Flatworms can still ‘see’ even after they are decapitated
Biologically simple they may be, but planarian flatworms have evolved two completely different ways to detect light – and one doesn’t involve their heads
Spider’s web uses optical illusion to lure nocturnal moths
The lace sheet weaver builds a web that seems to fool moths into thinking they are flying into open space – instead of into a trap
Your eardrums move in sync with your eyes but we don’t know why
It turns out our eardrums seem to change position in coordination with our eye movements. This may help our brains link what we see and hear
Giant deep-sea worms may live to be 1000 years old or more
Escarpia laminata lives on the sea floor, where food is plentiful and predators are absent – a perfect environment for longevity
Mud eel’s wonky body may help it ambush prey
A pair of sea-floor-dwelling eels found off the coast of West Africa have lopsided features that may help them operate as ‘sit-and-wait’ ambush predators
First dogs may have been extremely sociable wolves
Wolves and dogs that are friendliest to people carry mutations in genes with links to sociability, backing the idea that this was key in dog domestication
The way we run protects our upper bodies but our legs suffer
In-depth analysis has revealed how running sends shocks through the body in greater detail than ever before, and hints at new ways to prevent common injuries
Chimps are not as superhumanly strong as we thought they were
We sacrificed strength for endurance after our split from other apes, but it turns out our muscles are only a third weaker than those of our ape cousins
Peruvian monkey avoids stomach trouble by adding mud to its diet
Rylands’ saki seems to go out of its way to eat the muddy walls of treetop termite mounds – perhaps to prevent toxic side effects from its seed-rich diet
Synthetic iris could let cameras react to light like our eyes do
The iris in our eyes shrinks the pupil in bright light and enlarges it in the dark, and now an artificial version could do the same for both eyes and cameras