Lately, a few insects not native to the North American continent have made headlines while making themselves at home. According to a recent study from the journal Science, a European fruit fly species, Drosophila subobscura, has replaced close to 95 percent of native North and South American fruit flies in the 20 years it has been in these climes. Even more striking is the fact that the non-native flies have evolved in the process. Over the last 10,000 years, European D. subobscura flies that lived in higher latitudes produced individuals with wing sizes that were four percent larger than their lower latitude counterparts. Strangely, in North America, it has taken less than two decades for the higher latitude fruit fly to grow to be four percent larger than those living south. In essence, the fruit fly population has transformed itself almost as fast as it has taken over its new environment. The findings point scientists to new questions regarding both the rapid evolution of an invader along with the ecological consequences of its arrival. Another recent report, from Reuters, describes the Asian long-horned beetle's devastation of trees in New York and Chicago. The beetle has been called the worst non-native pest since the gypsy moth, and the government is searching for solutions to this menace which bores holes into trees and damages their vascular systems. This week's In the News takes a closer look at these adaptable invaders and the problems of invasive species in general.