First Scarab Host for \u3ci\u3eStrongygaster Triangulifer\u3c/i\u3e (Diptera: Tachinidae): the Dung Beetle, \u3ci\u3eAphodius Fimetarius\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

We report Strongygaster (=Hyalomyodes ) triangulifer as a solitary primary parasite of the adult introduced dung beetle, Aphodius fimetarius. This is the first record of this tachinid fly parastizing scarab

Ground Beetles From a Remnant Oak-Maple-Beech Forest and Its Surroundings in Northeastern Ohio (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We report 66 ground beetle species in 14 tribes from a natural preserve in northeastern Ohio (Stark County). Six species are new state records. Data from pitfall trap transects across adjoining habitats suggest narrow habitat preferences in some species and broad tolerances in others. Trends toward flightlessness in forest species and macroptery in the fauna of disturbed agricultural sites are apparent

Alarm Pheromone in a Gregarious Poduromorph Collembolan (Collembola: Hypogastruridae)

We report an alarm pheromone in the gregarious poduromorph collembolan, Hypogastrura pannosa. Cuticular rupture results in emission of a rapidly vaporizing hexane-soluble material with an active space diameter of ca. 1 cm. Conspecifics encountering the vapor front respond with stereotypic aversion and dispersal behaviors. This is the first report on the presence of an alarm pheromone in the order Collembola

X-ray Searches for Axions from Super Star Clusters

Axions may be produced in abundance inside stellar cores and then convert into observable X-rays in the Galactic magnetic fields. We focus on the Quintuplet and Westerlund 1 super star clusters, which host large numbers of hot, young stars including Wolf-Rayet stars; these stars produce axions efficiently through the axion-photon coupling. We use Galactic magnetic field models to calculate the expected X-ray flux locally from axions emitted from these clusters. We then combine the axion model predictions with archival Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) data from 10 - 80 keV to search for evidence of axions. We find no significant evidence for axions and constrain the axion-photon coupling $g_{a\gamma\gamma} \lesssim 3.6 \times 10^{-12}$ GeV$^{-1}$ for masses $m_a \lesssim 5 \times 10^{-11}$ eV at 95\% confidence.Comment: 8+18 pages, 3+21 figures, version published in PRL. Supplementary Data at https://github.com/bsafdi/axionSS

Revealing the dark matter halo with axion direct detection

The next generation of axion direct-detection experiments may rule out or confirm axions as the dominant source of dark matter. We develop a general likelihood-based framework for studying the time-series data at such experiments, with a focus on the role of dark matter astrophysics, to search for signatures of the QCD axion or axionlike particles. We illustrate how in the event of a detection the likelihood framework may be used to extract measures of the local dark matter phase-space distribution, accounting for effects such as annual modulation and gravitational focusing, which is the perturbation to the dark matter phase-space distribution by the gravitational field of the Sun. Moreover, we show how potential dark matter substructure, such as cold dark matter streams or a thick dark disk, could impact the signal. For example, we find that when the bulk dark matter halo is detected at 5σ global significance, the unique time-dependent features imprinted by the dark matter component of the Sagittarius stream, even if only a few percent of the local dark matter density, may be detectable at ∼2σ significance. A corotating dark disk, with lag speed ∼50  km/s, that is ∼20% of the local dark matter density could dominate the signal, while colder but as-of-yet unknown substructure may be even more important. Our likelihood formalism, and the results derived with it, are generally applicable to any time-series-based approach to axion direct detection.United States. Department of Energy (Grant DESC00012567)United States. Department of Energy (Grant DE-SC0013999

Bacterial defences: mechanisms, evolution and antimicrobial resistance

Throughout their evolutionary history, bacteria have faced diverse threats from other microorganisms, including competing bacteria, bacteriophages and predators. In response to these threats, they have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms that today also protect bacteria against antibiotics and other therapies. In this Review, we explore the protective strategies of bacteria, including the mechanisms, evolution and clinical implications of these ancient defences. We also review the countermeasures that attackers have evolved to overcome bacterial defences. We argue that understanding how bacteria defend themselves in nature is important for the development of new therapies and for minimizing resistance evolution