Wolbachia is also being used to slash mosquito numbers

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium being employed to fight dengue

Scientists are fighting dengue spread in a roundabout way: injecting bacteria into Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs, which blocks the dengue virus from replicating in the tissue of mosquitoes. Researchers hope the bacterium will be passed to future generations, inoculating them against dengue. Wolbachia is also being investigated to combat other mosquito-borne diseases.

Explore inside a mosquito factory where millions of mosquitoes are bred weekly

In Medellin, Colombia, scientists are infecting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium that wouldn't otherwise infect the species, but does block its ability to transmit dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. In the wild, infected mosquitoes would breed with wild mosquitoes, pass down Wolbachia, and thus reduce disease transmission.

Wolbachia: the bacteria that could eliminate dengue fever

Dengue fever, transmitted by mosquitoes, kills more people annually than all types of natural disasters combined. However, mosquitoes that host Wolbachia bacterium have their ability to transmit the virus naturally suppressed, offering a route to eliminating nearly 25,000 deaths annually.

Researchers are breeding genetically modified mosquitoes to be malaria-resistant

Using CRISPR, a team of international researchers is genetically modifying Anopheles in the lab to be malaria-resistant. The insects would be released into the wild to mate with the wild population, passing down this trait. As of early 2026 they had not yet released the mosquitoes into the wild for field trials. Separate CRISPR work seeks to reduce the Anopheles population altogether.

Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest animal—gene drives could kill them

Historically, killing all disease-carrying mosquitoes has not seemed practical and there are concerns about disrupting food webs. Gene editing to render female mosquitoes infertile creates the theoretical possibility of wiping out disease-carrying species, but concerns remain about effectively limiting this engineered trait to target species.

How we helped make Aedes aegypti mosquitoes such a problem

Mosquito genome sequencing data suggests that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes first started specializing on human blood around 5,000 years ago—when climates shifted and humans started domesticating plants in Africa and stored large amounts of water that may have attracted the bugs.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases

Researchers in China tested a transmissible rabies vaccine in the lab by feeding mosquitoes blood containing the vaccine and observing what happened to bats when they were either bitten by the mosquitoes or fed on them. The bats developed antibodies against rabies and survived subsequent rabies infection. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

West Nile Virus is maintained in nature, even without human infections

Mosquitoes pick up the virus when they feed on birds, and then pass it to other birds with their bite, delivering it via virus-laden saliva. Hundreds of different North American bird species can harbor the virus—even if they don't all get sick from it.

Some mosquitoes are key pollinators—and eat disease-carrying mosquitoes

​​There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes, and only a small fraction of them bite humans. They also play vital roles in the ecosystem: One young elephant mosquito, for example, can eat dozens of smaller mosquitoes that bite humans in just one day. Sometimes mosquito-gobbling species are released by humans to control other mosquitoes.

Billions of flies are being dropped from the sky

The US is dropping billions of sterile flies to stop a deadly parasite. Screwworm maggots eat animals alive, so scientists are collapsing the population by ensuring females can’t reproduce.

Female Anopheles mosquito bites are the primary way malaria spreads

Females are the only ones that bite: They need blood to get essential nutrients for egg development. Very rarely, the disease is also spread via blood transfusions, organ transplants, shared needles, or from mother to fetus during pregnancy or birth.

Mosquito saliva acts as an anticlotting agent

The bug's piercing mouthpart, the proboscis, is actually several tubes—one for sucking, one for spitting. But the chemicals in its spit actually help its blood meal to flow, combating its victim's ability to clot at the puncture site.

Spiders may manipulate captured male fireflies into mimicking female mating signals

Rather than killing a male firefly captured in its web, the Araneus ventricosus spider bites into it, which researchers believe injects a venom that disrupts normal flashing behavior and produces a form of mimicry to attract additional males. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Zika virus shocked scientists because the mosquito-borne disease causes birth defects

This revelation, confirmed in 2016, marked the first time that a mosquito-borne disease was known to cause birth defects. Fetuses exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy sometimes suffer from neurological complications and microcephaly, a small-headed condition associated with neurological development issues and impairment.

From 1970 to 2017, invasive species have caused $1.28T in damage globally

The costliest species were the Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes ($149B), which arrived in the US from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, respectively. The bulk of their damage came from their transmission of diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

10 locally acquired malaria cases were reported in the US in 2023—a surprise

The cases, reported in Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Arkansas, broke a 20-year streak since there had been no reported locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria in the country since 2003, when there was a case in Florida.

Genetics may account for nearly 67% of mosquito attractiveness

In a mosquito attraction study published in 2015, identical twins appeared equally attractive to mosquitoes in lab tests, whereas some nonidentical twins were far less likely to be bitten than their siblings. Other work related showed that body odor is also more similar between identical twins.

More than half of the 7,000 'kissing bugs' locals sent to Texas A&M University had parasites

Texas A&M University scientists began a community science program in 2012 asking people to send in kissing bugs (any of the 11 species of bugs potentially infected with Trypanosoma cruzi parasites). About 1,500 people sent in over 7,000 bugs for scientific research, and about 55% of the bugs were infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease.

Examining the potential of the emerging field of insect-based bioremediation

Also known as entomoremediation, the novel approach uses larvae and adult insects, including their gut microbiomes and associated enzymes, to extract or degrade pollutants. As of 2025, research has shown that black soldier flies can degrade a wide range of antibiotics, highlighting their potential for bioremediating antibiotic-contaminated organic waste.

'Sloth fever' is an emerging health threat, especially to pregnant women

This disease, caused by the Oropouche virus, is found in animals including sloths, primates, and birds. It primarily spreads through the bite of midges—insects commonly called "no-see-ums." It's endemic to the Amazon region, but US travelers are increasingly contracting it internationally.

Scientists still don't know why DEET is such an effective bug repellent

This chemical, used to keep ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and other nuisance bugs away, is used by an estimated one-third of the US population and has been available to consumers since 1957. Researchers theorize that multiple mechanisms may be at work to deter bugs, including perhaps masking or confusing bugs' olfactory receptors.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

An invasive, tree-killing beetle may threaten large swaths of Australia

A Curtin University study warns that large parts of Australia, including major cities and farming regions, could be highly vulnerable to the fast-spreading polyphagous shot hole borer, which releases a fungus that can starve trees of nutrients. The tiny insect has already caused severe damage across the Perth metropolitan area.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of infected ticks

It's an infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It's spread through the bite of two species of infected ticks, the Western blacklegged ticks on the West Coast, and Blacklegged ticks found throughout the eastern US. The ticks can transmit the disease at both the nymph and adult stage. It's not known to be transmitted from one person to another via kissing or sex.

Microbial research suggests shifts in diverse populations may help an invasive species establish itself

In 1958, English ecologist Charles Elton suggested that diverse ecosystems should be more resistant to invasive species because gaining a foothold would be more challenging when resources are more thinly spread. However, in lab-grown microbial ecosystems with greater biodiversity, population volatility opened more ecological roles that invasive species could easily fill.

Ticks survived 27 years in a lab, including eight without food

Research published in 2022 set a new record for tick longevity. A group of adult African ticks that are normally found in eastern and southern Africa lived in a laboratory for 27 years, including eight without food. What's more, one of the females laid eggs at least four years after the last male died. Most ticks, on average, reportedly live for six months to three years.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.