insects
Robots
Cockroach-Like Robot Survives Eight Storey Fall, Will Outlive Us All
4:40PM Dan Nosowitz | DASH, a UC Berkeley-designed, cockroach-inspired robot, manages to take what makes cockroaches so resilient and even retain the cockroach’s singularly creepy movement. This thing is near-indestructible. More »
Science
Scientists Use Lasers To Create False Memories In Flies
10:30AM Dan Nosowitz | A team of researchers experimented with fruit flies and found that by genetically engineering some flies, they were able to give those flies the “memory” of pain that they never actually experienced. It’s kind of complicated and kind of creepy. More »
Random Stuff
Large Insect Crashes Air Force Missile Truck
5:09AM Jesus Diaz | Surprisingly, this is not the first time a US Air Force missile truck has crashed this year. However, it is the first time they probably needed to call SHIELD or The Avengers to fight the crash culprit: “a large insect”. More »
Design
Dead Firefly Lives On As An LED Light
7:40AM Sean Fallon | Designer Harry Allen is the kind of person that would look at roadkill as an opportunity. For example, he recycled the carcass of a pig for a bank and a dead firefly for a lamp. More »
Science
Fighting Mormon Cricket Invasions With Hard Rock and Boom Boxes
3:00AM Jesus Diaz | Mormon crickets are insects with multiple wives who live in Utah, travelling to Nevada to eat crops and play craps—or something like that. I’m not David Attenborough, OK? One real thing: They hate rock music. More »
Science
Scientists Demo Living, Remote-Control Flying Cyborg Beetles
10:08PM John Herrman | Berkeley University scientists demoed a remote-control Rhinoceros beetle at a conference this week, repeatedly flying the cyborgian creature into observers’ faces while screaming “WE ARE GODS! WE HUNGER FOR BLOOD SACRIFICE! More »
Peripherals
RealBug Mouse Contains Giant Dead Insect Specimen
5:45AM Sean Fallon | I know there are people out there that are into bugs…Jame Gumb (aka Buffalo Bill) and Gil Grissom for example—but this crap is just gross. Nonetheless, if you are a budding entomologist you will probably get a kick out of this USB mouse with a giant green beetle forever preserved in a plastic tomb. Also available in spider and starfish versions. [Scientificsonline via TRFJ via Boing Boing Gadgets] More »
Gadgets
Insect Lamp May Cause Smiles (or Nausea, Vomiting and Diarrhea)
7:30AM Mark Wilson | For some of us, the cheapest lamp at IKEA will do. For others—especially those of us with doctors’ orders to only read by illumination from insect—not any old fixture will work. No, those with Insect Luminance Disorder (ILD) require constant attention by lightning bug butt. However, when the bugs aren’t mating, we can only recommend the Nymph lamp, the leading FDA-sanctioned artificial treatment for Insect Luminance Disorder (ILD). It will run you US$2,600 and insurance companies are often reluctant to pay, but to those of you reading this from the faint light of a mason jar filled with half-dead bugs and a pile of grass, you’ll know it’s well worth the price. [site specific design via Geek Alerts] More »
Regulars
10 Hilarious Ways To Kill Summertime Pests With Gadgets
6:00AM Sean Fallon | Nothing puts a damper on summertime activities quite like an infestation of pests. The warm weather brings out all kinds of creepy-crawlies, and getting the upper hand on them is no easy task. There are plenty of traditional methods of handling the situation, but they all lack one key element–fun. Indeed, a twisted type of pleasure can be derived from exterminating these pests if you have the right tools. So arm yourself with the following gadgets and enjoy some sick summertime fun.
Gadgets
