The Mount Charleston blue butterfly is still incredibly rare, but researchers are seeing more of them in more places than they have in decades.

The Mount Charleston blue butterfly is still incredibly rare, but researchers are seeing more of them in more places than they have in decades.

Bzzzzzz ... Yep, cicada season is here. The insects known for their signature humming sound generally show up each and every July, according to UNLV professor Allen Gibbs, though sometimes they arrive early in June or late in August.

During the summer months, everyone can hear the buzz. The sound seems to fill the air from June through August. It's the sound of cicadas.

More than 90 species of U.S. specialty crops require pollination, and various animals, including bees, butterflies, moths, bats, and birds are a critical part of the pollinator-plant ecosystem. Despite the myriad species of pollinators available, American farmers rely on one species of honey bee, Apis mellifera, for most of the pollinator services to pollinate their crops. Wild and managed bees together add $15 billion in crop value each year.

Parasitic bacteria that are entirely dependent on the other bacteria they infect have been discovered for the first time, in human spit. The tiny cells have gone undetected for decades, but appear to be linked to gum disease, cystic fibrosis and antimicrobial resistance.

Imagine a white sand beach with a bar at the dock. Water skiers flash by a small island, where fireworks shoot from twin peaks. Now imagine this water paradise is in the desert of drought-stricken Nevada.

Frank Van Breukelen is a UNLV researcher who studies Pupfish. He said the fish help scientists understand humans and evolution.

It was 34 years ago, in 1981, that the first patients of HIV were identified. Even now, there remain more than 36 million people worldwide living with HIV. In 2014, 1.2 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Three UNLV research professors, each manning a different front — from educational memoirs to life-saving baby showers to a possible cure — continue to make headway in this worldwide battle.

Although global microbial populations are orders of magnitude larger than nearly any other population in, on or around the planet, only a fraction has been identified thus far.

You may now think twice before you swat a fly. Researchers at UNLV have found fruit flies help in the study of human heart disease.

One UNLV professor is taking a unique approach to researching obesity and obesity-associated diseases.