Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This October, things are getting a little creepy and crawly. We're shining a light on the fascinating world of arthropods, from insects and spiders to scorpions, centipedes and more, and exploring the latest research on the creatures that crawl, creep and fly all around us.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 17:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 21:17 GMT/UTC)

7-Jul-2026

 

Many ways to become a monster and one map to tell

Kobe University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The evolutionary paths that created snatching forelimbs in insects multiple times moved in a similar direction but didn’t end up at a single solution. The Kobe University research is a pioneering study of how organs with similar functions evolve, providing a new analytical approach to identify evolutionary dynamics quantitatively.

Journal

Scientific Reports

Funder

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

7-Jul-2026

 

New beetle genus named after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, encompassing two new species

Pensoft Publishers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Natural History Museum of Denmark has published a compelling new study in insect taxonomy in the open-access journal ZooKeys, officially establishing a new genus of rove beetle: Luffy gen. nov. The inspiration for the name comes directly from Monkey D. Luffy, the iconic protagonist of the globally popular manga and anime One Piece.

Journal

ZooKeys

3-Jul-2026

 

Storms impact the architecture of webs and the survival of spiders

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study conducted in the Ecuatorian Andes shows how heavy rains damage these silk-weaved traps and act as a kind of “ecological filter” for spider species.

Journal

Ecology and Evolution

Funder

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

2-Jul-2026

The broader a fungus’s diet, the better it kills insects and helps plants

University of Maryland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UMD entomologists have discovered that a single underlying trait—metabolic breadth, or the range of nutrients a fungus can use—links its ability to kill insects, partner with plants and thrive in different ecological roles.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1-Jul-2026

 

Could “Trojan horse”-type microorganisms that exploit symbiotic systems be candidates for new biological pesticides?

The University of Electro-Communications
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study discovered a new insect pathogen that invades the gut symbiotic organ of stink bugs by mimicking their symbiotic microorganism, and this pathogen ultimately kills the host bugs.

Funder

JSPS KAKENHI

1-Jul-2026

   

Superworms might be the future of skeleton cleaning

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Superworms, a mealworm-like form of beetle larva commonly used as pet food, are efficient cleaners of skeletons, according to a study published July 1, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Fatemeh Rastekar of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran and colleagues.

Journal

PLOS One

1-Jul-2026

 

How long does it take to grow a tree that supports endangered Indiana bats?

College of ACES at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bugs run rampant in the summer, and if you have ever suffered from a mosquito bite and regretted not putting on bug spray, you should know about nature’s insect repellent: the Indiana bat. Federally endangered since 1967, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) helps with pest control and supports tree growth in forests, but their habitat has been shrinking. 

Journal

Forest Ecology and Management

1-Jul-2026

 

UROKODIA! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider’s bite

University of Leicester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

- Scientists at University of Leicester and Yunnan University identified an ancient member of the Chelicerate family

- X-ray analysis revealed pincer-like limbs that are the beginnings of what would become spiders’ fangs

- An inspiration for many monster movies and the origin of Spider-Man, the fangs of chelicerates made them formidable predators

Journal

Nature

Funder

Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province