There are more insects on the planet than any other form of life. We are reminded of that fact as summertime approaches and bugs like fruit flies and mosquitoes invade our homes and yards. But these pesky insects aren’t just a nuisance. They can offer us a wide range of insightful and potentially life-changing information – if you know where to look.
“Insects rule this planet. Malaria, dengue, Zika viruses, they are all delivered by insects and kill millions of children and adults every year. The control of these insect pests is all dependent on our ability to understand their physiology and biochemistry and how that might be helpful,” said Timothy Karr, manager of Arizona State University’s Mass Spectrometry Facility and a research associate professor in the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, in a press release.
Thankfully, Karr and his team knew where to look, starting with the strange way a common type of bacteria functions in fruit flies. Wolbachia is a parasitic bacteria living inside the cells of insects that may hold the key to fighting back against mosquito-borne disease and managing crop pests. They've published their results in Cell Reports.
