The New York Times, Science News, Popular Mechanics, Scienmag, Smithsonian, News Center Maine and the Bangor Daily News featured research about the jumping skills of springtails led by Víctor Ortega Jiménez, assistant professor of integrative avian biology and biomechanics at the University of Maine. The study found that springtails, animals about the size of a grain of sand, can hop away from predators and land smoothly on water using their collophore, a tube sticking out of their abdomens. The team created a robot that mimics springtail jumping action, which could lead to better robots that can land safely on water and provide insights into the origins of flight in organisms. Aol shared the Popular Mechanics report. International Business Times cited the ScienceNews report.
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