Ants are troublesome, best known for itchy bites and ruining picnics.   But, a new species of crazy ant is taking over Texas. In some ways they appear to be worse than fire ants and there's no good way to stop them*   These ants move fast and are plentiful in some areas.

The crazy ants first sprang in Pearland in 2002 and have been becoming more and more of a problem ever since.“An invasion of these can be so extreme that it's hard to call it just a nuisance," University of Texas entomologist Edward LeBrun told The Austin American-tatesman.   “The ants have been known to crawl into and ruin televisions,   appliances and other electronic devices.   No one is entirely sure why," He said.

David Oi , a research entomologist at the Department of Agriculture, told The New York Times in 2013, the strange idea that the ants are actually attracted to the electricity itself can't be ruled out.

The crazy ants or Raspberry ants-yep, that's actually what they are called-are found in 23 Texas counties. The ants have very little venom（毒液）, but do cause a slight sting when they bite. Mostly, though, they're a hazard to electrical equipment.

They are a relatively new species in the region and little is known about how to control or kill the population. And, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about them right now. So, for the moment, the best advice is not to stay close to ant piles and groups. and hope that none make it inside to crawl around the electronics.

Everybody hates rats. But in the areas where there are many earthquakes, rats will soon be man’s friends.

What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue (营救) dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.

How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal (信号). This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornel University, New York says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!

The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).

Biologists in the United States are sounding an alarm about a deadly disease that has been attacking a quiet, intelligent animal: the bat. The disease, called white-nose syndrome, is an infection caused by a fungus (真菌) that attack the nose, wings, and other skin areas on the bodies of bats while they are hibernating (冬眠) in large groups in their caves. The disease was first discovered in a New York cave in the winter of 2006, and it is spreading quickly. Infected caves have been discovered in 19 states and in Canada.

Scientists have discovered that the source is a strain of a cold-loving fungus usually found in polar regions. They are not sure how the fungus kills bats. One theory is that the fungus causes discomfort. The bats began to become upset and partially wake up from hibernation. This activity causes them to burn precious stored body fat and die of starvation. Experts estimate that over 5. 5 million bats across nine species have disappeared because of the disease. Wildlife experts fear that if the infection spreads to more bat populations in the Southeast and Midwest, endangered bat species, such as the Indiana bat and Virginia big-eared bat, may be in grave danger of extinction.

Why should Americans care about the loss of these creatures? In warm months, bat fly at night, eating up to their body weight in insects. They control the populations of insects that bite, eat crops, destroy forests, and spread disease. Because of this, the United States government is getting involved. It has heard announcements from bat experts and is taking seriously their pleas (请愿) for funding to study the disease. The possibility of what one lawmaker called “an ecological and economic disaster” is very real if the deadly disease spreads further.