Genetic roots of insect's waterproof coating could lead to innovative pest control

(University of Hawaii at Manoa) An international team of scientists led by University of Hawaii at Mānoa researcher Joanne Yew may have discovered a new and effective way to control insect pests that are a threat to agriculture and humans. Yew and her team identified a gene in vinegar flies responsible for the insect's waterproof coating, which provides them protection from microbes and environmental stress. They nicknamed the gene spidey.