Top Stories biology
Regulars
This Camera Sees The World Like An Ant
While you’d be forgiven for thinking that this looks like a dome of bubble wrap, it’s actually the world’s first working compound-eye camera — which sees the world just like an insect would. With 180 separate imaging elements — each replicating the separate ommatidium, or “small eyes” which make up an insect’s odd visual system — arranged over its surface, it works just like the eye of a fly or ant. That means it offers a wide field of view and virtually infinite depth of field.
Why Do Humans Cry?
Tears are obviously our body’s mechanism to keep our eyeballs well lubricated, but why do humans start bawling when they’re sad, in pain, or overjoyed? What purpose could crying possibly serve?
Scientists Can Print Synthetic Tissue Using Just Water And Oil
3D printing isn’t all about making guns and toys — some researchers are using it to make real medical advances. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford has managed to create a 3D printer that can produce synthetic tissue using just water and oil.
So Why Do We Get Goosebumps When We’re Cold Or Scared?
Have you ever wondered why your skin gets covered in tiny bumps when you step out of the shower, or when your body’s fight or flight instincts kick in? The goosebumps phenomenon, named after the way a large bird looks after being plucked, is actually your body’s attempt to protect itself.
First Ever Cellular-Level Video Of A Whole Brain Working
This video is the first time scientists have ever been able to image the whole brain of a vertebrate creature in such a way that you can see individual cells and simultaneously how they’re firing and behaving in real time. This is how the brain really, really works — and it’s amazing.
Swallows Seem To Be Evolving To Avoid Cars
Swallows that nest on roadsides appear to have evolved shorter wings to help them manoeuvre better and avoid cars, claim a team of scientists from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. They have been studying cliff swallows that live near roads, and observed that the number of vehicle-killed birds has declined over the past three decades, despite the fact that the overall population has increased.






















