Some us have a touch of animal in us...and other curious things

So as some of you are working furiously on your Untitled application I decided to take a slightly less art centric approach to this week's blog entry. Though I did take inspiration from Jessica Teckemeyer's exhibition title, We Are Animal.

First off this season of NOVA Science Now has been really great and this is one of the best episodes, How Smart Are Animals. It is especially brilliant for those of you out there that find octopuses amazing...the extent of their intelligence is really stunning. I am sure most of you have heard about the exploits of Paul the Octopus and his powers of prediction, this episode is even better than that.
During my daily consumption of MPR Science Friday I heard a fascinating segment on a new book:
Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution

One interesting little tidbit from this discussion was the popularity of transfusing animal blood for humans, this happened mostly in the early 1600s by the way, some were even successful including the first transfusion performed on a young boy with sheep's blood curing him of terrible fevers.
So this last one isn't really about animals and humans as much as it is about insects and robots, close enough right? Apparently caterpillars are a new source of inspiration for cutting edge robotics. Apparently the interest stems from caterpillars ability to make a speedy exit by rolling up into a circle. You can read more about it HERE and HERE.