Though studied for decades as a model organism, the tobacco hornworm’s lack of silk production has never been thoroughly researched, until now. A team of researchers combining high-tech microscopic imaging with genomic techniques have captured in new detail the caterpillar’s first instar silk-producing anatomy and subsequent loss of that capability as it molts to later instars. [Read more]
Edwin “Ted” R. Burgess, Ph.D., an entomologist at Northern Illinois University, says his favorite aspect of his entomological research is that it encourages creativity to solve difficult problems. [Read more]
How do the nervous system and the brain integrate visual, auditory, and other stimuli, and which stimuli are prioritized over others? Hawkmoths are helping scientists gain insight into these questions. “Sensory integration remains one of [Read more]
An international team of researchers has sequenced the genome of the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) — a caterpillar species used in many research laboratories for studies of insect biology. Professor Gary Blissard of the Boyce [Read more]
They’re both long green caterpillars — how do you tell the difference between these two hornworm species? [Read more]
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