Press Releases
May 17, 2013
Asian lady beetles use biological weapons against their European relatives − Invasive species from Eastern Asia uses microsporidia in order to out-compete native lady beetles
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March 18, 2013
Transistor in the Fly Antenna - Insect odorant receptors regulate their own sensitivity
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February 28, 2013
Metal Ions Regulate Terpenoid Metabolism in Insects - Controlled by metal ions a prenyl synthase in leaf beetle larvae produces the precursors for chemical defenses or juvenile hormones
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January 9, 2013
Bugs need symbiotic bacteria to exploit plant seeds
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December 19, 2012
Not without my microbes - After metamorphosis European forest cockchafers benefit from the same bacterial symbionts housed during their larval stage
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December 7, 2012
A Direct Line through the Brain to Avoid Rotten Food – A Full STOP Signal for Drosophila
Odor activation of a dedicated neural pathway by geosmin, an odor produced by toxic microorganisms, activates a hard-wired avoidance response in the fly.
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November 21, 2012
Herbivore defense in ferns - Unlike flowering plants, bracken ferns do not release any odor signals to attract the enemies of their attackers for their own benefit.
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November 15, 2012
Researchers Use GPS Tracking to Monitor Crab Behavior
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October 16, 2012
Green Leaf Volatiles Increase Plant Fitness Via Biocontrol - Field study published in the new scientific journal eLife reveals that biological pest control using predators of insect eggs and larvae increases plant fitness
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September 12, 2012
Insecticide Resistance Caused by Recombination of Two Genes - Novel enzyme makes cotton bollworm resistant against pyrethroids.
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July 4, 2012
Humidity increases odor perception in terrestrial hermit crabs − Olfaction in land crabs is still in an early transitional stage between life in water and on land.
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June 6, 2012
How plants make cocaine: The discovery of the first enzyme in the pathway sheds new light on the evolution of alkaloid formation
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May 23, 2012
Deterring Signals: Tobacco Plants Advertise their Defensive Readiness to Attacking Leafhoppers - Like blood-sucking insects, herbivores evaluate their host’s readiness for defense
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April 25, 2012
Flies Process Attractive and Deterrent Odors in Different Brain Areas − Newly developed analytic device Flywalk allows accurate studies of insect behavior to be made
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March 9, 2012
Orientation of Desert Ants: Every Cue Counts − Foraging desert ants always find their way back to the nest, even when it is only marked by a magnetic cue, vibration, or carbon dioxide.
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February 29, 2012
Studying the Importance of Biological Rhythms for the Ecological Performance of Plants – Thanks to Funding by the European Research Council (ERC)
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MPI-CE February 2, 2012
Yellow Biotechnology: Using plants to silence insect genes in a high-throughput manner - Using virus vector-mediated RNAi enables scientists to rapidly study the function of insect genes
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MPI-CE October 19, 2011
New Bacterial Toxins Against Resistant Insect Pests - Scientists from the USA, Mexico, China, and Germany have developed Bt toxins for the management of resistance in European corn borer and other crop pests.
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MPI-CE September 22, 2011
Why DEET Keeps Mosquitos and Other Insects at Bay - Chemical agent DEET disorients insects by scrambling their odor receptor apparatus
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MPI-CE September 1, 2011
Insect Gut Microbe with a Molecular Iron Reservoir - Max Planck researchers analyze the structure of an iron storage protein
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MPI - CE August 23, 2011
"Schweizer Franken für Pflanzenforschung in Jena - Schweizer Fonds fördert Doktorarbeiten über Maisschädlinge und deren Bekämpfung
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MPI - CE April 26, 2011
"Lollipops with Side Effects - A plant’s sugary offering betrays caterpillars to predatory ants."
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MPI - CE April 15, 2011
"Molecular Messages from the Antennae - Scientists assemble genes involved in regulating olfaction in the antennae of a moth"
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MPI - CE March 10, 2011
"Production of Mustard Oils: On the Origin of An Enzyme - During the evolution of plants of the mustard family a leucine producing enzyme mutated into an enzyme that protects plants against herbivores."
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MPI - CE March 10, 2011
"Host Change Alters Toxic Cocktail - Gene modification: Leaf beetle larvae attacking birch trees produce toxic cocktails that differ from the ones produced by conspecifics living on willows"
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