If you've ever lost your balance standing on a bus that takes a sharp turn at speed or felt your car skid when you drive around a corner too fast, you've experienced the effects of centrifugal force. Turning while simultaneously moving forwards creates a force that pulls the turning object away from the direction of...
Scientists study puncture performance of cactus spines
Beware the jumping cholla, Cylindropuntia fulgida. This shrubby, branching cactus will -- if provoked by touching -- anchor its splayed spines in the flesh of the offender. The barbed spines grip so tightly that a segment of cactus often breaks off with them, leaving the victim with a prickly problem.
This is one of six species...
Australian mammals at greatest risk from cats and foxes
New research led by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub has revealed which Australian mammals are most vulnerable to cats and foxes, and many much-loved potoroos, bandicoots and bettongs, as well as native rodents, are at the top of the list.
Jim Radford from La Trobe University led a team of over 20 scientists and conservation managers...
Hungry ticks work harder to find you
Ticks are hardy little brutes that can go as long as a year without a meal.
Now scientists at the University of Cincinnati say the hungrier ticks are, the harder they try to find you or other hosts. The findings could have implications for the spread of tick-borne disease such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted...
Aquatic animals that jump out of water inspire leaping robots
Ever watch aquatic animals jump out of the water and wonder how they manage to do it in such a streamlined and graceful way? A group of researchers who specialize in water entry and exit in nature had the same question and are exploring the specific physical conditions required for animals to successfully leap out...
The taming of the dog, cow, horse, pig and rabbit
Research at the Earlham Institute into one of the 'genetic orchestra conductors', microRNAs, sheds light on our selectively guided evolution of domestic pets and farmyard animals such as dogs and cows.
What does a cow, a horse, a pig, a rabbit and a dog have in common, and how similar or dissimilar are their genetic conductors?
They're...