Bees Almost Went Extinct

Using molecular modeling techniques on the DNA of modern carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) along with fossil evidence, researchers believe that bees almost disappeared with the mass extinction event that ended the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, possibly related to the mass extinction of flowering plants that occurred at the same time.

Chirp of Extinct Cricket

Researchers have constructed a model of a fossilized bush cricket (Archaboilus musicus) found in northeast China from its exceptionally well-preserved microscopic wing features enough to reproduce the song of this extinct species after 160 million years.

Ancient Blood-Sucking Parasite

The unique discovery of an extinct genus of blood-sucking bat fly trapped in amber for 20 to 30 million years has revealed several key facts, including the specific co-evolution of bats and bat flies and the prevalence of malaria in the New World for millions of years.

Colors of Fossil Beetles

A new study of ancient beetles shows how their original colors are altered over time and with the chemistry and preservation of fossilization, as colors experience a subtle "redshift" from violet to blue to green.

Wasp Nest in Dinosaur Eggs

Eight cocoons from a prehistoric wasp (Rebuffoichnus sciuttoi) found inside a fossilized rotting titanosaur egg are the first example of this parasitic behavior and reveal new information about this wasp's behavior and the surrounding Cretaceous food chain.

Ancient "Frankenstein" Insect

Fossils of ancient "Frankenstein" insects have been discovered in Brazil that contain attributes of many diverse modern insect species, such as dragonfly wings and body segments, praying mantis forelegs and mayfly wing veins -- requiring the creation of a new order, Coxoplectoptera.

Oldest Flying Insect Found

Fossil hunters in Massachusetts have found the earliest preserved impression of a flying insect, an 300 million-year-old ancestor of the modern mayfly as it struggled while trapped in the mud.

Insects in Indian Amber

More than 700 new species of insects have been found in 150 kg of amber recovered from lignite mines in the Cambay Shale of the Indian state of Gujarat, many new to science and related to species found in distant parts of the globe.