1,559 results
- Animals
How worm blobs behave like a liquid and a solid
Blobs of worms flow like a fluid, plop like a solid and fascinate scientists.
- Science & Society
Murray Gell-Mann’s ‘totalitarian principle’ is the modern version of Plato’s plenitude
The ancient principle of plenitude is reborn in the modern belief that whatever can exist must exist.
- Tech
Here’s what robots could learn from fire ants
Fire ants’ secret to success is prioritizing efficiency over fairness. Robot teams could use that strategy to work more efficiently in tight, crowded quarters.
- Animals
The first male bees spotted babysitting are mostly stepdads
Some male bees guard young that are likely not their own while mom looks for pollen, a study finds.
- Animals
Poison toilet paper reveals how termites help rainforests resist drought
Novel use of poisoned toilet paper rolls and teabags led to discovery that termites help tropical forests resist droughts.
- Life
How these tiny insect larvae leap without legs
High-speed filming reveals how a blob of an insect can leap more efficiently than it crawls.
- Animals
Leaf-cutter ants pick up the pace when they sense rain
Leaf-cutter ants struggle to carry wet leaves, so they run to avoid rain.
- Animals
Ants practice combat triage and nurse their injured
Termite-hunting ants have their own version of combat medicine for injured nest mates.
- Animals
Invasive asexual midges may upset Antarctica’s delicate moss banks
Fast-multiplying insects with earthworm powers have invaded Antarctica, and scientists are worried about how their waste could affect the continent.
- Animals
Ants were among the world’s first farmers
50 years ago, researchers began unraveling the secrets to Attine ants’ green thumbs.
- Animals
Fire ants build towers with three simple rules
Fire ants use the same set of simple rules to produce static rafts and perpetually moving towers.
- Science & Society
Before it burned, Brazil’s National Museum gave much to science
When Brazil’s National Museum went up in flames, so did the hard work of the researchers who work there.
