-
+3 +1
Now you see it: Evading detection by an infrared camera, octopus style
Materials inspired by disappearing Hollywood dinosaurs and real-life shy squid have been invented by University of California, Irvine engineers, according to new findings in Science this Friday. (March 29, 2018)
-
+13 +1
Replicating peregrine falcon attack strategies could help down rogue drones
Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that peregrine falcons steer their attacks using the same control strategies as guided missiles.
-
+23 +1
Sculpture Artist Casey Curran Makes Metal Plants Blossom with Movement
Casey Curran's kinetic sculptures may be made of metal, but they depict organisms that flutter with movement through a hand crank or a motor.
-
+13 +1
How One Of The World’s Toughest Creatures Can Bring Itself Back To Life
The tardigrade, a strange animal smaller than a grain of sand and with hooks for feet, can survive in a dried-up state for a decade. Its secret might help improve how drugs are shipped and stored. By Madeline K. Sofia.
-
+28 +1
The WWII design genius that inspired a Mars explorer
A flying wing – first developed in Nazi Germany – could prove one of the best ways to fly over Mars, Richard Hollingham reports.
-
+20 +1
Functioning ‘mechanical gears’ seen in nature for the first time
Previously believed to be only man-made, a natural example of a functioning gear mechanism has been discovered in a common insect - showing that evolution developed interlocking cogs long before we did.
-
+24 +1
Octopus-Inspired Robots Can Grasp, Crawl, and Swim
Soft electronics and smart control mechanisms help these robots get a better grip on a complex world
-
+27 +1
Graphene ‘moth eyes’ could create indoor solar cells
Researchers studied moths' eyes to create the most light-absorbent material ever created. By Anthony Cuthbertson.
-
+19 +1
Human Brain’s Bizarre Folding Pattern Re-Created in a Vat
Scientists have discovered exactly how the human brain gets its crinkly, wrinkly appearance in utero. By Tia Ghose.
-
+11 +1
The physics of life
From flocking birds to swarming molecules, physicists are seeking to understand 'active matter' — and looking for a fundamental theory of the living world. By Gabriel Popkin.
-
+43 +1
Tardigrades Turn To Glass When Dried Out
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are the ultimate survivors. They can handle everything from the vacuum of space to 600 times the normal atmospheric pressure. And new research is revealing how they manage one of their party tricks, turning to glass when there is not enough water to maintain normal life processes.
-
+15 +1
How a Jellyfish-Obsessed Engineer Upended Our Understanding of Swimming
John Dabiri has shown that seemingly simple animals are masters of water currents. By Ed Yong.
-
+27 +1
Evidence of Polyethylene Biodegradation by Bacterial Strains from the Guts of Plastic-Eating Waxworms
Polyethylene (PE) has been considered nonbiodegradable for decades. Although the biodegradation of PE by bacterial cultures has been occasionally described, valid evidence of PE biodegradation has remained limited in the literature. We found that waxworms, or Indian mealmoths (the larvae of Plodia interpunctella), were capable of chewing and eating PE films... (2014)
-
+20 +1
The Physics of Butterfly Wings
Some butterflies have shiny, vividly colored wings. From different angles you see different colors. This effect is called iridescence. How does it work? It turns out these butterfly wings are made of very fancy materials! Light bounces around inside these materials in a tricky way... By John Baez.
-
+15 +1
Lizard’s water-funnelling skin copied in the lab
A new study unpicks how the skin of the Texas horned lizard funnels water towards its mouth, and unveils a plastic replica that uses the same principles. By Jonathan Webb.
Submit a link
Start a discussion