SCIENCE & NATURE BRIEFS
INSECTS GROUNDED
Deforestation may be causing some winged native insects to become flightless to cope with windier conditions caused by lack of shelter, University of Otago researchers say. Typically, changes in evolutionary biology occur over thousands of years, but the study, published by the Royal Society, found native stoneflies in southern New Zealand have become flightless within just a few hundred years, placing them at greater risk of extinction.
ANTIATTACK
Sap-sucking insects such as aphids and tree- or plant-hopping bugs may be bribing predatory ants by secreting sugary treats to prevent assault. University of British Columbia researchers found ants were less likely to attack insects capable of providing them with honeydew, even if the insect withholds the honeydew on occasions. It’s thought ants may have evolved to recognise which insects will provide them with food.
CLOSE BONDS
Who a child sits next to in class plays a significant role in who they become friends with, even if their deskmate is quite different from them, a Hungarian study has found. After a group of primary schools randomly assigned seating for a semester, researchers found pupils were 15-22% more likely to become friends if they sat near each other than if they did not. Although those with similar educational attainment, ethnicity and especially gender had a higher likelihood of becoming friends, assigned seating positively influenced whether children made friends with w those who w were different from them.