Modified toxins to kill Bt-resistant insects

Figuring out how Bt toxins punch holes in the cells of an insect’s gut was the key to designing the new toxins, according to a Mexico-U.S. research team. Some insects have developed resistance to Bt toxins, naturally occurring insecticides used worldwide to combat pests of crops such as cotton and corn and also disease-carrying mosquitoes. [...]

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A moths view, engineers to industry.

When moths fly at night, their eyes need to capture all the light available. To do this, certain species have evolved nanoscopic structures on the surface of their eyes which allow almost no light to reflect off the surface and hence to escape. Now scientists at MicroBridge, a project at Cardiff University’s Manufacturing engineering Centre [...]

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Bees, a new source for silk

Moths and butterflies, particularly silkworms, are well known producers of silk. And we all know spiders use it for their webs. But they are not the only invertebrates who make use of the strength and versatility of silk. Dr Tara Sutherland and her group from CSIRO Entomology are looking at silks produced by other insects [...]

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