Lice Reveal Clues to Human Evolution
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Clues to human evolution generally come from fossils left by ancestors and the molecular trail encoded in the human genome as it is tweaked over generations. However, some researchers are looking to another source: the bloodsucking louse. Lice have been closely associated with humans for millennia; in spite of human attempts to
How do head lice maintain their fluid balance?
Head lice quickly become dehydrated. This is due to the fact that they have a different fluid balance to most other bloodsucking insects. Normally, many bloodsucking insects get rid of their surplus water via their urine or faeces – this is not the case for the head louse. It produces only dry faeces. By contractions
Your head lice horror stories: Readers share their experiences of nit infestations and tips for removal
Have you or your children ever had a horrible case of nits? Tell us your top tips for combating the critters Yesterday we published a stomach-churning video of an extreme case of head lice, in which a girl has hundreds of nits brushed from her hair. Lice are something most of us have had to
Lice – The Funny Side
Lice Stages
Head Lice: Amazing Facts You Won’t Believe
Fact: One mature female louse can lay 3 – 4 eggs per day. This adds to 90 – 120 eggs per month. Fact: Females typically only require one mating in their lifetime to produce all of their eggs. Fact: A healthy adult louse can live for nearly three days without food. Fact: Adult lice are
What the Hell Are “Super Lice” and Do I Need to Worry?
Back-to-school season means a lot of things: New pencils, new teachers…new super lice. Wait, what? Indeed, just in time for the 2015 school year, everyone’s favorite parasitic head bug decided to mutate. Here, everything you need to know. Seriously, WTF are super lice? They’re basically the lice you know and love—hanging out in your hair,
SIUE professor studies outbreak of treatment-resistant head lice
Jessica Oranika Head lice have become an increased issue in recent years, especially among school-aged children. They are more resilient and harder to eradicate due to mutations, specifically, something called knockdown resistance (kdr). When the lice acquire this kdr, they become desensitized to certain insecticides. Biological sciences professor Kyong Yoon has been studying knockdown resistance
Interview In the Indy Star
Great interview with the Indianapolis Star: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/08/28/bird-plane-super-lice-kids-hair/71342064/#_=_
Oldest Lice Combs in the Americas Discovered
Traces of lice and lice eggs, as much as 800 years old, have been uncovered by archaeologists working in northern Chile The earliest evidence for lice infesting humans is a 10,000-year-old specimen of a Brazilian mummy’s lice-ridden hair. Evidence was lacking, however, that prehistoric South Americans created and used combs to remove the pests. Now
