
Animals
The top side of an elephant’s trunk is surprisingly stretchy
Research on elephant trunks could inspire new artificial skins for soft robots.
By Meghan Rosen
Come explore with us!
Research on elephant trunks could inspire new artificial skins for soft robots.
Zinc levels in shark teeth hint that megalodons and great whites competed for food — and great whites won.
The octopus-inspired suckers on each fingertip grab and release objects on demand.
The tiny pumpkin toadlet tumbles when it jumps. Its ear canals may be too tiny to help the animal track its motion through the air.
Damaging the leaves boosts the plant’s chemical defenses — and their appeal to cats.
Mosquitoes repeatedly shaken to prevent slumber lagged behind well-rested ones when offered a leg to feed on.
Slender, tail-like extensions on their wings may help some butterflies survive attacks by hungry predators.
Dogs can sniff out COVID-19 cases as well as PCR tests can — and are better at ID’ing cases having no symptoms, a new study finds.
The ‘glacial mélange’ on which they’ve come to rely — a mix of ice, snow and slush — could be a temporary refuge for some polar bears.
After surviving Australian bushfires, the Kangaroo Island dunnart is losing ground as it's targeted by hungry predators.