A mealworm detailed photo

Meet the Microplastic Munchers: Bugs That Might Help Clean Up Our Mess

April Joy Jovita

Every minute, a garbage truck’s worth of plastic waste enters our oceans. That’s roughly 8 million tons annually, breaking down into microscopic fragments that now contaminate everything from Arctic ice to human blood. But what if nature had already started developing its own cleanup crew? Scientists are discovering that some of Earth’s tiniest inhabitants might ...

Spiny leaf insect in human palm

Which Insect Would Make the Best Pet… If It Were the Size of a Dog?

April Joy Jovita

Picture this: you’re walking down the street with your new companion trotting beside you on a leash, drawing stares and dropped jaws from every passerby. But this isn’t your typical golden retriever or fluffy tabby cat. Your pet has six legs, compound eyes that shimmer like jewels, and wings that catch the sunlight in ways ...

Butterfly metamorphosis

Butterflies That Remember Their Caterpillar Lives — Even After Metamorphosis

April Joy Jovita

Imagine undergoing such a complete transformation that your entire body dissolves and rebuilds itself from scratch. Most of us would assume that any memories from our previous existence would vanish forever. Yet in the remarkable world of butterflies, science has uncovered something truly extraordinary: these delicate creatures can actually retain memories from their caterpillar days, ...

Can Insects Lie? What Happens When Bug Signals Go Deceptive

Can Insects Lie? What Happens When Bug Signals Go Deceptive

April Joy Jovita

The tiny firefly blinking in your backyard might be pulling off one of nature’s most sophisticated cons. While we humans debate the ethics of white lies and workplace deceptions, the insect world has been mastering the art of biological fraud for millions of years. From fake warning signals to phony mating calls, bugs have turned ...

Dried migratory locusts as food

Can Insects Feed the Future? A Look at Edible Bugs and Global Population Growth

April Joy Jovita

Picture this: you’re sitting at a restaurant, perusing the menu, when you spot “cricket flour pasta” or “mealworm protein bowl” alongside traditional dishes. Your first reaction might be disgust, but here’s a shocking reality – billions of people worldwide already consider insects a delicacy, and they might just hold the key to feeding our rapidly ...

Giant spiny stick insect on human palm

Sci-Fi Meets Entomology: Could Giant Insects Really Exist?

April Joy Jovita

Picture this: you’re walking through a forest when suddenly, a shadow passes overhead. You look up to see a dragonfly the size of a helicopter, its wings beating with the force of industrial fans. Sounds like something straight out of a monster movie, right? But what if I told you that millions of years ago, ...

An earwig on the leaf

The European Earwig: Creepy, Crawly, and Surprisingly Common

April Joy Jovita

Picture this: you’re enjoying a peaceful evening in your garden when you lift a flowerpot, and dozens of dark, shiny creatures with menacing pincers scatter in all directions. Your first instinct might be to scream, but what you’ve just encountered is one of nature’s most misunderstood insects – the European earwig. These fascinating creatures have ...

Paper wasp portrait

Wasps That Recognize Faces: Social Memory in the Insect World

April Joy Jovita

Imagine standing in your garden when a wasp hovers near your face, seemingly studying you with an intensity that makes you wonder: does this tiny creature actually know who you are? The answer might surprise you more than you’d expect. Recent scientific discoveries have shattered our assumptions about insect intelligence, revealing that some wasps possess ...