities, and they leave pollen for the larvae to eat," explained paleontologist Lazasro Viñola López . "Some bee species burrow holes in wood or in the ground, or use empty structures for nests." Viñola López, a researcher at Chicago's Field Museum, added that some European and African species even construct nests inside vacant snail shells. That said, a beehive inside a bone is a new one even for seasoned researchers. Estimated to be around 20,000 years old, this newly discovered specimen is also the first known example of such a home, past or present. The findings are detailed in a study published on December 16 in the journal . Researchers located the unique find while exploring the many limestone caves that dot the southern Dominican Republic. Sinkholes are common across the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, and are often so well sheltered from the elements that they function like underground time capsules. These windows into the past are largely thanks to the work of the island's owls . The predatory birds often make their nests inside these caves, where they regularly cough up owl pellets filled with the undigested bones of their prey. Over thousands of years, these layers of bones fossilize atop one another across carbonate layers created from rainy periods. "The initial descent into the cave isn't too deep-we would tie a rope to the side and then rappel down," Viñola López said. "If you go in at night, you see the eyes of the tarantulas that live inside." After proceeding past the large spiders through about 33 feet of underground tunnel, the paleontologists began finding various fossils. Many belonged to rodents, but there were also bones from birds, reptiles, and even sloths for a total of over 50 different animal species. "We think that this was a cave where owls lived for many generations, maybe for hundreds or thousands of years," said Viñola López. "The owls would go out and hunt, and then come back to the cave and throw up pellets.

Insect venom means nothing to some amphibians. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. In hindsight, the North American " murder hornet " () scare of 2020 was probably a overblown (not to mention culturally problematic). Of course, you still want to avoid the venomous sting from a northern giant hornet, as they're now known. According to entomologist Masato Ono, receiving a dose of the insect's potent, neurotoxic venom felt "like a hot nail being driven into my leg."

New research shows ill pupae emit a chemical signal before ever leaving their cocoons. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Ants are some of nature's most selfless animals. They practice social distancing when ill, consistently act for the good of the colony, and will die to protect their queen from outsiders. This evolutionary drive is so strong that at least one ant species will even willingly sacrifice before they leave their cocoons.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Nearly one in three U.S. households harbor a cold-hearted killer. Some even have a well-known proclivity for torture. And while the popular pets are best known for downing birds and cornering mice, they are also adept at hunting all manner of bugs. Host a cat in your home long enough and you'll likely become accustomed to regular deliveries of amputated insect legs, wings, or the occasional whole carcass.

Figure 1: (a) Field of view of the blowfly Calliphora vicina mapped onto a panoramic view of an indoor scene. Blue and red borders outline the visual field of the left and right eyes; tinted area denotes area of binocular overlap.

The power of flowers and fungi is no match for these insects. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It can turn ants into "zombies," help fictional plumbers grow, and even look like creepy fingers . One newly engineered strain of fungus uses the power of smell to kill Earth's deadliest animal --mosquitoes. Mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria and dengue, kill thousands of people per year.

Environment Animals Insects Iceland was the only country in the world without mosquitos--now they've found three The insects will likely stay in the Nordic country. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Until recently, Iceland was the only country in the world to be free of one of the most maddening and dangerous insects: mosquitoes. But if you're thinking that a second nation has been declared mosquito-free, brace yourself for some bad news. The Nordic island has just confirmed the discovery of mosquitoes in the municipality of Kjós.