Autumnal parasites

Poor acorn.

Sometimes I come across crazy parasite stories when I’m browsing scientific archives online. But this time was different, when a story came to me straight from the Dutch woodlands. A week ago, someone asked me to find out what was happening to some poor acorns that were found in a broadleaf forest. The acorns looked [...]

Bacteria force wasps to leave sex behind

Without male wasps to admire her, The Wasp married Ant Man.

An end to the blogging hiatus at last! I hope to entertain you with the fascinating story on how female wasps got rid of their men and sex in return for bacterial endosymbionts.. Despite the obvious benefits of pleasure and procreation, sex has other advantages. The genetic material of both parents gets mixed in new [...]