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Aphids hit back

Published on
July 13, 2007
Last updated
May 22, 2015

Greenflies have a chemical defence system that allows them to disable attacking predators by setting off a deadly mustard "bomb", according to new research. A study involving scientists at Imperial College London shows for the first time how cabbage aphids use a chemical found in the plants they eat to emit a burst of mustard oil when they are attacked by a predator, such as a ladybird.

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