THE presence of peripheral inhibitory nerves in insects is now well established and in many respects they seem to be similar to those in Crustacea 1–3. Their physiological properties are well defined ...

Scientists have known that some insects can hold their breath for hours or even days. A new study suggests why: Too much air would kill them. Insects breathe in and out through holes, called spiracles ...

DIAPAUSING pupae of some saturniid moths overwinter in an environment in which temperatures may drop to −30° C. In such conditions of cold and low humidity there are opportunities for pupae to ...

What might be mistaken for a waterslide in this image is actually the breathing tube, or trachea, of a dragonfly. This tube connects to openings in the insect's exoskeleton (outer “shell”) called ...

I like big bugs. I cannot lie. But which insect is the biggest? I asked my friend Rich Zack. He’s an insect scientist at Washington State University. He told me the answer depends on how you define ...

Invertebrates are a wildly diverse lot — far more diverse than the relatively small group known as vertebrates. Accordingly, the inverts have a huge diversity of life styles and body plans. Consider ...

A need to avoid overdosing on that dangerous gas—oxygen—may be what drives some insects to shut down their breathing holes periodically. That’s two researchers’ proposal to explain why many ants, ...

‘I want to breathe freely!’ I never knew this would become such a desperate wish. Fine dust and ultrafine dust particles are said to be so small that they cannot be filtered out by the mucous ...

Honestly, I’m not sure what to say except that YouTuber Precarious333’s video of a Giant Texas Katydid (Neobarrettia spinosa) chirping, breathing, and grooming is way more captivating than I expected ...

You probably don’t look like an insect. You don’t have feelers or wings. You keep your skeleton inside your body instead of on the outside. But what about blood? Do insects have blood like yours? I ...