Science this week: from old paintings to glowing spider legs

The past few days prove that curiosity knows no bounds. From centuries-old paintings to the darkness of the deep sea, from the bottom of a British marsh to the inside of a quantum computer: researchers are uncovering new secrets everywhere. What connects these stories is the idea that knowledge is sometimes hidden in unexpected places, waiting to be discovered. Take the art of yesteryear. According to an article by Bethany Brookshire, published on 11 September, old paintings reveal more than just pretty pictures [1]. A work by Maria Sibylla Merian from the 1690s, for example, shows bats eating birds and...