Testing five common beliefs about bedbugs

Bug-bitten and bedeviled: a delightful dive into the bedbug

Bedbugs can live up to 6 months without food—meaning they can lurk in your bedroom while you try to eradicate them and give you a sense that you've effectively annihilated them. What else do we know about these pesky little pests? This deep, deep...

Portraits of a pest: a photo gallery of bedbugs

Bedbugs are reemerging as a major urban pest after half a century of relative dormancy. These wingless insects take blood meals at night, hiding during the day in dark crevices. Check out these sophisticated images of the common bedbug, Cimex...

How bedbugs have evolved immunity against pesticides

Bedbugs, once nearly eradicated in the United States due to the use of pesticides like DDT, have made a resurgence, with New York being declared the most bedbug-infested city. The primary reason for the return is the evolution of resistance in...

Why bean leaves are an effective bedbug pesticide

No one wants a bedbug infestation because getting rid of them is infamously difficult. High heat and diatomaceous earth are two of the most effective bedbug pesticides, but there's another, obscure method: bean leaves! Watch this four-minute video...

A day in the life of a bedbug exterminator

Hugh Barrie is a bedbug specialist known as the Bed Bug Doctor, in Sussex, United Kingdom. Barrie employs a unique approach to bedbug extermination using heat treatment. Follow along as one journalist goes through the daily motions of a bedbug...

More than 2 billion people across the globe include bugs in their diets

Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects. It has been around for millennia. Bugs are nutritious and, in some places, considered a delicacy.

Identify household beetles with this database

Beetles are the largest order of insects in the world, with over 400,000 described species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and in every habitat imaginable, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains. A small percentage...

Wealthy Egyptians slept on woven beds to allow air circulation in hot climates

The history of beds is a fascinating look at economics, social science, and cultural beliefs around what takes place during sleep. This brief survey of the history of bed-making begins roughly 5,000 years ago and runs through ancient Egypt and Rome to modern Europe. Take a look here.

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.

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

This podcast delves into the history of Periplaneta americana and explores why the bugs elicit such fear, disgust, and, at times, shame. The bug likely climbed aboard the slave ships because they had both unprotected food sources and places to hide during their journey.

Ticks are extremely hard to kill

These arachnids can transmit more than a dozen diseases to humans, and they're very resilient: Some can survive extreme heat and cold, live for years without a blood meal, and even survive multiple days underwater.

Dogs smell a lot of stuff we can't, including bed bugs and chemicals in electronic devices

In addition to identifying medical smells and tiny insects like bed bugs, dogs can also detect electronic storage devices. These tools often contain triphenylphosphine oxide, a chemical used to prevent overheating.

About 10%-15% of people experience chronic insomnia

How often would you say you struggle to stay or fall asleep? If it's more than three times per week (and has been going on for at least one month), then you might have one of the most common sleep disorders: insomnia.

There are at least 6 fascinating examples of mind-controlling parasites

Parasitic organisms—including flatworms and barnacles, not just fungi—can modify animal behavior. They can give rise to dancing fish, pulsating snails, suicidal rats, and more. Though some of these pathogens can sicken humans, there is no strong evidence that any can control human behavior.

Sleep deprivation leads to buildup of danger molecules in the gut

Fruit flies genetically engineered to be awake for as long as they live tend to live half as long as their well-rested brethren. Analysis shows these modified flies suffer from a buildup of DNA-destroying reactive oxygen species in their guts. When enabled to sleep, the flies live as long as their counterparts.

The evidence for the best sleep positions

For a behavior so crucial to human health, sleep positions are reportedly understudied by researchers. This article summarizes some of the more recent studies, taking into account the various forms of problems encountered during sleep: neck and back pain, snoring, acid reflux, and facial skin damage. Most studies point to side-sleeping as the most optimal, with sleeping on one's front as the least helpful. Read the piece to see which position is best for you.

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.

There are stigmas attached to tattoos

Although tattoos are fairly common in the US, some taboos remain. A 2017 study in the Journal of Social Psychology found discrimination against tattoos is alive and well, and that even individuals with tattoos associate them with negative stereotypes.

'Gram-negative' bacteria: Bugs with extra defenses along their cell walls

The term 'Gram-negative' bacteria refers to bugs which react a certain way under a Gram stain test. These bacteria are harder to kill due to their double-layer cell walls with a thin peptidoglycan layer in between. This structure makes the delivery of drugs into the bacterial cell substantially more difficult.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Neglected tropical diseases affect more people than the population of Europe

This group of conditions, which includes hookworm, sickens roughly one in seven people on the planet—a tally which dwarfs Europe's population of roughly 450 million. International cooperation and donations are helping to control some of these illnesses, which can be caused by parasites, viruses, and bacteria. They're all treatable or preventable, but primarily occur among poor, isolated communities that may not receive adequate care.

Home allergy tests don’t work well and experts urge caution

Doctors do not recommend at-home allergy test kits because their results may be inaccurate and confusing, and lead people to make lifestyle changes that are not warranted. Tests that require sending in a hair sample, for example, will not be helpful because hair does not have the relevant antibodies that blood testing would detect.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights

Dr. Martin Antony, a Canadian expert on phobias and anxiety, says that fears of creepy, crawly animals like snakes, spiders, and mice are particularly common.

A scientist debunks theories for why aliens might invade Earth

While TV and films offer common tropes for why aliens would invade Earth, many of those reasons aren't actually feasible. For example, a species with technology advanced enough to allow it to travel between planets likely doesn't need to enslave flawed humans to carry out its labor.

The perception of haunted places is influenced by psychology, setting and suggestion

Gothic architecture and tragic histories contribute to the perception of hauntings. Infrasound and black mold can cause experiences reminiscent of paranormal phenomena. Although paranormal investigators use technology to seek natural explanations, many paranormal experiences remain non-falsifiable.

Nightmares are unpredictable, but are linked to stress, anxiety, trauma, and more

Nightmare comes from the terms "night" and "mare," an Old English word for evil, suffocating spirits. Nightmares are parasomnias, meaning they are undesirable events experienced during sleep, and may stem from building tensions in one's unconscious.

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

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.

CBT helps rewire the brain's false beliefs by challenging negative thoughts

Cognitive behavioral therapy identifies how specific situations can trigger distorted core beliefs—often formed early in life—that negatively shape thoughts and behavior. It frequently uses structured questioning that promotes self-reflection to uncover distorted thinking and guide people toward more balanced perspectives.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

Urushiol, the oily toxin in poison ivy, can remain allergenic on clothing for years.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

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.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

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.

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

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.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.