The cartwheeling spider acrobat that could help us explore Mars. This is no ordinary spider and it has led to an extraordinary robot design, perfect for space exploration.   
With Patrick Aryee.
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The audio for this podcast was updated on 7th June 2019.

Desert spider and Mars robot

Amazing things humans have learnt from the animal kingdom. Inspiring, fascinating, bingeable.

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S2 Ep 30. Smart phones could become even smarter – thanks to ants, beetles, moths and spiders! A multi-animal special episode, marking the season 2 finale.
Patrick explores what could be an insect inspired phone of the future! There’s the story of the fire ants and bark beetles and a new camera lens with a much greater field of view. The hairs on butterflies, moths and spiders could help with an amazing new microphone. Moths might make it easier to look at our phones in bright sunlight. There’s also a waterproof, anti-bacterial cover which could be based on the wings of cicadas.
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Insects and mobile phone

S2 Ep 29. Not all butterflies are colourful. The transparent wings of the longtail glasswing butterfly may hold the key to more effective eye implants. This could be of huge benefit to people with glaucoma - the second leading cause of blindness in the world.
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Butterfly and eye implant

S2 Ep 28. From goo to super glue! Slug slime may hold the key to mending wounds without stitches or staples. Scientists have developed new adhesives based on the properties of slug slime, that are as sticky as any glue, stretchier than a rubber band and aren’t toxic to humans. This sticky substance could be used to repair a delicate organ like the heart or lung without using methods that could damage the organ.
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Slug and surgical glue

S2 Ep 27. The amazing agility of a dragonfly leads to the creation of a new spy drone. Their four wings can move independently of each other, enabling them to fly forwards, backwards, sideways, up and down and suddenly stop and hover like a helicopter. This caught the attention of engineers who wanted to develop a small drone that could be used by the military as a spying device. In the future, this sort of technology might send back pictures from areas where it’s too dangerous for humans to go. 
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Dragonfly and sky spy

S2 Ep 26. A very clever solution to a significant environmental problem based on a kingfisher’s eyelids. When the brightly coloured bird dives for food, its eyes are covered in a way that protects the kingfisher’s eyeballs, rather like swimming goggles protect ours. Architects have copied this design to help prevent soil erosion on the banks of the huge Three Gorges Dam in China. 
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Desert spider and Mars robot

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