No bigger than a mosquito, this mayfly swarms by the millions in late spring. By Elizabeth PennisiAlong rivers and streams around the world, mayflies are a rite of spring.
The mosquito-size insects lead double lives, with the young thriving in water and the adults emerging by the millions around June for just a few hours to mate and quickly die.
There can be so many that they clog traffic, make roads slick, and even create a smelly mess.Now, by sequencing the genome of one remarkable mayfly species—whose males have a second set of skyward-pointing eyes—researchers have learned how aquatic young transform into airborne adults.
Read more on sciencemag.org