A bacterium that can live symbiotically inside the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is able to change the insect’s body color from red to green, a RIKEN-led team of molecular entomologists has found.

Normally, animals get their DNA from their parents. But a new study shows that they can also get genes from another species. In fact, animals can even take genes from creatures outside of the animal ...

Symbiotic ants manipulate aphid reproduction rates to achieve a specific mix of green and red aphids, maintaining the inferior green aphids which produce the ants' favorite snack. Ants and aphids ...

This group of pea aphids has both the red and the green forms of the aphids. The big red aphid toward the top of the photo is giving birth. This photo, Red and Green Pea Aphids, may only be used to ...

Aphids are the only animals that produce their own carotenoids--and they stole the genes to do it directly from a fungus in the distant evolutionary past. Steve Mirsky reports Aphids can be a gardener ...

One of the worst effects of ant infestation doesn’t happen inside your house or on your picnic blanket. It takes place in farms and gardens, where many species of ants tend to herds of aphids. These ...

Symbiotic ants manipulate aphid reproduction rates to achieve a specific mix of green and red aphids, maintaining the inferior green aphids which produce the ants' favorite snack. Symbiotic ants ...

Aphids can be a gardener’s nightmare. But they may be an evolutionary biologist’s dream. Because they’re pioneers in the history of life on earth. For one thing, they’re now the only known animals to ...