Astrophysicists in the U.S. are repurposing technology used to detect and destroy ballistic missiles to combat mosquitoes. The technology works by detecting detects the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings and then zapping it with a laser beam.

Scientists at the University of Georgia have developed a method for training wasps to detect chemicals and other susbstances. The technique could be used to detect explosives or toxins in public areas and could be available for commercial use in 5-10 years.

Trained wasps could someday replace dogs for sniffing out drugs, bombs and bodies. Scientists say a species of non-stinging wasps can be trained in only five minutes and are just as sensitive to odors as specially trained dogs.

A new report from the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology surveys the growing research into genetically-modified insects and examines the possible health and environmental risks.

[ Link to Full Study ]

Ants might be able to run telecommunication networks better than humans. Researchers have found that control programs based on the foraging behaviour of ants can keep data networks running more efficiently and cope with congestion better than many human alternatives.

Researchers have attached electrodes to a locust and attached it to a robotic cart to see if their wing motions could be used to steer the vehicle.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is studying critters to gain insights on developing sensors that can detect airborne chemicals or surveil hazardous areas.

Researchers at the University of California are are experimenting with discrete programs that have been modelled on bees and ants as a way of managing the projected increase in internet traffic. The researchers chose insects as a model because while individually these insects are very stupid, if you have enough of them together they do a very efficient job of running and maintaining huge structures like nests and hives without any central control.

French and Canadian bees are getting busy on a remote
island in Canada to produce what scientists hope will be a new superbee,
resistant to deadly varroa mites that have crippled the global honey market.

Scientists are altering the genetics of insects and bacteria to prevent them from transmitting diseases such as malaria but the ultimate effects are unpredictable.