Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. For more information on how we use cookies on our websites, visit our Cookie Policy.
News Animals

Rattlesnakes tutor robot on dune climbing

Sidewinder snakes show roboticists a trick for climbing treacherous sand

sidewinder rattlesnake

SNAKES ON PLANES  A sidewinder rattlesnake’s unusual skill in climbing sandy slopes inspired tweaks to long, skinny robots.

Adam Thompson

By Susan Milius

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Animals

  1. Life

    A distant cousin of jellyfish may survive without working mitochondria

    By Jonathan Lambert
  2. Life

    How African turquoise killifish press the pause button on aging

    By Erin Garcia de Jesus
  3. Podarcis muralis
    Life

    A new lizard parasite is the first known to move from mom to baby

    By Pratik Pawar
  4. Olm salamander in cave
    Animals

    One blind, aquatic salamander may have sat mostly still for seven years

    By Jake Buehler
  5. Cope's vine snake
    Animals

    Snakes suffered after a frog-killing fungus wiped out their food

    By Jonathan Lambert
  6. an Upside-down jellyfish
    Animals

    Jellyfish snot can sting swimmers who never touch the animal

    By Erin Garcia de Jesus
  7. cat smizing
    Animals

    With a litter of tactics, scientists work to tame cat allergies

    By Erika Engelhaupt
  8. adult wolf and pups
    Life

    Wolves regurgitate blueberries for their pups to eat

    By Jake Buehler

From the Nature Index

Paid Content