Watch an ant rip apart a spiderweb to rescue a sibling
Desert harvester ants charge into danger and dismantle spider traps".
Metallurgy, Chemicals
Talk to the hand. Scientists try to debunk idea that finger length can reveal personality and health
More than 1400 studies rely on a ratio that many researchers think is meaningless".
Better hurricane forecasts and spotting salts on Jupiter’s moon Europa
On this week’s show: A swarm of satellites helps measure the speed of hurricane winds, and new data on the surface of Europa reveal more about its subsurface oceans".
This rock-eating ‘worm’ could change the course of rivers
Newly discovered Filipino species overturns dogma about pesky shipworms".
Cancer genes help deer antlers grow
Study also reveals a single origin for horns, antlers, and other headgear".
The why of puppy dog eyes, and measuring honesty on a global scale
On this week’s show: what puppy dog eyes and diseased spines mean for our understanding of dog domestication, and a study on honesty that involved placing 17,000 “lost” wallets around the world".
Watch artificial intelligence predict Conan O’Brien’s gestures just from the sound of his voice
Advance could lead to more realistic robots".
Creating chimeras for organ transplants and how bats switch between their eyes and ears on the wing
On this week’s show: making chimeras by placing stem cells from one species into the embryo of another, and exploring how bats switch between vision and echolocation. Plus, our monthly books segment!".
NASA will fly a billion-dollar quadcopter to Titan, Saturn’s methane-rich moon
Dragonfly mission will search for the primordial ingredients of life".
Converting carbon dioxide into gasoline, and ‘autofocal’ glasses with lenses that change shape on the fly
On this week’s show: Will making gasoline from carbon dioxide soon be cheaper than pulling it out of the ground? And new “autofocal” glasses may soon replace your bifocals".
Snowball the dancing cockatoo is back—with a whole new set of moves
Research suggests parrots might use dance to create bonds with their owners".
Watch a tiny worm make one of the loudest sounds in the ocean
Sponge-dwelling worms may be one of the nosiest animals in the sea".
The point of pointing, and using seabirds to track ocean health
On this week’s show: How seabirds can be “barometers” for marine ecosystems during times of environmental stress, and the origins of pointing".
Chimpanzees grow closer when they watch a movie together
Finding suggests that, like us, chimps revel in shared experiences".
Watch a lightweight glove allow users to ‘feel’ objects in virtual reality
Technology could be used in games and virtual training simulations".
Mystery surrounds ouster of Chinese researchers from Canadian laboratory
Officials will only say it involves a “policy breach”".
Can we inherit trauma from our ancestors, and the secret to dark liquid dances
On this week’s show: Making a permanent liquid magnet, and how nongenetic factors could help parents pass trauma to their children".
Breeding better bees, and training artificial intelligence on emotional imagery
On this week’s show: Using new technology and bee behavior, researchers and beekeepers are working to defeat a mite that has decimated bee colonies worldwide. Meanwhile, other researchers are training an artificial intelligence to recognize the emotional .
Watch a human try to crush this cockroach-inspired robot—and fail
Researchers develop a roboroach that can squeeze almost anywhere".
Slow-motion video reveals how ants deliver their painful venom
Insects can deliver 13 drops of venom per second".