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Groundtrack | Surgery To-Go | Spider-(ant)Man
Issue #102
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Groundtrack
If nothing falls in the woods, apparently it does make a sound. Researchers heard forest floors tell stories about their health.
Sounds generated by vibrations from underground organisms
Samples taken from deforested and restored forest plots
Measurements analyzed for diversity of sound
Restored plots played a more diverse symphony compared to deforested ones. Continuing testing eco-acoustics for forest health could lead to enhanced climate change monitoring. Or at least some chill lo-fi beats to save the planet to.
Surgery To-Go
Pop-ups - great for cards, shops, and operating rooms. SurgiBox’s SurgiField portable clean-room fits in a backpack in three parts.
Plastic SurgiBubble, air pump + filter, rechargeable battery
Sets up in just a few minutes
Seals to patient’s skin
SurgiField includes armholes for surgeons to do their thing before packing up everything but the single-use SurgiBubble. 50 units were supplied to Ukraine in April and reportedly saved 31 lives. I wonder if they also sell a surge protector?
Spider-(ant)Man
Even jumping spiders like to wear costumes. Siler collingwoodi cosplays as an ant to avoid predators.
S. collingwood’s front legs raise to mimic antennae
It then copies stop-and-go gait and abdomen bobbing
Spider-strut is close enough, but not a perfect match
When tested S. collingwood avoided natural predators. Haters Researchers believe imperfect impersonation may be an advantage that enables camouflaging with various ant species. Imagine Tom Holland impersonating Paul Rudd…

Clickables
🐢 Turtles working together to help a flipped friend
👽️ xkcd started a war by pranking aliens
🐔 Gene-edited hens lay allergy-free eggs
🦈 Follow your favorite sharks with this live tracker
🩺 Another wearable ultrasound brings us closer to cyborgs

st3v on site
Subterranean Orchestra

Forest floors are known for their relaxing earthy base lines. They also play music st3v likes.

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