In a recent paper, researchers at the American Institute of Physics analyzed the swimming of zebrafish in a tank with particle image velocimetry and high-speed cameras. Their data showed that zebrafish are able to precisely control body fluctuations in order to generate “movable vortex pairs of high- and low-pressure regions” which […]

“Wise old mother trees feed their saplings with liquid sugar and warn the neighbors when danger approaches. Reckless youngsters take foolhardy risks with leaf-shedding, light-chasing and excessive drinking, and usually pay with their lives. Crown princes wait for the old monarchs to fall, […]

Memory is traditionally associated with complex organisms that have a nervous system. However, simple organisms can store information about previous experiences, such as nutrient sources, for survival purposes. Organisms like the unicellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum utilizes its network of interlaced tubes in varying diameters that shrink and grow in response […]

This article suggests that there is an existence of a complex visual process in the archerfish visual system that enables object recognition and categorization.

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This article reviews the liquid-mediated adhesion and capillary forces of slug mucus which allows slugs to stick almost any solid surface and move locomotively. The researchers test slug adhesion on both anti-adhesive and non-wetting surfaces.

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The brain has neurons that fire specifically during certain mathematical operations. The findings indicate that some of the neurons detected are active exclusively during additions, while others are active during subtractions. They respond in the same manner whether the calculation instruction is written down as a word or a symbol.

Researchers found a bull ant venom component that exploits a pain pathway in mammals, which they believe evolved to stop echidnas attacking the ant’s nests.

Abstract:
Australian bull ants have evolved a venom molecule perfectly tuned to target one of their predators — the echidna — that also could have […]

Previously it was thought that the steel plates of crush-resistant beetles and the material that composed the exoskeleton itself lended itself to the great strength of the shell. However, it was recently discovered that it is the connections between the exoskeleton and elytra (a specific exoskeleton substructure) which create an air-filled […]

Centimetre-scale fliers must contend with the high power requirements of flapping flight. Insects have elastic elements in their thoraxes which may reduce the inertial costs of their flapping wings. Matching wingbeat frequency to a mechanical resonance can be energetically favourable, but also poses control challenges. Many insects use frequency modulation on […]

This beautiful shrub is native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. It is one of the best-known poisonous plants from ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages up until now. It is the ancient Egyptians they were responsible for promoting its use as a powerful narcotic.

The toxins responsible for its […]

The amazing adhesive property of the gecko toe has been researched, analysed and documented to a significant degree, but there has been little research on how a gecko is able to coordinate its many ‘sticky’ toes in agile motion. A recent research conducted in May 2020 explores the control function of […]

The miniature robber fly Holcocephala fusca intercepts its targets with behaviour that is approximated by the proportional navigation guidance law. During predatory trials, we challenged the interception of H. fusca performance by placing a large object in its potential flight path. In response, H. fusca deviated from the path predicted by […]

Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that Harris Hawks, when pursuing an erratically maneuvering dummy bunny, can utilize a mixed guidance law to more effectively pursue it. Their turn rate is determined by feeding back information on the angle between their target and current flight direction, along with how […]

This study investigated the impact-resistant biomechanism of a cat’s paw from macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The sample of the study included five domestic cats that died of heart disease. After being approved by the Science and Ethics Committee of Beihang University, the cats’ bodies were used for anatomical analysis. There were […]

A new study has found the tiny structures made up of mushroom-shaped micropillars topped with ultra-small pores allow lizards to quickly detach their tails when needed.
Microscopy images showed that each lizard tail muscle break-off point consists of highly dense mushroom-shaped micropillars with ultra-small nanopores dotting […]

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. has discovered the mechanism that allows lizards to maintain a tail during normal activities and then to release it when they need to avoid predators.

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In this connection we have highlighted an article that describes how scientists have a breakthrough in their understanding of the proteins that allow venus flytraps to be touch sensitive and close. The name of this protein is called Flycatcher1, and having a better understanding of it gives scientists a better idea […]