Controlling destructive locusts by manipulating their genetics
Friday, July 12, 2013 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) —In 1921, a Russian entomologist named Boris Uvarov made a curious discovery. He noticed that a single species of grasshopper could transform its appearance and behavior, depending on its population density. When its population was low, the insects' color was nondescript, and they avoided each other. When its population rose to a high density, however, they became brightly colored and formed swarms.