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By growing the mushroom’s mycelium into the robot’s hardware, researchers have engineered two types of robots that sense and respond to the environment by harnessing electrical signals made by the fungus. =================================================================== A wheeled bot rolls across the floor. A soft-bodied robotic star bends its five legs, moving with an awkward shuffle. Powered by conventional electricity via plug or battery, these simple robotic creations would be unremarkable, but what sets these two robots apart is that they are controlled by a living entity: a king oyster mushroom. By growing the mushroom’s mycelium, or rootlike threads, into the robot’s hardware, a...

Prehistoric engravings of giant snakes along South America's Orinoco river are among the largest examples of rock art we know of anywhere in the world, with some stretching for more than 40 metres.The Orinoco is one of the world's largest rivers, flowing through Venezuela and along its border with Colombia. "There's an outstanding record of rock art along the Orinoco, especially on the Venezuelan side," says José Oliver at University College London. "Usually, they are paintings found in rock shelters."Engravings are common in many open-air sites along the river, he says, but not all of them have been officially recorded...Since...

Scientists discovered an undescribed species of truffle, thanks to bonobos, who savor the mushrooms. Credit: Alexander Georgiev ================================================================================== Mushroom-munching bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have introduced scientists to a new species of truffle. Commonly used by Congolese communities to bait traps for small mammals, Hysterangium bonobo is also savored by bonobos, an endangered species of great ape. Scientists say the truffle hints at vast reserves of undescribed fungal diversity in the region. "Truffles aren't just for gourmet chefs—they're also for our closest relatives," said Matthew Smith, an associate professor in the University of Florida department of plant...

Two days after Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials brought in a mystery carcass, found in rural Douglas County, no positive identification has been made. D.N.R. Area Wildlife Supervisor Kevin Kotts said Friday that after examining the remains, there are no clear signs of it not being a badger, however its longer tail is inconsistent with badgers he has seen. Kotts said there are clear signs that the animal was hit on the road, suffering skull fractures, but an intact jaw could help determine a positive identification. He said he expects fur trappers who have more experience with local mammals...

BADGER BURGLAR COLLARED A badger broke into a house and woke up the neighbours by smashing a window during its bungled escape. A police spokeswoman said: "It is believed the badger entered the house via a cat flap and made its way up the stairs to a bedroom. "Once there it tried to jump through the window, causing the window to smash, and injuring itself." The 78-year-old woman who lived in the house, in Swindon, Wiltshire, was alerted to the break-in by a neighbour who was disturbed by the sound of smashing glass at about 1.30am. The neighbour told police...

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- Scientists are marveling at a fossil find in California's San Joaquin Valley that has produced the remains of a never-before-seen badger-like creature and a monstrous predator that looks like a cross between a bear and a pit bull. Among the discoveries was the skull of an animal that appears to be an entirely new genus within the same family as otters, skunks and weasels. "It just blew me out of my mind," Xiaoming Wang, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, said after seeing the fossil of the badger-like...