Insects, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 29, 2007

Cockroaches Are Not Morning People

Cockroaches learn new tricks well in the evening, but they're lousy students in the morning. A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that while cockroaches were able to pick up and remember lessons taught in the evenings, they might as well have stayed...

Jan 11, 2008

Termites Are Actually Social Cockroaches

Termites may look like white ants, but new genetic research confirms they are really a social kind of cockroach. Given how relatively solitary regular cockroaches are compared with termites and their complex societies, researchers note these findings could shed light on how social behaviors develop in all insects. Researchers added...

Jul 3, 2009

Even Cockroaches Get Fat on Bad Food

Cockroaches may be tiny enough to slip through the smallest of cracks, but just like humans, these eternal pests can get fat on an unhealthy diet. As part of a decade's worth of research on cockroaches, Patricia Moore of the University of Exeter studied how female cockroaches change their mating...

Apr 13, 2010

Ancient Cockroach Relative Revealed in 3-D

An early ancestor of the cockroach that lived around 300 million years ago has been revealed in a 3-D virtual fossil. The new 3-D model is derived from a fossilized specimen of Archimylacris eggintoni, which is an ancient ancestor of modern cockroaches, mantises and termites. This insect scuttled around during...

Jun 9, 2010

Cockroaches Prefer To Dine Together

Cockroaches prefer dining as a group it seems. New research shows the pesky critters cluster and remain feeding on one lump of food even if another morsel exists nearby. The result demonstrates that cockroaches possess a collective decision-making process previously thought to exist only in highly social species, such as...

Aug 9, 2010

Could Cockroaches Really Survive A Nuclear Winter?

Cockroaches are universally loathed; they are disgusting and have the ability to creep out even the hardiest of people. They are also, evolutionarily speaking, very successful. They have been around for about 300 million years, which is far longer than humans. And cockroaches so many people believe could outlive our...

Nov 1, 2010

Why Today's Cockroaches Are the Biggest Ever

New research finds what anyone who’s experienced a roach infestation has always known: Cockroaches are weird. Many insects are pint-sized compared to their ancient ancestors, but the biggest cockroaches ever are alive and scuttling today, and scientists have long wondered why. The new study finds that roaches don't get a...

Jan 17, 2012

Cockroach Cyborgs Get Their Own Power Source

Equipped with tiny sensors, insects could scout out buildings filled with noxious chemicals, check under rubble after an earthquake and go places no human spy ever could. In a first step toward making these technologically enhanced insects a reality, scientists have devised a way to power bug-robot hybrids by tapping...

Jun 20, 2012

What If There Were No Cockroaches?

In this weekly series, Life's Little Mysteries provides expert answers to challenging questions. The sight of a cockroach makes just about every American shudder. We fear a roach infestation inside the walls. We fear that our house is dirty enough to sustain them. We fear that a cockroach might scurry...

Jan 7, 2013

Baby Wasps Disinfect Cockroaches Before Eating Them

If cockroaches had nightmares, the emerald cockroach wasp surely would deserve a prominent place therein. These colorful, tiny parasitic wasps sting American cockroaches twice, once in the midsection to prevent them from running away, and a second time directly in the brain, to make the insects sluggish and zombielike. The...

Feb 4, 2013

Cockroaches' Weird Grooming Behavior Explained

Perhaps Fluffy the cat let roaches and other insects in on a little secret about cleanliness: Turns out, the creepy crawlies incessantly groom themselves to keep their antennae free from environmental pollutants and chemicals the insects themselves produce, a new study shows. The catlike bathing removes debris in order to...

Feb 28, 2013

Eek! 3 New Giant Cockroach Species Found

Cockroaches have been crawling on the planet since before the time of the dinosaurs, and today there are more than 4,500 species known to science. Researchers are adding three more to that list. Though they fall into the giant cockroach family (Blaberidae) these newly found, yellow-bodied creatures are small compared...

May 23, 2013

Glow-in-the-Dark Cockroach Among Top 10 New Species

A glowing cockroach, a monkey with a blue behind and a meat-eating sponge snagged spots on a list of top 10 new species named in 2012, scientists announced today (May 23). In its sixth year, the Top 10 New Species list is compiled by the International Institute for Species Exploration...

May 23, 2013

Yikes! Cockroaches Evolved to Avoid Sugary Baits

In the ongoing battle between humans and cockroaches, the insects have a leg up. A new study finds that roaches evolved their taste buds to make sweet insecticide baits taste bitter. As a result, the roaches avoid the baits and thrive, to the frustration of homeowners everywhere. Plenty of insects...

Dec 9, 2013

Cold-Loving Asian Cockroach Invades New York

A new species of cockroach that can withstand freezing temperatures has taken up residence in New York, scientists confirmed. The resilient critter, Periplaneta japonica, had never been seen in the United States until an exterminator spotted some strange-looking roach carcasses last year on the High Line, a mile-long park built...