To test self-recognition in snakes, the researchers used the sense of smell—snakes rely very strongly on smell to find and capture prey. To test snakes, the researchers chose two types that were ...

Snakes show signs of self-recognition in a smell-based 'mirror test' Garter snakes may recognise their own scent and react differently when it is altered, hinting at self-awareness in reptiles.

"Unlike the self-healing robots in the 'Terminator' movie, this process is not visible at the human scale. It occurs at the nanoscale, and we have yet to be able to control the process," Boyce added.

Autonomously self-healing technology has potential to revolutionize many industries. In agricultural states like Nebraska, it could be a boon for robotics systems that frequently encounter sharp ...

More information: 'Stiff and self-healing hydrogels by polymer entanglements in co-planar nanoconfinement, Nature Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02146-5 Journal information: Nature ...