Of course, sci-fi fans will not be deterred from continuing to enjoy their big bug movies to any greater degree by this reiteration of old news than they already have been. As we've long understood, bad science doesn't necessarily mean less fun at the theatre or on the couch watching the video.

Sometimes, it just means more laughter.

I don't think that it is entirely bad news.

The bugs in Starship Troopers were on other planets. Might there have been more oxygen?

Even so. Might huge bugs be a be able to breathe throught their legs. If a bug that big can fit in a DiNofro suit, surely he can breath though his legs?

Besides Science Fiction fans have often had to suspend disbelief. Shatner as a Starship captain? Come on!?!

Why exactly does the U.S. government's Argonne National Laboratory feel it needs to prove this? Is anyone really worried about giant insects?

All I have to say is 'thank goodness' we don't have giant bugs running around. I'll admit nothing puts a scare in me like a wasp can. It's a childhood trauma thing. I've seen a kind of tropical wasp...the thing was the size of my hand, no lie! THAT thing was plenty giant for me! Thankfully it was securely pinned (and dead!) in a display case. Imagine getting stung by that thing? O.O

I have read articles stating that atmospheric pressure and gravity have influenced evolution on Earth. Who's to say that there aren't some humungous insects (or other formw of life) on a low-gravity, low-pressure, oxygen-rich planet somewhere? For that matter, who's to say these hypothetical creatures even breath oxygen? As a supposedly scientifically advanced species (as if we had any other to compare!), we are remarkably short-sighted when thinking about what "might" be on other planets. It would be nice if scientists could just clarify that, obviously, their findings are Earth-centric and may have little, if anything, to do with extra-terrestrial reality.

Nadine, you hit the nail right on the head. My brother and I discuss this all the time with friends, and we share your point of view. Take Earth, for example. Earth had a very different atmosphere in its early history, with very little to no oxygen, and yet there was life to be found.

Although we've learned much about the universe, we've only just begun to see what could be going on in distant worlds. I suppose it's only natural that we begin by looking for something similar to what we already know and thats Earth-like, oxygen rich environments. It's a starting point anyways.