Origami robo-snake slithers toward the future of search and rescue ops

Danish scientists have developed an origami snake robot that could one day search for survivors at disaster sites, or even explore other planets. The device moves via rectilinear locomotion, just like real snakes often do.Continue ReadingCategory: Robo… Continue reading Origami robo-snake slithers toward the future of search and rescue ops

Fangs a lot! Synthetic antibody could be key to universal antivenom

Scientists have made a synthetic antibody that can prevent paralysis and death inflicted by the venom of elapids, a large family of mostly deadly snakes found around the world. The discovery has us slithering ever closer to developing a single, univers… Continue reading Fangs a lot! Synthetic antibody could be key to universal antivenom

Snake’s worst day captured in very rare sighting of unusual animal behavior

While we all know it’s a dog-eat-dog world, so to speak, an Australian snake species has taken the suggestion of cannibalism very literally and has been captured consuming a smaller, and very unlucky, version of itself.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology… Continue reading Snake’s worst day captured in very rare sighting of unusual animal behavior

World-first parasitic infection: 3-inch roundworm found in woman’s brain

Researchers have discovered the world’s first case of a new human parasitic infection, pulling a live roundworm picked up from a carpet python from the brain of an Australian woman. They say the case highlights the risks posed by zoonotic diseases caus… Continue reading World-first parasitic infection: 3-inch roundworm found in woman’s brain

In an evolutionary rarity, sea snakes may have regained lost color vision

Most snakes can only see the colors blue and green, along with ultraviolet light in some cases. New research, however, suggests that sea snakes have evolved to actually regain the wider-color vision of their earliest ancestors.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading In an evolutionary rarity, sea snakes may have regained lost color vision

Tagged snakes reveal radiation levels in the soil around Fukushima

As work continues to clean up the mess left by the meltdown of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, scientists are enlisting some local help in their efforts to survey the damage. A study has shown how snakes living in the Exclusion Zone can … Continue reading Tagged snakes reveal radiation levels in the soil around Fukushima

Tunneling snake robot takes cues from nature to keep its head in the sand

Robots are great at exploring land, sea, sky and space, but one environment that’s trickier for them to navigate is through the ground. Now, engineers at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Georgia Tech have developed a snake-like robot that uses a range of me… Continue reading Tunneling snake robot takes cues from nature to keep its head in the sand

Submersible snake-inspired robot can inspect ships and infrastructure

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have spent a number of years developing modular snake-like robots for all kinds of purposes, and the latest adaptation sees its serpent-inspired tech headed underwater. The team has developed a submersible… Continue reading Submersible snake-inspired robot can inspect ships and infrastructure