A vapour sensor based on an exact replica of the butterfly-scale design will most probably be unable to selectively quantify more than ten individual vapours from their mixture. A man-made ...

McCloskey advances on the butterfly, its body immobilised on the table with a loop of wire. One of its wings is stretched out - black inky veins running through a delicate orange membrane.

Researchers in Hong Kong have discovered that a rare butterfly has flown 3,000km (1,864 miles) from Japan, setting a new world record for the longest migration recorded for the species. The ...