Six recent science stories: robotic cockroach suits, sperm whale bubbles, Betelgeuse companion

Scientists have unveiled three distinct studies that blend biology with technology and astronomy, highlighting innovative approaches to understanding both Earth’s smallest creatures and distant stellar systems. The research, published in peer‑reviewed journals over the past month, explores engineered exoskeletons for insects, the respiratory behavior of marine mammals, and the hidden companion of a well‑known red supergiant.

Engineers at a leading university have created miniature, battery‑free “cyborg” diving suits for cockroaches, enabling the insects to navigate underwater environments for up to 30 minutes. The suits consist of a lightweight polymer shell equipped with micro‑hydrogel actuators that expand and contract to regulate buoyancy, while a thin, flexible solar film supplies power to onboard sensors that record temperature, pressure, and chemical composition. In a separate marine biology investigation, researchers observed that sperm whales entering a state of reduced activity—often termed “sleepy”—produce a steady stream of bubbles from their blowholes. High‑resolution acoustic monitoring linked the bubble emission to a controlled release of excess nitrogen gas, a physiological mechanism that helps maintain lung pressure balance during prolonged low‑metabolism periods. Meanwhile, astronomers using the Very Large Telescope have confirmed the existence of a faint companion star orbiting Betelgeuse. The companion, estimated to be a low‑mass main‑sequence star, was detected through subtle shifts in Betelgeuse’s spectral lines and direct infrared imaging, providing new insight into the dynamics of the red supergiant’s mass loss and its upcoming supernova potential.

Collectively, these findings illustrate the breadth of contemporary scientific inquiry, from augmenting insect locomotion for environmental monitoring to deciphering the subtle behaviors of apex marine predators and unraveling the complex architecture of nearby stellar giants. Ongoing research will refine the applications of cyborg exoskeletons, further clarify the physiological role of bubble production in cetaceans, and monitor Betelgeuse’s companion to better predict the star’s evolutionary trajectory.