[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6382\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EEight creepy crawly facts that will really bug you\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA cockroach-inspired robot is being developed for use in disaster zones.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Researchers hope to create a new type of emergency aid robot based on the speed and agility of the common cockroach. Image credit: PolyPEDAL Lab\u0022 height=\u0022801\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/15-14591-small4.0.0.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Researchers hope to create a new type of emergency aid robot based on the speed and agility of the common cockroach. Image credit: PolyPEDAL Lab\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EResearchers hope to create a new type of emergency aid robot based on the speed and agility of the common cockroach. Image credit: PolyPEDAL Lab\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA cockroach can fit through spaces just a quarter of its height and move 20 times its length per second. The equivalent for a person would be someone running at 113 kilometres per hour. Inspired by the cockroaches\u2019 flexible exoskeleton and speed, researchers have made a search-and-rescue robot that can recoil its legs and compress its body to get through rubble and quickly find survivors after natural disasters or bombings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EBed-bug-resistant textiles are under development by researchers.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022A cluster of Cimex lectularius, otherwise known as the common bedbug. \u0027Blood-fed C. lectularius\u0027 is licensed by Ragesoss under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022338\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Capture3.JPG\u0022 style=\u0022vertical-align: middle;\u0022 title=\u0022A cluster of Cimex lectularius, otherwise known as the common bedbug. \u0027Blood-fed C. lectularius\u0027 is licensed by Ragesoss under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u0022543\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EA cluster of Cimex lectularius, otherwise known as the common bedbug. \u0027Blood-fed C. lectularius\u0027 is licensed by Ragesoss under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDon\u2019t let the bed bugs bite \u2013 with a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.betitex.eu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Enew textile\u003C\/a\u003E that some researchers are making, this might become even easier. Although bed bugs were mostly eradicated from our homes in the 1950s, they made a resurgence in recent decades due to factors such as mutations that make them resistant to insecticides, increased human migration and climate change. Researchers hope that a new bed-bug-repellent textile will help keep us safe from these unwanted roommates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E3.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EBed bugs can spend over a year in a hibernation-like torpor.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022An artist\u0027s impression of a manned mission to Mars, part of NASA\u0027s Mars Design Reference Mission. Image credit: NASA and Pat Rawlings\u0022 height=\u0022536\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Mars-manned-mission-NASA-V5_0.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022An artist\u0027s impression of a manned mission to Mars, part of NASA\u0027s Mars Design Reference Mission. Image credit: NASA and Pat Rawlings\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EAn artist\u0027s impression of a manned mission to Mars, part of NASA\u0027s Mars Design Reference Mission. Image credit: NASA and Pat Rawlings\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf insecticide-resistant bed bugs weren\u2019t bad enough, they also have a way to stay alive if temperatures fall below -10 degrees Celsius: they go into a hibernation-like state called a torpor which can last for up to 450 days. Some mammals also go into this state, which is why \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/torpor-inducing-transfer-habitat-for-human-stasis-to-mars\/#.Vw9pq_l97RY\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENASA is funding a study\u003C\/a\u003E into this that could be used for Mars-bound astronauts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;4.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003ESome beetles grow their own food.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022\u0027Gallery, larvae, and an adult beetle of Xylosandrus crassiusculus, one of the most common ambrosia beetle in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide\u0027 is licensed by Hulcr under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022361\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Xylosandrus_crassiusculus_galleryR2.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022\u0027Gallery, larvae, and an adult beetle of Xylosandrus crassiusculus, one of the most common ambrosia beetle in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide\u0027 is licensed by Hulcr under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u0022599\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003E\u0027Gallery, larvae, and an adult beetle of Xylosandrus crassiusculus, one of the most common ambrosia beetle in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide\u0027 is licensed by Hulcr under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome bugs go out looking for food. Others make their own, such as Ambrosia beetles. They dig caverns in old tree trunks and incubate their favourite meal: fungus. When \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/could-we-farm-out-pest-control-insects_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Escientists\u003C\/a\u003E tried to create this same fungus in a lab, they had a problem with an invasive mould, which is both present in wood and in the lab. They found that the Ambrosia beetles fend off mould, keeping the fungus intact. Researchers are trying to understand the chemistry behind the beetles\u0027 mould prevetion-technique to see if there\u0027s potential for a new kind of pesticide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E5.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EDragonflies had 60 centimetre wingspans.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The biggest wingspans of modern-day dragonflies can be up to 19 centimetres. Image credit: Freeimages.com\/Jonathan Hillis \u0022 height=\u0022439\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/dragonfly-1365054.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022The biggest wingspans of modern-day dragonflies can be up to 19 centimetres. Image credit: Freeimages.com\/Jonathan Hillis \u0022 width=\u0022615\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe biggest wingspans of modern-day dragonflies can be up to 19 centimetres. Image credit: Freeimages.com\/Jonathan Hillis\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDragonflies from millions of years ago sound almost as mystical as their supernatural namesake, with wingspans that stretched out almost 60 centimetres. Some scientists believe that this could be due to high oxygen levels during the Paleozoic era, the time period between 542 and 251 million years ago when dragonflies evolved. Earth\u2019s atmosphere then had about 50 % more oxygen than today, so to test the theory, Professor John VandenBrooks from Arizona State University raised a few types of insects in the late Paleozoic\u2019s 31 % oxygen level, at today\u2019s 21 % level, and at the lowest oxygen level since life, 12 %. He found that dragonflies and beetles grew faster and bigger in high oxygen compared to the ones in earth\u2019s current atmosphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E6.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EResearchers are developing mite-resistant bees.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Bee pupae are especially prone to the varroa mite. \u0027Two drone pupae of the Western honey bee with varroa mites\u0027 is licensed by Waugsberg under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022800\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Drohnenpuppen_mit_Varroamilben_71a.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Bee pupae are especially prone to the varroa mite. \u0027Two drone pupae of the Western honey bee with varroa mites\u0027 is licensed by Waugsberg under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EBee pupae are especially prone to the varroa mite. \u0027Two drone pupae of the Western honey bee with varroa mites\u0027 is licensed by Waugsberg under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe average worker bee can pollinate up to 5 000 flowers in one day, yet only produces 1\/12 of a\u0026nbsp;teaspoon of honey in its entire life. Honey production and pollination may be at risk as the bee population in parts of Europe continues to dwindle due a decline in habitable space, pesticides, and the deadly varroa mite, which has been the main reason for the majority of colony losses over the last 50 years. Some \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.smartbees-fp7.eu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eresearchers\u003C\/a\u003E, backed by EU funding, are looking into ways to measure bees\u2019 resistance against the mite to teach beekeepers how to breed stronger populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E7.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EFrozen sperm could help save bee populations.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022It is thought that by freezing bee sperm, researchers can help ensure future generations of bees. \u0027Bulb of the penis, containing sperm, is in focus\u0027 is licensed by Michael L. Smith under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022800\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Drone_honey_bee_reproductive_organ-_penis_bulb.JPG\u0022 title=\u0022It is thought that by freezing bee sperm, researchers can help ensure future generations of bees. \u0027Bulb of the penis, containing sperm, is in focus\u0027 is licensed by Michael L. Smith under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EIt is thought that by freezing bee sperm, researchers can help ensure future generations of bees. \u0027Bulb of the penis, containing sperm, is in focus\u0027 is licensed by Michael L. Smith under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther scientists are taking a different approach to saving the bee population: they are figuring out ways to freeze bee sperm so that it can be used to inseminate a queen at a later date. These scientists are collecting samples from bees around the world and storing them in liquid nitrogen. To do this, the researchers at a US Department of Agriculture lab in Fargo, North Dakota, remove water from the embryo so that it doesn\u2019t turn into ice, which can puncture other organelles in the cell. They do this by removing the protective shell with bleach and replacing the water in the embryo with a chemical so that it can be frozen to approximately -157 degrees Celsius.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E8.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EHouse flies are being readied for use as animal feed.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022\u0027Fly and beetle larvae on 5-day old corpse of South African Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), Honeydew, Gauteng\u0027 is licensed by Paul Venter under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022800\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Decomposition00.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022\u0027Fly and beetle larvae on 5-day old corpse of South African Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), Honeydew, Gauteng\u0027 is licensed by Paul Venter under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003E\u0027Fly and beetle larvae on 5-day old corpse of South African Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), Honeydew, Gauteng\u0027 is licensed by Paul Venter under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInsects could help us save valuable farmland which is now being used to grow crops for animal feed thanks to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/burgers-made-bug-fed-chicken-coming-supermarket-near-you_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eresearchers\u003C\/a\u003E on the EU-funded PROteINSECT project, who are trying to find a way to feed pigs and chicken with fly larvae. At the moment, feeding insect protein to animals raised for human consumption\u0026nbsp;is prohibited under EU law, but this research project is providing data for policymakers on how this may be done safely.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-kz42ca4othliwris-xpw-vxv-0cvpkgawwtuwliwnxk\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-Kz42Ca4otHliwris_xpW_VXv_0CVPkgawWTuwlIwnXk\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]