mutations

Just because most mutants don't gain special powers doesn't make them any less interesting. Case and point, this snake discovered the other day in Southwest China. Looking at the picture, you should be able to figure out what makes this snake different from most. Namely, the weird clawed limb sticking out of its side.

It’s the middle of the night, and you and your bed-partner are wide-awake running your hands over each other’s bodies. No, it’s not what it sounds like. You’ve got bedbugs.

Bedbugs have recently reinvaded American cities like New York, hiding in the tiny folds of mattresses and even cracks in walls, causing itching, redness and ultimately insomnia. Now scientists, publishing a new paper in the Journal of Medical Entomology, have done some intricate genetic detective work to find out how the critters have evolved a strong resistance to the insecticides used against them.