Darkling beetles have natural lubricant in 'knee' joints

A team of researchers from the University of Kiel in Germany and Aarhus University in Denmark, has found that darkling beetles create a type of lubricant in their legs to prevent their leg joints from wearing away. They describe ...

Stick insect's propulsion joint discovered

The stick insect is a popular model organism in biological research for gaining a better understanding of insect walking movements. The advantage of the stick insect is that the structure of its body parts and nervous system ...

Functioning 'mechanical gears' seen in nature for the first time

a plant-hopping insect found in gardens across Europe - has hind-leg joints with curved cog-like strips of opposing 'teeth' that intermesh, rotating like mechanical gears to synchronise the animal's legs when it launches ...

Beetles in rubber boots: Scientists study ladybirds' feet

During their evolution, insects have developed various unique features to survive in their environment. The knowledge of the working principles of insects' microstructures holds great potential for the development of new ...

New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait

A new lower-limb prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University allows amputees to walk without the leg-dragging gait characteristic of conventional artificial legs.

New software eases analysis of insect in motion

Cockroaches can skitter through a crowded under-the-sink cabinet, eluding capture or worse, making the insects a model for rescue robots that would creep through the debris of disaster in search of survivors.

Scientists Plot Genetic Ploy Against Grain Pest

(PhysOrg.com) -- Aided by a genomic map of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists are plotting a kind of genetic sabotage on the pest’s basic life functions ...