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NEWS - There is growing interest in alternative protein sources including tasty insect dishes. The large conehead grasshopper ( Ruspolia nitidula ) shows promise as a sustainable source of nutrition as global population growth and traditional livestock production increasingly strain environmental resources. Cameroon’s abundant grasshoppers provide nutrients such as protein, amino acids and minerals that are essential for health and growth. The ecological benefits and health benefits make insects a solution for food security and improving future diets Ngnaniyyi Abdoul from the University of Dschang in Cameroon and team studied the effects of replacing Clupea harengus fishmeal with R. nitidula meal in the diet of mice. Over 12 weeks, the researchers evaluated how this dietary change affected libido, sleep, hair growth and overall health. Replacing fishmeal with R. nitidula meal resulted in significant health improvements in mice. Libido was increased with increased intromission and ej

NEWS - Two new species have been reported from Xizang, China, Karschia shannan and Karschia trisetalis which were added to the genus Karschia Walter (1889) which so far contains 32 species distributed in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia with 12 of them described from western China. Solifugae commonly known as camel spiders, sun spiders and wind scorpions are an order of mostly nocturnal, fast-moving and predatory arachnids characterized by their powerful two-segmented chelicerae and voracious appetite. Shannan camel-spider ( K. shannan ) is named after Shannan City where the specimen was collected and K. trisetalis is a combination of the Latin word "tri" meaning three, "seta" as a spiniform structure and the suffix "ālis" meaning āle which together mean "pertaining to three setae" referring to the flagella complex of the male chelicerae with three fcs. K. shannan differs in males from all Karschia species by the ventral coxae of

NEWS - An ancient Devonian coelacanth has been remarkably well preserved in a remote location in Western Australia linked to increased tectonic activity. An international team of researchers analysed fossils of the primitive fish from the Gogo Formation of Ngamugawi wirngarri , which straddles a key transition period in the history of coelacanths, between the most primitive and more modern forms. The new fish species adds to the evidence for Earth’s evolutionary journey. Climate change, asteroid strikes and plate tectonics are all key subjects in the origins and extinctions of animals that played a major role in evolution. Is the world’s oldest ‘living fossil’ the coelacanth still evolving? “We found that plate tectonic activity had a major influence on the rate of coelacanth evolution. New species are more likely to have evolved during periods of increased tectonic activity when new habitats were divided and created,” says Alice Clement of Flinders University in Adelaide. The Late Dev

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis

NEWS - Researchers report Homo neanderthalensis , found in a cave system in France’s Rhône Valley, represents a previously undescribed ancient lineage that diverged from other known Neanderthals about 100,000 years ago and remained genetically isolated for more than 50,000 years. Genomic analysis suggests the bones of the Neanderthal dubbed “Thorin” lived in a small, isolated community. The new discovery could shed light on the still-mysterious reasons for the species’ extinction and suggests that late Neanderthals had a broader population structure than previously thought. “There was only one genetically homogeneous Neanderthal population going extinct, but now we know that there were at least two populations at the time,” said Tharsika Vimala of the University of Copenhagen. The Thorin population spent 50,000 years without exchanging genes with other Neanderthal populations. Over 50 millennia, two populations of Neanderthals, living about a ten-day walk from each other, lived side by

NEWS - Researchers report new analysis results that support the establishment of a new genus, Lithoptilum, to accommodate rock pens as a taxon close to Anthoptilum within the Anthoptilidae (Pennatuloidea) and require the deletion of the species Calibelemnon francei and the genus Calibelemnon within the Scleroptilidae. Upasana Ganguly and Scott France of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette used a phylogenetic tree based on multilocus data and a single mitochondrial marker that showed all rock pens form a monophyletic clade within a larger clade representing the Anthoptilidae, deleting Calibelemnon (Scleroptilidae) and erecting the genus Lithoptilum. Sea pens (Pennatuloidea) are a specialized group of octocorals that evolved to live anchored to the seafloor on soft sediments using their stalks as anchors, whereas rock-dwelling sea pens or rock pens use sucker-like stalks to attach to hard substrate surfaces, an adaptation previously unknown to sea pens. Four species have now been i

NEWS - The Citarum River, one of Indonesia’s most polluted waterways, is undergoing a transformation towards revitalisation through an innovative “Living Lab” approach. Research led by Monash University explores how the Citarum Living Lab contributes to planetary health in response to global river pollution and economic development imperatives. The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia, is a critical source of water, food, energy and livelihood for over 25 million people. The Citarum Living Lab is an effort to collaboratively restore and empower rivers. A pioneering program that combines community-led, cross-disciplinary research and practical interventions to address pollution, urbanisation and climate change impacts. The project brings together local communities, government, NGOs, businesses and researchers to collaboratively develop and test sustainable solutions to restore river ecosystems. An initiative that explores local knowledge and encourages community participation to creat