Gut first
Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal
Going with your gut is automatic for caterpillars. When crawling, a caterpillar’s gut advances an entire step forward before the outside of its body catches up, new research reveals.
The peculiar discovery should help scientists design better soft-bodied robots that can search tight places such as mine shafts, the nooks behind walls or the rubble of a fallen building.