Across reefs, rivers, forests, and deserts, a quiet arms race has been running for millions of years – long before humans dreamed up laser cannons or tasers. Biologists keep uncovering natural weapons that look uncannily like the gadgets of our most inventive science fiction. These living systems don’t just shock, blind, glue, and jam; they ...
On a humid night in a coastal village, I watched a house gecko stroll across a cracked kitchen ceiling like it owned the place, pausing upside down above a fluorescent bulb as moths fluttered below. That tiny pause – no glue, no suction cup – masks one of biology’s most counterintuitive tricks. For decades, scientists ...
Flamingos, in their bright pink feathers and upright posture, have been long symbols of grace and peace. But beneath their peaceful facade exists an unexpectedly fierce and clever strategy for feeding. New studies show that these birds are anything but passive filter feeders, they’re actually underwater predators, harnessing physics to generate teeny-tiny tornadoes that catch ...
