In his quest to understand the hermit crab housing market, biologist Mark Laidre of Dartmouth College had to get creative. Crabs are always looking to move into a bigger, better shell, but having really nice digs also comes with risks. Sometimes crabs gang up to pull an inhabitant out of an especially desirable shell. If...

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. What do jumping spiders find sexy? How DIY tech is offering insights into the animal mind. Studying the minds of other animals comes with a challenge that human psychologists don't usually face: Your...