Nature’s greatest architects: From bird nests and beaver dams to spider webs and the display arenas of bowerbirds, the architecture of animals has fascinated our species from the dawn of history. The order and regularity of honey bee comb has inspired human builders and philosophers alike. Paper-making wasps and adobe-using birds may have opened our eyes to important technological innovations, and the relentless works of coral colonies dwarf human achievements. How do animals manage their feats of engineering, and what does it tell us about their minds? [TLS]
Extremophiles: Living creatures discovered 1.6 km beneath seabed: The bacteria-like creatures, which were found in sediment cores extracted by a ship off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada, are able to survive extreme pressure and temperatures of up to 100C. The previous record for life was 842 m underground. The creatures are single-celled organisms called archaea which are able to thrive in an ecosystem where sunlight never penetrates. The researchers who discovered them are unsure exactly how they do this, but one possibility is that they effectively eat oil. [Guardian]
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