Researchers from NIAS, Bengaluru, Kyoto University, Japan, University of Colorado, and the Northwestern University, USA, have tried to understand what causes of the strange preference of ‘geophagy’, or ‘eating the earth’ in primates.
The study from IISc found a previously unidentified yeast-like symbiont inside the lac insect Kerria lacca, which gives the insect its distinctive red colour and, may also provide other nutrients in return for shelter.