Latest news with #invertebrates
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Meet the tiny Australian Moth that travels 1,000 km and navigates using the stars
An Australian moth follows the stars during its yearly migration, using the night sky as a guiding compass, according to a new study. When temperatures heat up, nocturnal Bogong moths fly about 1,000 kilometres to cool down in caves by the Australian Alps. They later return home to breed and die. Birds routinely navigate by starlight, but the moths are the first known invertebrates, or creatures without a backbone, to find their way across such long distances using the stars. Scientists have long wondered how the moths travel to a place they've never been. A previous study hinted that Earth's magnetic field might help steer them in the right direction, along with some kind of visual landmark as a guide. Related Does cutting off rhinos' horns protect them from poachers? New study supports controversial approach Since stars appear in predictable patterns each night, scientists suspected they might help lead the way. They placed moths in a flight simulator that mimicked the night sky above them and blocked out the Earth's magnetic field, noting where they flew. Then they scrambled the stars and saw how the moths reacted. When the stars were as they should be, the moths flapped in the right direction. But when the stars were in random places, the moths were disoriented. Their brain cells also got excited in response to specific orientations of the night sky. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It 'was a very clean, impressive demonstration that the moths really are using a view of the night sky to guide their movements,' said Kenneth Lohmann, who studies animal navigation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was not involved with the new research. Researchers don't know what features of the night sky the moths use to find their way. It could be a stripe of light from the Milky Way, a colourful nebula or something else entirely. Whatever it is, the insects seem to rely on that, along with Earth's magnetic field, to make their journey. Related Rare snail that can 'slurp up earthworms like noodles' caught on camera laying an egg from its neck Scientists use special 'squeezing' and electrical probes to collect sperm from endangered kākāpō Other animals harness the stars as a guide. Birds take celestial cues as they soar through the skies, and dung beetles roll their remains short distances while using the Milky Way to stay on course. It's an impressive feat for Bogong moths, whose brains are smaller than a grain of rice, to rely on the night sky for their odyssey, said study author David Dreyer with Lund University in Sweden. 'It's remarkable that an animal with such a tiny brain can actually do this,' Dreyer said.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Meet the tiny Australian Moth that travels 1,000 km and navigates using the stars
An Australian moth follows the stars during its yearly migration, using the night sky as a guiding compass, according to a new study. When temperatures heat up, nocturnal Bogong moths fly about 1,000 kilometres to cool down in caves by the Australian Alps. They later return home to breed and die. Birds routinely navigate by starlight, but the moths are the first known invertebrates, or creatures without a backbone, to find their way across such long distances using the stars. Scientists have long wondered how the moths travel to a place they've never been. A previous study hinted that Earth's magnetic field might help steer them in the right direction, along with some kind of visual landmark as a guide. Related Does cutting off rhinos' horns protect them from poachers? New study supports controversial approach Since stars appear in predictable patterns each night, scientists suspected they might help lead the way. They placed moths in a flight simulator that mimicked the night sky above them and blocked out the Earth's magnetic field, noting where they flew. Then they scrambled the stars and saw how the moths reacted. When the stars were as they should be, the moths flapped in the right direction. But when the stars were in random places, the moths were disoriented. Their brain cells also got excited in response to specific orientations of the night sky. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It 'was a very clean, impressive demonstration that the moths really are using a view of the night sky to guide their movements,' said Kenneth Lohmann, who studies animal navigation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was not involved with the new research. Researchers don't know what features of the night sky the moths use to find their way. It could be a stripe of light from the Milky Way, a colourful nebula or something else entirely. Whatever it is, the insects seem to rely on that, along with Earth's magnetic field, to make their journey. Related Rare snail that can 'slurp up earthworms like noodles' caught on camera laying an egg from its neck Scientists use special 'squeezing' and electrical probes to collect sperm from endangered kākāpō Other animals harness the stars as a guide. Birds take celestial cues as they soar through the skies, and dung beetles roll their remains short distances while using the Milky Way to stay on course. It's an impressive feat for Bogong moths, whose brains are smaller than a grain of rice, to rely on the night sky for their odyssey, said study author David Dreyer with Lund University in Sweden. 'It's remarkable that an animal with such a tiny brain can actually do this,' Dreyer said.
News.com.au
20-06-2025
- Science
- News.com.au
Moth uses stars to navigate long distances, scientists discover
A species of Australian moth travels up to a thousand kilometres every summer using the stars to navigate, scientists said Wednesday, the first time this talent has been discovered in an invertebrate covering vast distances. When temperatures start rising every year, Bogong moths embark on the long night-time flight from their home on the country's eastern coast to the cool inland shelter of caves in the Australian Alps. It has recently been discovered that they can use Earth's magnetic field like a compass to stay on track during their trip of up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). Now, a study published in the journal Nature has found that the moths can also use the light from the stars and the Milky Way to find their way through the dark. "This is the first invertebrate that's known to be able to use the stars for that purpose," study co-author Eric Warrant of Sweden's Lund University told AFP. The only other invertebrate known to use stars for orientation are dung beetles -- but that is over very short distances, Warrant said. Out of all the animal kingdom, only some birds, possibly seals and of course humans can use starlight to navigate long distance. Bogong moths, which are around three centimetres long and are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown, now join that list. - 'Flight simulator' - To study this phenomenon, the international team of researchers put some Bogong moths in a small enclosure and projected different maps of the night sky onto its ceiling. The moth was tethered to a rod connected to the top of the enclosure, which precisely recorded which directions it tried to fly in. This "flight simulator" first confirmed that Bogong moths can in fact navigate using their internal magnetic compass, lead study author David Dreyer, also of Lund University, told AFP. Then the researchers removed the effect of Earth's magnetic field in the enclosure. "To our surprise," the moths were still able to find the right direction, Dreyer said. When they rotated the sky 180 degrees, the moths changed their flight to follow along. And when the researchers projected weird, incorrect maps of the night sky, the moths became erratic and lost. This reinforced that the insects can not only navigate by the sky, but can follow along during the night when the relative positions of the stars shift along with Earth's rotation. - Mysteries abound - No one knows exactly how the Bogong moth manages this feat. One theory is that they sometimes "cross-check" their direction with their magnetic compass, Dreyer said. Another question is exactly which stars the moths are using to navigate. In the lab, the researchers monitored 30 neurons involved in the moth's vision, coordination and navigation. Developing the system of non-magnetic electrodes "cost me a fortune but it was worth the investment," Warrant said. The neurons became particularly active at the sight of the long, bright stripe of the Milky Way, as well as the Carina Nebula. The Milky Way is brighter in the Southern Hemisphere than in the north, Warrant pointed out. "The intensity of that stripe grows as you go from the northern part of the sky to the southern part," which could offer a clue as to how the moths use it to navigate south, Warrant said. Another mystery is how the moths know when to head south when summer arrives. Warrant, who is supervising further research on this subject, said one option is that this knowledge was simply "something that the parents hand to their children". The researchers believe that near the end of the moth's long migration, they start noticing clues they are getting close to their mountain refuge. Warrant said he has identified a specific "odour compound" which emanates from the caves. This smell "seems to act as a navigational beacon right at the very end of the journey," he added. After the moths have seen out the sweltering summer, they return to their coastal birthplace to reproduce before dying. pcl-dl/jj
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make disturbing discovery inside stomachs of earthworms: 'We were surprised by just how widespread'
Tiny plastic particles known as microplastics are turning up in unexpected and disturbing places: inside the stomachs of earthworms, slugs, beetles, and other invertebrates that live in everyday green spaces, according to an article from the University of Sussex. While this pollution may seem far removed from daily life, scientists warn it could ripple up the food chain — potentially impacting the health of animals, ecosystems, and even people. A new study by the University of Sussex and the University of Exeter analyzed more than 580 invertebrates collected from 51 sites across Sussex, a county in Southern England. Nearly 12% of the samples contained microplastic fragments. Earthworms showed the highest contamination levels at 30%, followed by slugs and snails at 24%. Polyester, often shed from synthetic clothing, was the most common plastic found. Even carnivorous insects like ladybugs had ingested plastic, suggesting that contamination isn't limited to plant-eating species. "We were surprised by just how widespread this plastic contamination is," said lead author Emily Thrift, an ecology doctoral tutor at the University of Sussex. "This is the first study to find plastics consistently turning up across an entire community of land invertebrates." These small animals may seem insignificant, but they're essential to healthy soil and local food chains. They break down decaying plants, cycle nutrients, and serve as prey for birds, reptiles, and mammals. When they consume plastic, it can lead to stunted growth, reduced fertility, and organ damage — problems that can then travel up the food chain. This could affect species that interact with people, as well as animals involved in pollination and pest control. "To reduce the uptake of microplastics into the food web we first have to understand how it is getting there," said University of Exeter Professor Tamara Galloway. Researchers say the contamination likely comes from several sources, such as fibers from clothing, paint particles, and general plastic waste. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While major policy action is needed to address the root of the problem, individuals can help by choosing natural fabrics, washing synthetic clothes less often, and supporting better waste and recycling systems. "Microplastics are now ubiquitous at every level of the food web. Attention is currently focused on litter as the main source of contamination, but these findings suggest multiple sources ranging from clothing to paint," said Professor Fiona Mathews, an environmental biologist at the University of Sussex. "There is now an urgent need to understand how different plastics are damaging ecosystems and to cut the volume entering the environment." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Moth uses stars to navigate long distances, scientists discover
A species of Australian moth travels up to a thousand kilometres every summer using the stars to navigate, scientists said Wednesday, the first time this talent has been discovered in an invertebrate covering vast distances. When temperatures start rising every year, Bogong moths embark on the long night-time flight from their home on the country's eastern coast to the cool inland shelter of caves in the Australian Alps. It has recently been discovered that they can use Earth's magnetic field like a compass to stay on track during their trip of up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). Now, a study published in the journal Nature has found that the moths can also use the light from the stars and the Milky Way to find their way through the dark. "This is the first invertebrate that's known to be able to use the stars for that purpose," study co-author Eric Warrant of Sweden's Lund University told AFP. The only other invertebrate known to use stars for orientation are dung beetles -- but that is over very short distances, Warrant said. Out of all the animal kingdom, only some birds, possibly seals and of course humans can use starlight to navigate long distance. Bogong moths, which are around three centimetres long and are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown, now join that list. - 'Flight simulator' - To study this phenomenon, the international team of researchers put some Bogong moths in a small enclosure and projected different maps of the night sky onto its ceiling. The moth was tethered to a rod connected to the top of the enclosure, which precisely recorded which directions it tried to fly in. This "flight simulator" first confirmed that Bogong moths can in fact navigate using their internal magnetic compass, lead study author David Dreyer, also of Lund University, told AFP. Then the researchers removed the effect of Earth's magnetic field in the enclosure. "To our surprise," the moths were still able to find the right direction, Dreyer said. When they rotated the sky 180 degrees, the moths changed their flight to follow along. And when the researchers projected weird, incorrect maps of the night sky, the moths became erratic and lost. This reinforced that the insects can not only navigate by the sky, but can follow along during the night when the relative positions of the stars shift along with Earth's rotation. - Mysteries abound - No one knows exactly how the Bogong moth manages this feat. One theory is that they sometimes "cross-check" their direction with their magnetic compass, Dreyer said. Another question is exactly which stars the moths are using to navigate. In the lab, the researchers monitored 30 neurons involved in the moth's vision, coordination and navigation. Developing the system of non-magnetic electrodes "cost me a fortune but it was worth the investment," Warrant said. The neurons became particularly active at the sight of the long, bright stripe of the Milky Way, as well as the Carina Nebula. The Milky Way is brighter in the Southern Hemisphere than in the north, Warrant pointed out. "The intensity of that stripe grows as you go from the northern part of the sky to the southern part," which could offer a clue as to how the moths use it to navigate south, Warrant said. Another mystery is how the moths know when to head south when summer arrives. Warrant, who is supervising further research on this subject, said one option is that this knowledge was simply "something that the parents hand to their children". The researchers believe that near the end of the moth's long migration, they start noticing clues they are getting close to their mountain refuge. Warrant said he has identified a specific "odour compound" which emanates from the caves. This smell "seems to act as a navigational beacon right at the very end of the journey," he added. After the moths have seen out the sweltering summer, they return to their coastal birthplace to reproduce before dying. pcl-dl/jj
