University of Bristol

Soft-bodied robots move via pneumatic "muscles" that are selectively inflated or deflated. And while the muscles themselves may be soft and squishy, they're usually hooked up to hard, unwieldy pumps. A new pump, however, is both small and flexible.

Along with things like drought and habitat loss, the widespread use of pesticides is a huge driving force behind dwindling bee numbers, and a new study has shone further light on the effects of the most common one of all.

Paleontologists have found and described what may be the last dinosaur body part we didn’t know anything about – the butthole. Better yet, it seems like it might have evolved to look and yes, even smell, nice to suitors.

A team of researchers has made a discovery that could help our clean energy efforts along, demonstrating how algal cells can be turned into tiny hydrogen-producing factories by immersing them in sugary droplets.

By observing a barn owl in flight as it contended with strong winds, scientists have discovered how its wings can act as a suspension system to absorb the forces in mid-air, lessons they hope to apply to the development of small-scale aircraft.

Our story on NDB's self-charging nuclear diamond batteries generated a lot of heated discussion, so we reached out to the University of Bristol, where the technology was invented, to discover exactly what these diamond betabatteries can and can't do.

Be thankful you didn’t live 20 million years ago, when the seas were patrolled by the Megalodon. This monstrous prehistoric shark was more than twice the size of a great white, and now a new detailed analysis has found just how big it really was.

A seven-year global effort has used almost 15,000 samples from a variety of sources to draw new, more accurate calibration curves to enable more precise radiocarbon dating of objects as old as 55,000 years.

Scientists have tapped advanced 3D microscopy and high-speed cameras to shed new light on swimming sperm, upending the centuries-old perception they propel themselves forward by moving their tails side-to-side like an eel.

Given how compounds like flavoring dissipate out of gum as it's being chewed, scientists are looking into the controlled oral delivery of drugs via medicated gum. A robot is being designed with that in mind, as a way of standardizing the chew test.

Through a combination of 3D printing techniques and sprayable electronic technology, researchers have come up with a new kind of touchscreen display that can be adapted to almost any shape. They're calling it ProtoSpray.

When it comes to replacing faulty heart valves, there are two options – a metallic valve, or a biological one obtained from a pig or cow. There could soon be a third and perhaps better choice, though, in the form of a polymer replacement heart valve.