Tag

Butterflies

All articles tagged with #butterflies

science9 days ago•55 min saved

Butterfly Wing Patterns Create Motion Illusions to Confuse Predators

Research published in Nature demonstrates that butterfly wing patterns function as 'motion dazzle,' creating visual illusions that confuse predators. By combining high-contrast stripes with specific flight dynamics, butterflies disrupt a predator's ability to accurately gauge speed and direction, leading to missed attacks or strikes on non-vital areas. This mechanism explains why brightly colored butterflies survive despite lacking traditional camouflage.

via nature.com|

#butterflies #evolutionary-biology #motion-dazzle

entertainment1 month ago•18 min saved

Dolly Parton’s hidden ink: butterflies, scars and a heart for love

Dolly Parton’s tattoos were mostly private, with a 1996 reveal of a tiny angel and butterfly; over the years she said most ink covered scars from illness, including a feeding tube, and she favors motifs like ribbons, bows and butterflies. She also noted a beehive tattoo covering a scar and quipped that her husband Carl Dean is “tattooed on my heart,” suggesting she might get more ink later. The celebrity and entertainment piece also references past claims about her ink from friends and interviews. Parton died at 80 after a secret cancer battle, with her family confirming the news.

via Page Six|

#beehive #butterflies #dolly-parton

science2 months ago•66 min saved

Climate reshapes butterfly ranges worldwide, with expansions outpacing contractions

Global butterfly ranges are shifting widely in response to climate change, with 1,758 species across 105 countries documented in 6,182 range-shift reports. About 80% of species expanded their ranges, and 79% of shifts are linked to climate change and extreme weather; 27% contracted and 22% shifted elevationally, with expansions strongest in the tropics and contractions and elevational shifts more common in Europe and North America. The study stresses biases from uneven data and the value of integrating non-English literature and expert assessments, and urges expanded monitoring, citizen science, and conservation planning that accounts for range dynamics, microrefugia, and habitat connectivity to buffer biodiversity against climate- and land-use change.

via nature.com|

#biodiversity #butterflies #climate-change

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Ten-Year-Old Discovers Butterflies Remember — and Possibly Pass Memories to Their Young

A Kobe-based second-grader, Jo Nagai, with guidance from entomologist Dr. Martha Weiss, conducted home-based experiments showing swallowtail caterpillars can be conditioned to avoid a lavender scent after mild shocks, with 80% of the conditioned group later avoiding the scent as butterflies. Nagai then explored whether memories could be inherited by offspring, reporting preliminary evidence that memories may be passed to the next generation. He plans to present the findings to the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society and hopes to pursue a career as an insect vet.

via Good Good Good News|

#butterflies #education #entomology

science3 months ago•2 min saved

Tropical butterflies age slowly, revealing clues to longevity

Researchers studying tropical Heliconius butterflies found some species live much longer and age more slowly than close relatives. Heliconius hewitsoni can live up to about 348 days, while Dione juno may only reach 14 days, demonstrating dramatic lifespan differences among near relatives. Grip-strength tests showed older Heliconius retain function like younger ones, unlike Dryas iulia, which ages normally. Although pollen feeding was suspected to drive longevity, removing pollen from Heliconius hecale's diet did not erase the longevity advantage, suggesting intrinsic biological factors also govern aging. The findings offer a rare natural comparison to understand aging biology in insects.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#aging #butterflies #heliconius

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Pollen-Powered Lifespans: Butterflies Reveal Hidden Longevity Secrets

Researchers mapped maximum lifespans across Heliconiini butterflies and found remarkable variation, with pollen-fed species such as Heliconius living longer (up to about 348 days) than non-pollen eaters; Myscelia cyaniris records the longest at 380 days. The study suggests heritable factors and pollen-derived nutrients may boost aging resistance and energy, though diet interacts with genetics and sample size; results published in Nature Communications and highlight the complex biology of aging in closely related butterflies.

via ScienceAlert|

#aging #butterflies #heliconius

science4 months ago•5 min saved

Ancient Genetic Switch Shapes Wing Patterns Across Lepidoptera

An international study finds that distantly related Lepidoptera rely on the same two genes, ivory and optix, controlled by regulatory switches, to produce identical wing color patterns across 120 million years of evolution, via Müllerian and Batesian mimicry; the work suggests evolution may be more predictable than previously thought, with mutation hotspots enabling rapid adaptation, including an inversion mechanism in some moths and genetic modification confirming the gene’s role in color.

via Indian Defence Review|

#butterflies #evolution #genetics

politics5 months ago•54 min saved

Trump's Butterfly Metaphor Triggers Confusion Over Iran Drone War

Former President Donald Trump sparked confusion with a butterfly analogy about Iran's drones on Truth Social, pairing butterflies with drones and AI imagery as he bragged about strikes; the post drew ridicule and raised questions about his cognitive stability, while the piece also notes his administration's record on monarch butterfly protections.

via The Daily Beast|

#butterflies #donald-j-trump #drones

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Two Genes, 120 Million Years: Repeating Mimicry in Butterflies and Moths

A study of neotropical butterflies and a day-flying moth shows that the same two genes, ivory (a long noncoding RNA) and optix (a transcription factor), underlie similar wing color patterns across species separated by over 120 million years, with regulatory changes near ivory driving the variation. In the moth Chetone histrio, a chromosomal inversion including ivory mirrors a butterfly inversion, suggesting recurrent use of a shared genomic toolkit that constrains evolutionary pathways and could help predict responses to environmental change.

via Indian Defence Review|

#butterflies #evolution #genetics

biology5 months ago•5 min saved

A Shared Genetic Playbook Drives Butterfly and Moth Color for 120 Million Years

Researchers found that distantly related butterflies and a day-flying moth repeatedly rely on the same two genes, ivory and optix, to produce warning coloration. Rather than changing the genes themselves, evolution tweaks regulatory switches that control when and where these genes are active, a pattern conserved across seven butterfly lineages and a moth for over 120 million years. This suggests evolution may be more predictable than previously thought and could help scientists anticipate future adaptations, with findings published in PLoS Biology.

via ScienceDaily|

#biology #butterflies #evolution

sports8 months ago•2 min saved

Osaka Makes a Butterfly-Themed Entrance, Sparks Australian Open Victory

Naomi Osaka opened the Australian Open with a bold butterfly-themed entrance—featuring a wide-brim hat, veil and a white parasol—before defeating Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The look nods to her 2021 Melbourne success and jellyfish-inspired dress, while the event’s water motif and a remodeled Rod Laver Arena tunnel provided a backdrop as she eyes a second-round match against Sorana Cirstea and builds confidence.

via NBC News|

#australian-open #butterflies #fashion

environment11 months ago•1 min saved

Gardening's Steady Rewards: Sleep, Creep, Leap

The author describes transforming a sad lawn into a thriving native plant garden over three years, leading to increased butterfly activity and a deeper connection with neighbors, illustrating the rewarding process of gardening and ecological restoration.

via Axios|

#butterflies #environment #gardening

wildlife1 year ago•8 min saved

Woman Sees 'Bird Poop' Transform Into Beauty

A woman discovers a caterpillar that resembles bird droppings on her lemon plant, which later transforms into a beautiful butterfly, highlighting the remarkable process of metamorphosis and the caterpillar's clever camouflage.

via The Dodo|

#butterflies #caterpillars #disguise

science1 year ago•1 min saved

Butterflies' Second 'Heads' May Explain Their Behavior

Many butterflies in the Lycaenidae family have evolved false heads on their wings, including false antennae and eye spots, to deceive predators like lizards, allowing them to escape with minimal wing damage and pass on their genes. A study of 928 species shows these traits evolved in a correlated manner as an adaptive anti-predatory strategy.

via ScienceAlert|

#butterflies #evolution #false-head

science-and-technology2 years ago•5 min saved

Butterfly-inspired cancer detection: Unveiling the unseen

Researchers have developed an imaging sensor inspired by the visual system of butterflies, allowing it to "see" into the ultraviolet (UV) range. The sensor uses stacked photodiodes and perovskite nanocrystals to image different wavelengths in the UV spectrum. By leveraging the spectral signatures of biomedical markers, such as amino acids, the sensor can differentiate between cancer cells and normal cells with 99% confidence. This technology has potential applications in surgery to help surgeons determine clear margins when removing tumors and can also provide insights into the behavior of species that can see in the UV range.

via Phys.org|

#biomedical-markers #butterflies #cancer-detection