Changes in cholesterol production lead to tragic octopus death spiral

Cholesterol metabolism is responsible for an unusual “death spiral” that some octopus mothers undergo after laying their eggs. The research, published May 12 in Current Biology, reveals that steroid hormones play critical roles in metabolism, behavior, life history and health across the animal kingdom.

Squid Jet Propulsion Can Enhance Design of Underwater Robots, Vehicles

Squids use a form of jet propulsion that is not well understood, especially when it comes to their hydrodynamics under turbulent flow conditions. Discovering their secrets can help create new designs for bioinspired underwater robots, so researchers are exploring the fundamental mechanism. They describe their numerical study in Physics of Fluids; among their discoveries, they found that thrust production and efficiency are underestimated within laminar, or nonturbulent, flows.