A new study investigating the respiratory system of insects may have solved a mystery that has intrigued physiologists for decades: why insects routinely stop breathing for minutes at a time. A new ...

Insects exhibit breathing patterns called discontinuous gas-exchange cycles that include periods of little to no release of carbon dioxide to the environment. Researchers who studied the respiratory ...

Scientists have known that some insects can hold their breath for hours or even days. A new study suggests why: Too much air would kill them. Insects breathe in and out through holes, called spiracles ...

Rather than rely solely on passive diffusion, insects use discontinuous patterns of gas exchange to avoid the toxic effects of oxygen, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

With support from an NSF grant, two faculty members in biomedical engineering and mechanics have combined forces to answer questions pertaining to insects' breathing. The researchers will study how ...

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 14, 2005 -- A new study investigating the respiratory system of insects may have solved a mystery that has intrigued physiologists for decades: why insects routinely stop ...