MIT built a 300-gram robot that flies through the sky, dives underwater and takes off again, just like a diving bird

MIT built a 300-gram robot that flies through the sky, dives underwater and takes off again, just like a diving bird |

Image Credit: Raphael Zufferey Nature has given us amphibians in various forms, from frogs to other multi-environment creatures, yet few things transcend the different domains of Earth as remarkably as the diving birds that inspired the MIT and EPFL researchers. For so long, scientists have long dreamt of a machine that can fly through the…

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Pluto's moon Charon may have once spun once every 14 hours, and its ancient mountains still record how it slowed down

Pluto’s moon Charon may have once spun once every 14 hours, and its ancient mountains still record how it slowed down |

For decades, Charon was often viewed as the quieter half of the Pluto system, a frozen world marked by craters, fractures and vast plains. Yet the surface photographed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has continued to reveal hints that its history was far more dynamic than once thought.A new study published in Nature Communications, titled…

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In the 1980s, Guam's kingfisher vanished from the wild after invasive snakes devastated the island's birds: The last 29 were rescued and four new chicks are now helping rebuild the species

In the 1980s, Guam’s kingfisher vanished from the wild after invasive snakes devastated the island’s birds: The last 29 were rescued and four new chicks are now helping rebuild the species |

The Guam Kingfisher is known as the “sihek” in Chamorro, the native language of the Marianas Archipelago and is the rarest species at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. The bird is classified by the IUCN as extinct in the wild, meaning a single one is not present outside the conservation centre….

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Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide; the bees survived, but genes linked to producing the next generation began changing

Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide; the bees survived, but genes linked to producing the next generation began changing

Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide Scientists exposed bumblebees to low doses of a modern pesticide Bumblebees are among the world’s…

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Emperor penguins survive Antarctica's brutal winters by huddling together, but a maths study reveals the hidden system behind their remarkable teamwork

Emperor penguins survive Antarctica’s brutal winters by huddling together, but a maths study reveals the hidden system behind their remarkable teamwork |

Every winter in Antarctica, emperor penguins gather in large groups called huddles to survive the cold. Temperatures can fall to -40 degrees Celsius, and strong winds make the weather even harsher. Without huddling together, these penguins would not be able to survive.But a penguin huddle is much more than a group of birds standing close…

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Scientists have finally explained why killer whales struggle to hear blue whales, and the answer may have helped the giants survive for millions of years

Scientists have finally explained why killer whales struggle to hear blue whales, and the answer may have helped the giants survive for millions of years |

Whales are well known for their songs. But scientists have discovered that, for some whales, those songs may also help them stay alive. A researcher from the University of Washington has found that some baleen whales, including blue, fin and minke whales, have evolved to sing at such low frequencies that killer whales, their only…

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40-gram, palm-sized AI micro-drone kills a flying insect autonomously in mid-air for the first time. Now it could eradicate mosquitoes and save thousands of lives

40-gram, palm-sized AI micro-drone kills a flying insect autonomously in mid-air for the first time. Now it could eradicate mosquitoes and save thousands of lives |

A palm-sized AI drone weighing just 40 grams has achieved an engineering first by autonomously hunting and killing a flying insect in mid-air, paving the way for a new approach to mosquito control. Developed by US startup Tornyol, the tiny drone successfully detected, tracked and intercepted a flying moth during a controlled indoor demonstration without…

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Quote of the day by Charles Darwin: "An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch…" - a witty observation on why humans often repeat the mistakes they already know can harm them

Quote of the day by Charles Darwin: “An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch…” – a witty observation on why humans often repeat the mistakes they already know can harm them |

Charles Darwin (Image source: Wikipedia) A bad experience is supposed to teach a lesson, yet people return to habits they already know are harmful more often than logic would suggest. Charles Darwin noticed the same contradiction and put it more bluntly than most. “An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it…

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Are data centres harming bees? Scientists are investigating the impact of electromagnetic fields

Are data centres harming bees? Scientists are investigating the impact of electromagnetic fields |

Bees are among the world’s most important pollinators, helping sustain ecosystems and supporting the production of many fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Yet bee populations have been declining for years due to habitat loss, pesticides, diseases, parasites and climate change. More recently, another potential threat has entered the conversation: the rapid expansion of data centres….

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Scientists cut climbing vines from a damaged Borneo forest. Its canopy then grew three times faster, and the method may cost 10 times less than tree planting

Scientists cut climbing vines from a damaged Borneo forest. Its canopy then grew three times faster, and the method may cost 10 times less than tree planting

Dipterocarp forest at the Danum Valley Field Centre. Borneo’s tropical forests, dominated by trees from the Dipterocarp family, have some of the highest canopies in the world, with some trees reaching 100 meters Simply cutting back aggressive climbing vines in logged tropical forests allows the tree canopy to recover three times faster than planting new…

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