A tiny micro-robotic insect wing hangs off the front of a circuit board. The idea of being a “fly on the wall” in an enemy headquarters has been a goal of intelligence agencies for as long as there ...

An analysis of high-speed raindrops hitting biological surfaces such as feathers, plant leaves and insect wings reveals how these highly water-repelling veneers reduce the water's impact. An analysis ...

Biological structures sometimes have unique features that engineers would like to copy. For example, many types of insect wings shed water, kill microbes, reflect light in unusual ways and are ...

Insects dominate this world. More than 70 percent of the described species on Earth are insects. What made them so successful? Their wing, says Yoshi Tomoyasu, associate professor of biology at Miami ...

It sounds like a just-so story—“How the Insect Got its Wings”—but it’s really a mystery that has puzzled biologists for over a century. Intriguing and competing theories of insect wing evolution have ...

Different insects flap their wings in different manners. Understanding the variations between these modes of flight may help scientists design better and more efficient flying robots in the future.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The insect world teems with beautiful and dazzling species ...

A prototype bot from engineers at the University of Bristol flies like an insect and looks like the golden snitch. By Charlotte Hu Published Feb 2, 2022 3:00 PM EST Get the Popular Science daily ...

Eating a blend of non-toxic corn and genetically modified toxic corn can result in corn earworm pests (Helicoverpa zea) developing longer, more narrow and more tapered wings—shaped like the wings of a ...

Genes from a tiny shrimp-like crustacean could help in the search for the origin of insect wings, a new study finds. To be clear, there is no evidence that any crustaceans ever evolved to fly, ...

The evolution of wings not only allowed ancient insects to become the first creatures on Earth to take to the skies, but also propelled their rise to become one of nature's great success stories, ...