Homeopathy is Bullshit: Headlouse Edition!

One of the not-so-great things about being a parent is that your kid occasionally gets headlice. They seem to particularly like my kid for some reason because this is the second time I’ve had to deal with this. Either way, it’s getting really, really annoying. So I go to Walgreens to get a louse shampoo [...]

Preventing release of alarm pheromones increases homosexual pairing in bed bugs.

I really don’t think it’s possible to write a boring post on bed bugs. The way in which they reproduce is simply one of the most bizzarre…and brutal…methods of insemination in the animal kingdom. One of my favorite webcomics, Dinosaur Comics described their reproduction quite well: I also like writing about the biological basis behind [...]

Insects use tools, but do they self-medicate?

This is my first researchblogging post in awhile…so I figured I’d make it worthwhile by writing a really, really long post and actually deconstructing a scientific paper. I’ve seen the video of the tool using octopus…and it is neat. Here’s a science daily article, and here’s the video below: Using tools is something which is [...]

Fun facts about bananas and bees.

Bananas…great for you, but not if you’re a beekeeper. Bananas and bees have something in common…and it’s really odd.

Do sac spiders cause necrosis? Probably not.

I’ve written a few times about the reputation of the brown recluse (Loxoceles reclusa) and how much of it’s reputation is undeserved. It’s bite, as is known from popular culture, causes a wound that is indeed pretty horrific. However, the gruesome nature of the bite makes it a scapegoat for many cases of necrosis. I’ve [...]

Steatoda bites: Latrodectus lite

Many species of spider make their living around human habitations. Some of these guys can be very common where they are found. Occasionally, people do get bitten and do experience adverse effects. However, the incidence of these bites is far lower than most people realize. The vast majority of spider bites go unreported simply because [...]