Even aggressive centipedes will co-operate if they have to
Mothers of different species share nests in the rainforest
CENTIPEDES DO NOT generally get on well together. Even members of the same species may attack one another when they meet. So it is a surprise to find mother centipedes sharing nests and a double surprise to find that those co-residents are sometimes not even conspecifics. This, though, is the conclusion of research published in Biotropica by Farnon Ellwood and Josie Phillips of the University of the West of England, in Bristol.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Nesting instinct”
Science & technology December 7th 2019
- America seeks faster ways to launch military satellites
- Some planks from ancient Rome started life in eastern France
- Malaria infections have stopped falling
- The first computer chip with a trillion transistors
- Even aggressive centipedes will co-operate if they have to
- If aircraft can copy the way geese fly, they will save fuel
From the December 7th 2019 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Can you breathe stress away?
It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship
A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope
Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on
Is obesity a disease?
It wasn’t. But it is now
Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs
Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia
Should you start lifting weights?
You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong