Bacteria—master compass builders
These bacteria precision-build magnetic navigation aids
Biology
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Migratory birds use magnetic GPS
Knowing the correct direction to fly isn’t always enough
The ultimate machine
PhD anatomist David Kauffman points out that the human body is ‘ultra superior’ to anything that people have been able to invent.
The last super-tusker?
Giant tusks have a giant meaning.
Shrimpy superboxer
Meet the tiny mantis shrimp that can punch holes in glass using an ingenious catapult
mechanism. Its eyes, with 12 types of colour receptor, may help designers of cameras
for satellites.
Tooth enamel: sophisticated materials science
Why are teeth so tough, although they are coated with material as brittle as glass? Because of so-called imperfections, as well as other features!
How geckos become unstuck
Geckos stick to surfaces with tiny hairs that attract by van der Waals forces, and come unstuck by controlling angle of the hairs and springy curved toes.
Egyptian mummies and Hebrew perfume
New discoveries at Saqqara, Egypt help shed light on ancient mummification practices, ancient chemistry, regional botany, and ancient global trade connections.
Five things you may not know about Adam
Adam, the first man, made in the image of God from dust of the ground. What else do you know about him? Here are five things to test your knowledge.
Wandering wolves
Could the reintroduction of wolves into an area they once roamed increase numbers of their prey?
God’s DNA-detangling motors
Complex operations within a cell have to be present from the start for it to function at all.
Our brain: Do we use only a small portion of it?
A big question about the most complex structure in the universe