Deformed termite

This photo released from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences shows a termite with severe deformations after molting; the result of ingesting a gene-silencing pesticide designed by UF researchers–published online in the Journal of Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Many pesticide experts believe that insect control methods designed to affect genes only possessed by target pests are the inevitable future of insecticides because of their effectiveness and safety for other creatures.

(Michael Scharf/ courtesy of Elsevier Publications)
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