On the small Greek island of Kastellorizo, researchers have discovered Dolichopoda balrogi, a new species of cave cricket living inside an artificial underground tunnel. Named after Tolkien's subterranean demon, the find proves that human-made structures can harbour entirely unique and isolated ecosystems.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators proposed the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a new concept for bio-hybrid control that uses AI to interpret internal biological signals from insects. By integrating heartbeat, neural signal features, and body movement data, the team developed a cyborg cockroach system that can estimate environment-associated internal states and guide movement while reducing unnecessary stimulation.

A study published in Insect Science reports that superworms, the larvae of the beetle Zophobas atratus, can biodegrade polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of the most widely produced and hardest-to-recycle plastics in the world. The research, led by scientists from Tongji University, Stanford University, and Michigan State University, provides the most rigorous evidence yet of insect-mediated PVC degradation and sheds new light on the biological mechanisms behind it.