frogs

Engineers at the University of Michigan and UCLA have built a frog robot weighing under 100 grams that hops about three body lengths per second across surfaces like wood. It uses two twisted coiled elastic rods that store energy and release it in a sudden snap, mimicking a frog's jump. The work is being shared among robotics and science enthusiasts interested in bio-inspired locomotion and elastic energy storage.

Scientists have described a new frog species, Boulenophrys tianlinensis, from China, published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. The species description, with its taxonomic treatment made openly accessible through Plazi, is drawing attention from biodiversity and taxonomy enthusiasts online, who are celebrating the addition to the growing list of newly named amphibians from the region.

A crafter has shared a pile of unfinished crochet projects, committing to finish every one rather than frogging—unravelling—any of them, as part of the #FinishOrFrogAlong community challenge. The trend encourages crafters to either complete or dismantle long-lingering works in progress, with many admitting they should stop starting new projects until the backlog is cleared.

Roboticists have unveiled a tiny, frog-inspired robot capable of hopping across wet surfaces and swimming in water. The design mimics frog locomotion, combining jumping and aquatic movement in one small machine. The demonstration is drawing attention for what it suggests about the future of amphibious robotics, potentially useful in exploration, search and rescue, or environmental monitoring in wet and flooded environments.