Some Aussie frogs raise pitch of love songs to counter traffic noiseAugust 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Some Aussie frogs often raise their pitch as they serenade their partners, in order to counter traffic sounds, according to a study. Kirsten Parris, an ecologist at the University of Melbourne, says that one species of frog in Melbourne is changing the pitch of its love song to be heard above the roar of the road.
New repellants keep mosquitoes away much longerAugust 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - After more than 50 years of research, scientists have finally discovered a number of new mosquito repellants that keep the dangerous pests away much longer than before. The new repellants beat DEET, the current gold standard for warding off mosquitoes.
Sewage-contaminated streams breed bigger and faster mosquitoesAugust 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found far more mosquitoes in sewage-contaminated streams than in clean ones, which are also bigger and faster than those in purer waters. ccording to a report in Discovery News, over a 16-week study period last summer, Luis Fernando Chaves, an ecologist at Emory University in Atlanta and colleagues sampled water quality and mosquito larvae from two streams - one that receives contaminated overflows and one that doesn't - in the Atlanta area.
Julia Roberts to scrub temple floorsJuly 23rd, 2009 Oscar winner Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) will play writer Elizabeth Gilbert whose spirituality memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” is reportedly being made into a feature film. In the book with the tagline- “One woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia”, Pushcart Prize winner Gilbert scrubs the temple floors as part of her devotional duty; and it talks about her struggles with a 182-verse Sanskrit chant, her attempt to meditate while being feasted on by mosquitoes, etc.
'Electronic' nose that detects skin vapors developedJuly 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A system to detect the vapours emitted by human skin in real time has been created by Yale University researchers and a Spanish company. The boffins believe that the substances, essentially made up of fatty acids, are what attract mosquitoes and enable dogs to identify their owners.
From pythons to fungus to zebra mussels, invasive species threaten people, native wildlifeJuly 8th, 2009 From pythons to fungus, species invading USWASHINGTON — A pet Burmese python broke out of a glass cage last week and killed a 2-year-old girl in her Florida bedroom. The tragedy became the latest and most graphic example of a problem that has plagued the state for more than a decade: a nonnative species that is wreaking havoc in the Everglades, threatening people, the environment and native wildlife.
Ouch! Slap! Itch! Cuts for mosquito control could lead to problems for cash-strapped citiesJuly 3rd, 2009 Communities bug out over cuts to mosquito controlMillions of mosquito eggs laid across southern Texas after Hurricane Ike hit the coast last summer are waiting for the little bit of rain and hot summer days they need to hatch. That's got the man whose job it is to fight the bugs worried — he's already running out of money.
A thirst for blood sparks toxic algal bloomsJuly 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have suggested that toxic algal blooms are created when aggressive algae kill and injure their competitors in order to absorb the nutrients they contain. "The behaviour of the algae can be compared to that of blood-sucking insects," said Per Jonsson of the Department of Marine Ecology.
Unlike Obama, Lincoln likely let fly live when it landed on him during photo sessionJune 18th, 2009 Like Obama, Lincoln had run-in with a flyCHICAGO — President Obama launched his campaign from Abraham Lincoln's hometown, used his bible to be sworn in and quotes Lincoln at the drop of a stovepipe hat. Now it seems the two share something else: an encounter with a fly.
Males who serenade females get more sexJune 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Females of an Asian species of water strider keep their genitalia hidden to avoid any forceful copulation attempts, and expose them only after males produce a courtship "song" by tapping the water surface, according to a study. The study by Chang Seok Han and Piotr Jablonski at Seoul National University, Korea, found that females evolve a morphological shield to protect their genitalia from an approaching male.
Researchers create better mosquito repellentJune 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Housewives can now have a good night's sleep - scientists have created a better mousetrap when it comes to repelling mosquitoes. Up till now, the gold standard has been DEET.
German man, 82, calls police after mistaking musical greeting card for noisy neighborsMay 5th, 2009 Elderly man mistakes card for noisy neighborsBERLIN — German police said an elderly man was so annoyed at hearing the same serenade over and over that he called authorities to report his neighbors — only to discover the culprit was a musical greeting card on his own windowsill. Police said Tuesday the 82-year-old from Goslar in central Germany told officers he was sick of the music, which would come at irregular intervals and at all hours.
Scientists find way to predict mosquito outbreaksMarch 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of Australian researchers has found a way to predict plagues of disease-carrying mosquitoes up to two months ahead. According to ecologist Associate Professor Corey Bradshaw from the University of Adelaide, this should help fight outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease like dengue and Ross River fever by allowing efficient and cost-effective mosquito control.
Beware of 2010, it could be year of invasive speciesFebruary 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - June 2010 could be a busy month for invasive plants, insects and animals seeking free rides to distant lands. A new study forecasts climate factors such as temperature, humidity and rainfall will match at geographically distant airline departure and destination points then, which could help to shuffle invasive species, and the diseases they may carry, across the globe along existing flight routes.
Military uniforms to protect from mosquito bitesJanuary 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Uniforms issued to US military personnel are now being treated to repel mosquitoes, thanks to a new method developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Since 1991, treatment of military uniforms with the insecticide permethrin has been available to help protect troops from mosquitoes that transmit malaria and dengue.
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