Insect

Every year, the Natural History Museum in London dazzles wildlife lovers with the best-of-the-best photographs of the natural world. This year is no exception, and we've got a riveting preview for you ahead of October's award ceremony.

Although we've seen many robotic water striders over the years, scientists are still finding new aspects of the insects to replicate. Recently, for instance, researchers created a strider-bot that zips across the water's surface via fans on its feet.

Instead of going to the trouble of building tiny robots from scratch, some scientists are now turning insects into remote-control cyborgs. A new "assembly line" could help, by converting cockroaches into cyborgs far faster than can be done by hand.

I bet that headline wasn't on your bingo card this week. Researchers at the University of Osaka have equipped cyborg insects with teeny tiny helmets to steer them around various environments, without the need for invasive surgery or internal wiring.

Nobody likes hearing a mosquito somewhere in their bedroom, without being able to see where it is. Well, the Bzigo Iris tracks and highlights mozzies, so you can swat them. It's now 50% cheaper, and doesn't require a Wi-Fi connection.

For 50 years now, camera company Nikon has been highlighting microscopic marvels with the annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition. Headlining this year’s winners is a groundbreaking view of mouse brain tumor cells.

For the 60th year in a row, the Natural History Museum of London has held its Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. And for the 60th year in a row, the images are guaranteed to stir your love of the natural world and the animals that live in it.

Mosquitoes are masters of evasion when indoors, seemingly disappearing after you unsuccessfully try to swat them or grab them out of the air. That's where the Bzigo Iris comes in, as it tracks them and shows you where they are.

Tiny aerial drones have many potential uses, but their ability to navigate is severely limited by their minuscule amount of onboard processing power. Scientists have now set about addressing that limitation, taking a cue from foraging insects such as ants.

This part of the animal kingdom may not be most people's favorite, but insects are a diverse and resilient bunch that date back almost 400 million years. But because of their size, many of us don't really get a chance to admire their beauty up close.

In many cases nature has better versions of our tech. The newest example comes from a common insect in your backyard, which makes nanoscale soccer balls that hide it from predators – inspiring new, better UV protection and maybe even cloaking tech.

Water striders are fascinating to watch, as they scoot across the water while supported by surface tension. Scientists have now built a tiny robotic version of the insect, which utilizes a record-breaking actuator to get a move on.