February 27, 2015

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The miniweight boxing title of the animal world belongs to the mantis shrimp, a cigar-sized crustacean whose front claws can deliver an explosive 60-mile-per-hour blow akin to a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. A study of 80 million years of mantis shrimp evolution reveals how these fast weapons evolved their dizzying array of shapes--from spiny and barbed spears to hatchets and hammers--while still managing to pack their characteristic punch.Full Story

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Duke University

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