Snails in a Race for Biological Energy Harvesting

Bioengineers are getting better at replacing and enhancing body parts, but so far they’ve struggled to power implantable bionics without resorting to clunky batteries. But because blood carries energy in the form of electron-rich molecules …

Robot fliers in commando competition

Robots inspired by moths, locusts, flies and swifts will take to the sky this week in an international competition for micro aerial vehicles in Agra, India. Teams will vie for the title — as well …

Multifaceted Menace

Mosquitoes can walk on water as well as any waterbug, or stick to a wall like Spiderman. A team led by C. W. Wu at the Dalian University of Technology in China mounted a mosquito’s leg on a needle and pushed it down onto a tub of water on a digital balance. By varying the angle, they found that a single leg could hold 23 times a mosquito’s weight before becoming submerged, they report in July’s Physical Review Letters.

A Swift Understanding of Flight