Robotics, NASA Leadership and How Bee Stingers Pump Venom
Mind Robotics appoints Doug Field, NASA names Christina Koch to an engineering leadership role, and a new study examines the pumping mechanism inside honey bee stingers. Three developments from the latest source reports.
Mind Robotics appoints Doug Field as president
The Verge reports that Mind Robotics, the startup founded by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, has appointed Doug Field as president. Field previously led Apple's Project Titan effort to develop an autonomous electric car. His earlier roles included Mac hardware engineering and serving as Tesla's chief vehicle engineer, where he helped oversee the Model 3. The appointment was reported on October 13.
Christina Koch will become NASA’s acting deputy chief engineer
NASA announced on October 13 that astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will become its acting deputy chief engineer on November 1, following Katherine Van Hooser's retirement. Koch will support technical oversight and mission readiness across NASA's programs. The appointment moves her into management astronaut status, ending her eligibility for future spaceflight assignments. She served on the Artemis II mission in April.
Research examines how detached bee stingers keep pumping
Ars Technica reports that a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies a double-piston-like mechanism in honey bee stingers. A worker bee's detached stinger can continue penetrating tissue and delivering venom after the bee leaves. Its venom channel combines a central structure with two pointed elements that slide back and forth to pierce tissue and pump venom.
Which of these developments would you most like to understand better?
Connie Brew