The shapes and curves we learn to identify as children take on new significance when we see them in the wild. The forces of nature converge to produce spirals and polygons and a multitude of other forms in both living and non-living things, on scales ranging from the microscopic to the galactic. The hexagon is […]
Tag: arthropod
“Effects range from internal bleeding to manipulating behaviour or liquifying a host.” These are the deadliest weapons in the animal kingdom
When a peacock mantis shrimp strikes, it generates the heat of a star. The crustacean retracts a spring-loaded mouthpart known as a dactyl club and puts it on a latch, like a cowboy cocking the hammer of a gun. After pulling the trigger to release the stored elastic potential energy, the club moves like a […]
Spiders ‘Smell’ Using Their Legs, Research Finds
Most spiders have eight legs, no ears and use fine leg hairs connected to nerve cells or their webs to hear sounds in their environment. But how do they smell? A new study by an international team of researchers has found that male spiders “smell” with their legs, using olfactory hairs — wall-pore sensilla — […]
Dancing to the Music of the Spheres
Too many legs to count, a meandering millipede dances to the music of the spheres while hiding from a cold moon. • Myriapod | Millipede