For centuries, ecologists and evolutionary biologists have used images such as drawings,
paintings and photographs to record and quantify the shapes and patterns of life. With the …

None of the global targets for protecting nature are currently met, although humanity is
critically dependent on biodiversity. A significant issue is the lack of data for most biodiverse …

Insect wings are living, flexible structures composed of tubular veins and thin wing
membrane. Wing veins can contain hemolymph (insect blood), tracheae, and nerves …

Highlights•Campaniform sensilla (CS), distributed across insect wings, sense local wing
strain.•Placement of CS determines sensory information available to the animal.•CS …

Fossils provide unique opportunity to understand the tempo and mode of evolution and are
essential for modeling the history of lineage diversification. Here, we interrogate the …

Bio-flyers of insects, birds, and bats are observed to have a broad range of wing-to-body
mass ratio (WBMR) from 0.1% to 15%. The WBMR and wing mass distribution can lead to …

Cellular structures manifest their outstanding mechanical properties in many biological
systems. One key challenge for designing and optimizing these geometrically complicated …

There are hundreds of thousands of moth species with crucial ecological roles that are often
obscured by their nocturnal lifestyles. The pigmentation and appearance of moths are …

Despite extensive research on the biomechanics of insect wings over the past years, direct
mechanical measurements on sensitive wing specimens remain very challenging. This is …

Linking fossil species to the extant diversity is often a difficult task, and the correct
interpretation of character evidence is crucial for assessing their taxonomic placement. Here …