A precious ancient scarlet-red dye has been identified on 3,800-year-old textile fragments that were found in a desert cave. The rare textiles, which consist of uncolored linen and dyed bright red ...

Insect eyes are generally sensitive to ultraviolet, blue and green light. With the exception of some butterflies, they cannot see the color red. Nevertheless, bees and other insects are also attracted ...

Beetles that can see the color red? That s exactly what scientists discovered in two Mediterranean species that defy the norm of insect vision. While most insects are blind to red, these beetles use ...

Centuries before the now-banned red dye No. 3 was synthesized in a lab, humans turned to insects to bring a little scarlet, vermillion or burgundy into their foods, fabrics and artwork. On Jan. 15, ...

Have you ever heard of cochineal? And I am not referring to the upscale restaurant in Marfa, Texas, but to the small, scale insect native to our area. This insect lives on nopal, prickly pear, Opuntia ...