Birds may avoid fast, flashy butterflies and their mimics

Birds can learn to recognize fast and flashy butterflies they've failed to catch in the past—as well as similar-looking species—research finds.

Natalie van Hoose-Florida • futurity
March 15, 2021 • ~9 min

What's in a name for a vaccine campaign? Maybe the end of the pandemic

Vaccination has been controversial from its beginning. Gaining people's trust in vaccines has been crucial. An important part of that is a strong communications plan.

Katherine A. Foss, Professor of Media Studies, Middle Tennessee State University • conversation
March 2, 2021 • ~9 min

Could a human enter a black hole to study it?

If you are a sci-fi junkie you've probably wondered what would happen if you were unlucky enough to fall into a black hole. How well you'd fare all depends on the type of black hole.

Shanshan Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Physics, Grinnell College • conversation
Feb. 1, 2021 • ~7 min

Can Biden fix the vaccine mess? An expert says yes

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has fallen far short of President Trump's promises. President Biden says he can fix that. Can he?

Margaret Riley, Professor of Law, Public Health Sciences, and Public Policy, University of Virginia • conversation
Jan. 27, 2021 • ~9 min

International Statistic of the Year: Race for a COVID-19 vaccine

The coronavirus vaccine was developed faster than any vaccine in history. It took just 332 days from the first sequencing of the virus genome to the first vaccines given to the public.

Liberty Vittert, Professor of the Practice of Data Science, Washington University in St Louis • conversation
Dec. 18, 2020 • ~5 min

‘Slingshot spiders’ accelerate 100X faster than cheetahs

The slingshot spider can launch itself at pray with a velocity of more than 13 feet per second. Unsuspecting mosquitoes don't stand a chance.

John Toon-Georgia Tech • futurity
Aug. 20, 2020 • ~9 min

Jellyfish robot outswims the real thing

A new kind of soft robot gets its moves from jellyfish. But the robots can outpace the real-life ocean animals by a fair bit.

Matt Shipman-NC State • futurity
July 1, 2020 • ~6 min

Tyrannosaurus rex was terrifyingly good at walking

Smaller dinosaurs needed speed, but huge predators like Tyrannosaurus rex relied less on moving fast and more on energy-efficient walking.

Frederique Mazerolle-McGill • futurity
May 14, 2020 • ~4 min

Cheetah-inspired soft robot ‘gallops’ with super-speed

A new soft robot that gets its inspiration from the biomechanics of cheetahs moves more quickly on solid surfaces than earlier versions. And it can swim faster, too.

Matt Shipman-NC State • futurity
May 11, 2020 • ~5 min

Cheetah-inspired soft robot ‘gallops’ with super-speed

A new soft robot that gets its inspiration from the biomechanics of cheetahs moves more quickly on solid surfaces than earlier versions. And it can swim faster, too.

Matt Shipman-NC State • futurity
May 11, 2020 • ~5 min

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