The new episode of #InTheSwarm is now available for listening. In this #podcast, Yannick Günzel and Inga Petelski talk about #locusts 😊

The #Desert #Swarmers
Most of us have heard of the plague of locusts. But did you know that to this day, desert locust plagues still threaten the food security of millions? In this episode, Yannick Günzel and Inga Petelski will tell us all about how the population density and social order within a locust population can transform shy, solitary locusts into hungry, gregarious ones who are ready to march with millions of their friends to search for the next meal.

Available on #Spotify, #YouTube and other streaming platforms!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kUCJGOik9FhnfqZuuWuks

https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/public/podcast-in-the-swarm/

@unikonstanz
Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour #CASCB @cbehav.bsky.social

Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour 2025 (#KSCB2025) continues with keynote talk by Sercan Sayin on #locusts and the behavioural mechanisms governing #CollectiveMotion in #swarming locusts

@cbehav.bsky.social

https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/kscb/

Nice start in the second day of the Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour 2025 (#KSCB2025) with keynote talk by Einat Couzin-Fuchs on #locusts and the transition from #solitarious to #gregarious states (and vice versa)

@cbehav.bsky.social

https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/kscb/

#ClimateCrisis #locusts

"Locust outbreaks, which cause considerable crop losses, affect a quarter of the world’s population today. In a recent paper, scientists predict the situation will worsen with climate change, and they suggest a way forward by integrating local communities’ knowledge.

Locusts are species of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, which, under certain environmental conditions, can go from being solitary to members of massive, moving swarms. These swarms can travel large distances, destroying crops along the way.

For instance, the paper’s authors describe desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) as among 'the most destructive migratory pests in the world,' with a single swarm of tens of millions moving across 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles). The 2020 desert locust outbreak in eastern Africa threatened more than 20 million people with the risk of acute food insecurity.

Climate change is expected to make locust outbreaks worse, the authors write, citing studies that show how tropical cyclones, extreme rainfall and its resulting warm and moist soil have triggered several recent desert locust outbreaks. 'Yet, it remains underprioritized in [the] climate space,' they say.

https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/as-climate-change-worsens-global-locust-crisis-researchers-offer-solutions/

Plagues: A Modern Biblical Tale

"Let my people go!"
Will crime boss Phara Ohio let her captive hackers go — before it's too late?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4386NTP

#Passover #AncientEgypt #Bible #Plagues #Moses #Commandments #Pharaoh #Exodus #Hackers #Boils #Locusts #Firstborns #Hail