Around this time of year, hosts dozens of houseguests in her basement. Far from using camping equipment or cots, they sleep upside-down, clinging to a curtain. The entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has collected cicadas, those bizarre and misunderstood cyclical insects, for four years.“In Illinois, we have 20 species, and hardly anything is known about them,” Alleyne says. “We know very little about what they’re doing underground.”Cicadas have a longstanding reputation as loud, swarming pests that keep obnoxiously particular schedules. In the United States, they...…Around this time of year, hosts dozens of houseguests in her basement. Far from using camping equipment or cots, they sleep upside-down, clinging to a curtain. The entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has collected cicadas, those bizarre and misunderstood cyclical insects, for four years.“In Illinois, we have 20 species, and hardly anything is known about them,” Alleyne says. “We know very little about what they’re doing underground.”Cicadas have a longstanding reputation as loud, swarming pests that keep obnoxiously particular schedules. In the United States, they...WW…

From the tip of a poofy tail, to the tip of a dog-like wet nose, ring-tailed lemurs can communicate in silence.The lemurs — an endangered primate native to Madagascar — are known for a particularly acute sense of smell compared to other primates. Scent glands on their genitals, shoulders, and wrists let them communicate specific messages for,, and – or stink-flirting. In a in the journal Current Biology, chemists from the University of Tokyo have pinpointed the fruity, floral chemicals key to lemur love connections. Some may rush to declare this as the first discovery of primate pheromones,...…From the tip of a poofy tail, to the tip of a dog-like wet nose, ring-tailed lemurs can communicate in silence.The lemurs — an endangered primate native to Madagascar — are known for a particularly acute sense of smell compared to other primates. Scent glands on their genitals, shoulders, and wrists let them communicate specific messages for,, and – or stink-flirting. In a in the journal Current Biology, chemists from the University of Tokyo have pinpointed the fruity, floral chemicals key to lemur love connections. Some may rush to declare this as the first discovery of primate pheromones,...WW…

Two and a half years ago, when biologist Colin Donihue meandered through Turks and Caicos lassoing lizards with dental floss, he couldn’t have predicted how his project would eventually evolve.His team traveled to the islands to catch and measure lizards. “Lo and behold, three days after we left, the islands were hit by Hurricane Irma, and then Hurricane Maria a couple weeks later,” says , a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. His team returned to the island a few weeks later for a rare opportunity.Climate change is constantly testing the animal kingdom. Sea level...…Two and a half years ago, when biologist Colin Donihue meandered through Turks and Caicos lassoing lizards with dental floss, he couldn’t have predicted how his project would eventually evolve.His team traveled to the islands to catch and measure lizards. “Lo and behold, three days after we left, the islands were hit by Hurricane Irma, and then Hurricane Maria a couple weeks later,” says , a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. His team returned to the island a few weeks later for a rare opportunity.Climate change is constantly testing the animal kingdom. Sea level...WW…

Bombarded by the dry heat deep in the Atacama Desert, Jocelyne DiRuggiero’s team anchored a blue tarp to the roof of their truck for some much-needed shade. Those tarps proved futile though, getting ripped out by the afternoon's winds. It’s hard to imagine anything thriving in such a bone-dry stretch of this Chilean desert. And yet, , a biologist at Johns Hopkins University, came here looking for life — in the rocks. It’s no news that even the harshest places on Earth can support life. Even Atacama, a classic stand-in for Mars’ surface in , supports life. finding life there in 2006....…Bombarded by the dry heat deep in the Atacama Desert, Jocelyne DiRuggiero’s team anchored a blue tarp to the roof of their truck for some much-needed shade. Those tarps proved futile though, getting ripped out by the afternoon's winds. It’s hard to imagine anything thriving in such a bone-dry stretch of this Chilean desert. And yet, , a biologist at Johns Hopkins University, came here looking for life — in the rocks. It’s no news that even the harshest places on Earth can support life. Even Atacama, a classic stand-in for Mars’ surface in , supports life. finding life there in 2006....WW…