THE presence of peripheral inhibitory nerves in insects is now well established and in many respects they seem to be similar to those in Crustacea 1–3. Their physiological properties are well defined ...

Scientists have known that some insects can hold their breath for hours or even days. A new study suggests why: Too much air would kill them. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access ...

DIAPAUSING pupae of some saturniid moths overwinter in an environment in which temperatures may drop to −30° C. In such conditions of cold and low humidity there are opportunities for pupae to ...

Invertebrates are a wildly diverse lot — far more diverse than the relatively small group known as vertebrates. Accordingly, the inverts have a huge diversity of life styles and body plans. Consider ...

FOR insects, heavy breathing can be fatal. If resting butterflies breathed all the time, so much oxygen would build up in their delicate bodies that it would kill them. Most animals use proteins such ...

Cockroaches tend to unsettle people for obvious reasons, though their biology is often stranger than their appearance. One ...

A need to avoid overdosing on that dangerous gas—oxygen—may be what drives some insects to shut down their breathing holes periodically. That’s two researchers’ proposal to explain why many ants, ...