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Starry Moth
Stargazing moths use celestial bodies as a GPS. Researchers built an artificial sky to study the moth’s mapping skills.
Cartographer: Australian bogong moths (Agrotis infusa)
Maintained consistent headings only under actual stellar conditions
Shifted flight to match changes to the artificial sky
The artificial sky blocked magnetic fields and UV light to rule out other navigation forms. These findings raise concerns about how light pollution could affect migration patterns. And lower how many wishes I can make a night.
Hmm…Which map is better? |
Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below
Honda Rocket
Not satisfied with earthly engines, Honda has entered the reusable rocket business after Hopper’s successful test launch.
Hopper = ~8 foot tall launch vehicle
Landed within 15 inches of target
Uses 6 oxygen-methane engines
Honda leveraged their robotics and AI platforms to develop Hopper’s guidance and recovery systems. This landed launch is a major step towards their goal of sending a ~110 lb. payload to orbit by 2030. I always knew my Civic was a rocket ship!
Sucker Senses
Octopuses are very picky about their microbe associations. Researchers discovered octo-suckers detect microbial metabolites.
Microbial metabolites = small molecules from microorganisms
Suckers identify compounds secreted by bacteria
Each arm evaluates microbes independently
Octopuses apply this micro-sense to everything from feeding to discarding eggs with unfavorable bacteria. Further studies will increase our octo-understanding and possibly inspire advances in biohybrid robotics. Or help us figure out expiration dates.
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Clickables
🐙 See what an octopus IN AN EGG looks like (pic #2)
🦨 What to do if you find a baby skunk
🐋 Gaze into this whale’s eye (also pic #2)
🎂 Meet Stumpy, the world’s longest-living lemur
Unnatural Selection
Last week: “Which would you rather be?”
Steve made this in Procreate
Why not both?!
Make sure you vote up top for next week’s “Unnatural Selection”!
st3v on site
‘98 Honda Rocket
Steve made this in Procreate
Honda needed a test pilot for their reusable shuttle. They didn’t need st3v to bring my old Civic, but were happy to test the durability…and window cranks.
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