Margaret Coulombe

The elusive Gila monster hides a nifty trick under its belt--a bladder that acts like a canteen, making up 20 percent of its body weight when full. The adaptation lets the lizard survive up to 95 days without access to water--long enough to endure the rigors of the Sonoran Desert. --by Margaret Coulombe

Paper wasps are primitive social insects. But when a paper wasp larvae slips into the quiet pupal stage, she doesn't know if she'll arise a worker or gyne (a future queen). Unless, of course, she consults with Arizona State University's social insect researcher Gro Amdam. --by Margaret Coulombe

How do primitive social organizations evolve to become more highly sophisticated networks such as those found in some insect collectives called "superorganisms?" Researchers have proposed a new model that may explain the selection pressures that mark the evolutionary transition from primitive society to superorganism. --by Margaret Coulombe

Long used in spas as a beauty treatment, French green clay may have more power than people realize. ASU researchers are studying the antibacterial properties of this clay in the hopes that it may be used to heal as well as beautify. Here is some more dirt on the stuff we call clay. --by Margaret Coulombe

People have touted the healing properties of clays for thousands of years. But do they really have an effect? It turns out that certain clays can kill dangerous bacteria. ASU researchers are studying this clay and trying to figure out what makes it so special. --by Margaret Coulombe

Butterflies have taken their colors and flash seriously--into the ultraviolet wavelengths where humans cannot see, but butterflies can. They utilize pigments and nanoscale structures that make human nanofabrication look downright crude, and make female butterflies swoon. (full text in SOLS News)

In frogs, a chemical called Allurin acts like designer perfumes. Males are lured to the right spot to meet Princess Froggy. If it's good enough for frogs, what about humans? --by Margaret Coulombe

Clay has been associated with home cures since Roman times. But there have been very few scientific studies to investigate such claims--until now. Researchers at ASU have found that French green clay can kill pathogenic bacteria. --by Margaret Coulombe