Scientists have created a swarm of over a thousand coin-sized robots that can assemble themselves into two-dimensional shapes by communicating with their neighbours.
At 1,024 members, this man-made flock — described in the 15 August issue of Science — is the largest yet to demonstrate collective behaviour. The self-organization techniques used by the tiny machines could aid the development of ‘transformer’ robots that reconfigure themselves, researchers say, and they might shed light on how complex swarms form in nature.
Scientists know that humans, chimpanzees, and other primates can convey surprising amounts of information by means of a glance and tilt of the head. But what about animals with eyes on the sides of their heads, like deer and horses? What kind of social cues do they use to communicate?
Now, mammal communication experts report that, at least for horses, a great deal of information is conveyed through the position of the animal’s ears as well as its eyes.
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Author Jennifer Wathan is shown with study participant Bartie.
If a snake eats a monkey in the forest and no one sees it, does it make a difference? New evidence suggests that it does.
For the first time, scientists have witnessed a boa constrictor attacking and eating a howler monkey. The finding, and boa-eating-monkey video, is noteworthy since reports of primates being eaten by predators are relatively rare, according to the study, published this month in the journal Primates.
“This may cause us to rethink how vulnerable [these] primates are to predation,” said Paul Garber, a primatologist at the University of Illinois, who wasn’t involved in the study.
How do you get a rat to laugh? Telling a joke won’t work, but scientists say a rat will laugh when tickled–and they’re not joking.
One of the most cited studies on this interesting animal behavior comes from Dr. Jaak Panksepp, professor of veterinary and comparative anatomy at Washington State University in Pullman.
