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When is it worth sacrificing your life for the next generation?
The tempestuous sex lives of praying mantises have long been fodder for cartoons and trivia nights, but what really happens when these wonderfully weird insects procreate? Yes, the female sometimes eats the male during or after sex, but that’s not where the intrigue ends. Captured in astonishing (and occasionally harrowing) detail, this video from the science and nature documentary series Deep Look probes the latest in mantis-mating research, detailing why their seemingly strange ritual is actually a remarkable example of evolutionary efficiency. Read more about the video at KQED Science.
Video by KQED Science and PBS Digital Studios
Producer and Writer: Josh Cassidy
Narrator and Writer: Lauren Sommer
video
Animals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes
video
Biology
Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes
4 minutes
video
Biology
‘Save the parasites’ may not be a popular rallying cry – but it could be a vital one
11 minutes
video
Evolution
The many ways a lizard tongue sticks, grasps, pinches and plops – in slo-mo
6 minutes
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Biology
Starlings swoosh like brushstrokes across the sky in this dazzling short
3 minutes
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Ecology and environmental sciences
The tree frog die-off that sparked a global mystery – and revealed a dark truth
15 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds
6 minutes
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
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Biology
Brilliant dots of colour form exquisite patterns in this close-up of butterfly wings
3 minutes