Author: Holly Malone
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Mantis Shrimp Punch So Fast They Make Bubbles Implode
Mantis shrimp use spring-loaded clubs to smash shells. Their rapid strikes can create cavitation bubbles that collapse and add another jolt.
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Spiders Can Sense Electricity in the Air—and Use It to Fly
Some spiders sense atmospheric electricity and use silk to take off. Controlled experiments show how electric fields can help them balloon without wind.
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The Ocean Has Lakes of Its Own. Some Are Deadly to Fish.
Dense brine can collect in deep-sea depressions and form eerie underwater lakes. Some are dangerous to fish, while microbes thrive along the boundary.
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Earth’s Largest Waterfall Is Hidden Beneath the Ocean Near Greenland
The world’s largest waterfall is hidden beneath the sea between Greenland and Iceland. The Denmark Strait cataract is driven by cold, dense water spilling downslope.
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Antarctica’s Blood Falls Seeps Red, Iron-Rich Brine From a Glacier
Antarctica’s Blood Falls stains Taylor Glacier red. Here’s how iron-rich brine escapes cold ice, and what new research reveals about its unusual color.
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Butterflies Taste With Their Feet. Apparently Shoes Would Ruin Everything.
Butterflies can taste leaves, sweat and other surfaces with sensors on their feet. Here is how contact chemoreceptors help them find food and choose egg-laying plants.
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Wood Frogs Can Freeze, Stop Their Hearts, and Wake Up in Spring
Wood frogs can survive winter frozen with no heartbeat or breathing. Here’s how sugars and controlled ice formation protect their cells until spring.
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Male Pufferfish Build Giant Geometric Sand Circles to Attract Mates
Male pufferfish only about 10 centimeters long build elaborate geometric sand circles roughly 2 meters across as part of courtship and nesting.
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Sweden and Switzerland Are Different Countries. We Have Apparently Reached This Point.
Sweden is a Nordic EU member with Stockholm and the krona; Switzerland is a multilingual Central European country outside the EU using the Swiss franc.
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Pepperoni Is Salami’s Italian-American Cousin, Not a Translation Error
Pepperoni is an Italian-American cured sausage in the salami family. It became a defining U.S. pizza topping rather than arriving from Italy under the same meaning.