Hornet moth mimics buzz and appearance of hornets to scare off predators, study finds
The hornet moth (Sesia apiformis) has evolved not only to look like a hornet but also to sound like one, a rare form of mimicry that fools predators into keeping their distance. According to new research led by Dr. Marta Skowron Volponi from the University of Białystok, the moth’s acoustic camouflage is so effective that robins—the study’s test predators—reacted to it almost exactly as they would to a real hornet.
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Fireflies may disappear within decades, warns naturist
Firefly populations in Poland have dropped by 30 to 70 percent over recent decades raising concerns that the insects could soon disappear entirely, says naturist Mikołaj Siemaszko.
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Extinct boa species found in France traces first snake migration from North America
A team of palaeontologists from Poland and Switzerland has found a new species of extinct boa that lived approximately 50 million years ago near what is now Paris.
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Palaeontologists describe Poland's first 'cousin' of parrotfish from age of dinosaurs
Palaeontologists from the University of Warsaw and the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute have described the first known Jurassic-era representative of the pycnodont fish group from Poland — a distant evolutionary relative of today’s parrotfish. The fossil dates back approximately 148 million years to the age of dinosaurs.
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Hydrologist: Heavy rains do not solve drought problem, they actually make it worse
Poland is not threatened with desertification in the coming decades, but we to have the problem of drought. Droughts are more frequent, cover larger areas of the country and are more intense. Heavy rains do not solve the problem; they bring the risk of flooding, they do not end droughts, emphasises ecohydrologist Sebastian Szklarek, PhD.
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Polish researchers identify new enzyme important in DNA and RNA metabolism, publish in PNAS
A team from a Warsaw institute has discovered a previously unknown mechanism for regulating the metabolism of nucleic acids, the cellular 'alphabet of life'.
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SGGW: Do not throw away strawberry caps, they contain valuable bioactive compounds
Not only strawberry fruits themselves are a source of health nutrients; their caps also contain valuable bioactive compounds, research conducted by scientists from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and the University of Warmia and Mazury shows.
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Polish tool brings order to viral chaos
Polish researchers have developed Vclust, a computer program that allows to compare millions of virus sequences in a matter of hours, and organize them according to the degree of similarity. Analysing huge genetic data sets with traditional methods would take years.
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Polish research: Parasites can help treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
Parasitic proteins with therapeutic potential that can change the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease or MS, have been identified by Katarzyna Donskow-Łysoniewska, PhD, from Lazarski University.
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Expert: Inter-species adoptions in birds are rare
Intra-species adoptions are a well-known phenomenon in the bird world, especially in large breeding colonies of seabirds. Inter-species adoptions - apart from brood parasites such as cuckoos, honeyguides or cowbirds - do occur, but they are rare and remain a mystery to scientists, says ornithologist Marta Cholewa, PhD.
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Extinct boa species found in France traces first snake migration from North America
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Fireflies may disappear within decades, warns naturist
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Hornet moth mimics buzz and appearance of hornets to scare off predators, study finds
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Warsaw researcher develops device to detect plant diseases early by analyzing their smell
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Poland and Germany create fibre-optic 'time bridge’ with atomic clock connection
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Hornet moth mimics buzz and appearance of hornets to scare off predators, study finds
The hornet moth (Sesia apiformis) has evolved not only to look like a hornet but also to sound like one, a rare form of mimicry that fools predators into keeping their distance. According to new research led by Dr. Marta Skowron Volponi from the University of Białystok, the moth’s acoustic camouflage is so effective that robins—the study’s test predators—reacted to it almost exactly as they would to a real hornet.
