Researchers at Tohoku University look beyond the life-taking venomous stings of box jellyfish, and focus on life-creating processes in a new comprehensive study of their reproductive traits.

Inspired by insect compound eyes, Prof. Ji Chen’s team from Southeast University proposes a bioinspired motion detector based on planar metalens arrays. It realizes an ultra-wide 135° field of view and achieves high-precision perception of moving targets’ velocity and direction. The design effectively detects tiny and slow-moving objects in complex backgrounds and enables intelligent motion trajectory prediction. Featuring high integration and lightweight structure, it provides solid technical support for autonomous perception, industrial early warning and unmanned intelligent systems.

On the small Greek island of Kastellorizo, researchers have discovered Dolichopoda balrogi, a new species of cave cricket living inside an artificial underground tunnel. Named after Tolkien's subterranean demon, the find proves that human-made structures can harbour entirely unique and isolated ecosystems.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators proposed the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a new concept for bio-hybrid control that uses AI to interpret internal biological signals from insects. By integrating heartbeat, neural signal features, and body movement data, the team developed a cyborg cockroach system that can estimate environment-associated internal states and guide movement while reducing unnecessary stimulation.