The project is part of a nationwide study that works with citizen scientists and community volunteers to collect dragonfly larvae for mercury analysis. Scientists analyze the larvae to understand how ...

Various forms of mercury are released naturally by volcanoes and weathering of rocks and soil. Human activities, such as mining or burning fossil fuels, can also release the element into the ...

One of the most accurate indicators of the health of the natural world is the ecosystem itself. For decades, scientists have studied certain species to learn about their habitats. This method is ...

Mercury wreaks havoc in freshwater ecosystems, but monitoring the risk to wildlife can be challenging. Researchers have now shown how dragonfly larvae act as biosentinels for toxic mercury. When ...

A years-in-the-making model developed by the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey could offer a deeper look at mercury concentration levels on federal lands across the country — including ...

With 360-degree vision, bright-colored bodies that sparkle jewel-like in the sun, and acrobatic flight patterns reaching speeds of nearly 35 miles per hour, dragonflies are some of the more glamorous ...

At an aquatic laboratory nestled in Warrenville's Blackwell Forest Preserve, freshwater mussels grow in beakers, fish race up and down long holding tanks, and rare endangered dragonfly larva munch on ...

The monsoon is here, promising an explosion of insect life. If you visit any stream or lake nearby, watch out for one extraordinary aquatic insect. A flash of brilliant colour zooms by, flashing ...