‘Groomer’ honeybees remove parasites and build colony immunity

Groomer honeybees can boost a colony’s immunity by clearing deadly parasites off their nestmates using their mandibles, a study has found.  For a short period of their lives, some worker bees take on the role of removing debris including dangerous pests from other members of the colony. These bees – dubbed allogroomers – develop a … Read more

Worms on 512m-years-old shellfish are ‘earliest parasites’

Prehistoric worms found attached to primitive filter-feeding shellfish that lived 512 million years ago are the ‘earliest known parasites’ on Earth, a study reported.  The worms and their unwitting host appeared soon after the so-called ‘Cambrian explosion’ — when all major animal groupings appear in the fossil record. The fossil shellfish — a brachiopod, which … Read more

Tube-like worms found attached to 521 million-year-old mollusks are said to be the first parasites

Tube-like worms found attached to 521 million-year-old mollusks snatched food from the shell, which scientists say this is the first evidence of a parasitic relationship Researchers find thousands of fossilized brachiopods in a Chinese quarry The team discovered the shells once had tube-like worms attached to them Experts say the worms clasped around the shell … Read more