Tech

No air currents required: Ballooning spiders rely on electric fields to generate lift

Enlarge / Image from a 2018 observational study of ballooning in large spiders depicting a crab spider just as it is about to take off. (credit: Cho, M. et al., 2018/CC BY-SA 4.0) In 1832, Charles Darwin witnessed hundreds of ballooning spiders landing on the HMS Beagle while some 60 miles offshore. Ballooning is a […]

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If Dilophosaurus ran the 100-meter against Usain Bolt, who would win?

Enlarge / University of Toledo physicist Scott Lee came up with the exercise to inspire undergrads in his introductory physics course. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) The early Jurassic dinosaurs known as Dilophosaurus proved to be scene stealers in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park , taking out a full-grown man who thought they were […]

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Researchers built a gecko-bot to study how geckos glide and crash land

Enlarge / A gecko perches on a leaf. A September study found that geckos are very good gliders, and their tails help stabilize them when they crash-land into tree trunks. (credit: MPI for Intelligent Systems) There’s rarely time to write about every cool science-y story that comes our way. So this year, we’re once again […]

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Tiny tardigrades walk like insects 500, 000 times their size

Enlarge / SEM Micrograph of a tardigrade, more commonly known as a water bear or “moss piglet. ” (credit: Cultura RM Exclusive/Gregory S. Paulson/Getty Images) There’s rarely time to write about every cool science-y story that comes our way. So this year, we’re once again running a special Twelve Days of Christmas series of posts, […]

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Why Thanos couldn’t have snapped his fingers while wearing the Infinity Glove

A snapping finger produces the highest rotational accelerations observed in humans, according to a new study. A snapping finger produces the highest rotational accelerations observed in humans, according to a new study. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was dramatically altered at the end of Avengers: Infinity War with an infamous snap of Thanos’ fingers. But could […]

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Scientists built a tiny robot to mimic the mantis shrimp’s knock-out punch

Enlarge / An interdisciplinary team of roboticists, engineers and biologists modeled the mechanics of the mantis shrimp’s punch and built a robot that mimics the movement. (credit: Second Bay Studios and Roy Caldwell/Harvard SEAS) The mantis shrimp boasts one of the most powerful, ultrafast punches in nature—it’s on par with the force generated by a. […]

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Study: These ancient straight-shelled cephalopods lived the vertical life

Enlarge / Reconstruction of the orthocone ammonite Baculites compressus . A new study reveals that the creatures likely lived a vertically oriented lifestyle. (credit: David Peterman) The fossil record is chock-full of the fossilized remains of spiral-shelled ammonoids , whose shapes are reminiscent of rams’ horns. But there was another type of ammonoid with long, […]

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Squirrels show off killer parkour moves as they leap from branch to branch

High-speed video of squirrels executing amazing leaps in pursuit of peanuts captures the animals’ innovative solutions to reaching their goal. Video courtesy of Roxanne Makasdjian and Jeremy Snowden, University of California, Berkeley. High speed video of squirrels executing incredible leaps in pursuit of nuts captures the animals’ innovative options to reaching their goal. Movie courtesy […]