swimming

MIT researchers have built a paper-thin swimming robot that moves using living muscle cells rather than motors. The soft robotic swimmer can navigate through watery mazes, demonstrating precise control of biohydraulic movement in a device thin enough to be flexible like paper. The work highlights growing progress in biohybrid robotics, where engineered living tissue is combined with synthetic materials to create machines that move in ways conventional robots cannot.

BTS took home three awards at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, becoming the first Korean group to win Song of the Year. The award went to "SWIM," the title track from their fifth album "ARIRANG," honored at the ceremony held September 27 local time. The triple win marks another historic milestone for the group's international recognition.

Supporters are congratulating Gentoo Linux, the source-based distribution named after the fastest underwater-swimming penguin. Well-wishers praise the distro for giving users a high degree of flexibility and control over their software, and thank the Gentoo developers and wider community for their long-running volunteer work maintaining the project.

A viral post is reminding people just how enormous whales are, showing one swimming in the open ocean directly alongside a fishing boat. Commenters say photos and videos rarely capture the true scale of these animals, and that the boat comparison finally makes it clear. Many are sharing their own reactions of awe at the size difference.

A striking underwater photograph of a Pacific Trumpetfish, known in Hawaiian as Nākolo, shows the slender yellow fish hovering beside the wall of an ocean cave. The image, shared as part of a daily sealife photo feature, is drawing admiring comments and inquiries about purchasing prints of the marine wildlife shot.

A cow fell into the swimming pool of a wellness hotel in Alto Adige, northern Italy, and had to be rescued by the local fire brigade. RaiNews covered the operation, which ended with the animal pulled out safely. The unusual scene of farm livestock ending up in a luxury spa pool drew amused attention online.

A photographer has shared images of the eyestripe surgeonfish, known in Hawaii as the palani, swimming over an ocean reef. The fish closely resembles the kala, or yellowfin surgeonfish, making the two easy to confuse. Prints of the photos are being offered, and the post is drawing attention from marine life and nature enthusiasts.

Photographers are sharing striking images of the ocean at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, where the Atlantic meets dramatic coastline. The pictures show blue water and summer swimming scenes, drawing engagement from nature and travel photography communities across multiple languages, with many tagging the images as vacation and wildlife content.

An octopus has three hearts, and when it swims the main heart that pumps blood to the body stops beating, which is why the animals prefer crawling: swimming literally exhausts them. Their blood is also blue, thanks to a copper-based molecule instead of iron-based haemoglobin. The quirky physiology fact is being widely shared as a fun piece of marine biology trivia.

Dutch former speed skater Erben Wennemars has spoken warmly about swimmer Maarten van der Weijden, calling him 'a philosopher in swimming trunks'. Wennemars' comments highlight the respect Van der Weijden commands in Dutch sport, known for his marathon swimming and charity endurance swims. The remarks are circulating in Dutch sports media.

Chinese swimming star Pan Zhanle has opened up about what he took away from Romanian sprinter David Popovici, telling an exclusive interview that "sometimes being good enough is enough." The two are the defining male freestyle swimmers of their generation, and Pan's remarks offer a rare glimpse into how he balances his world-record career with Popovici's more relaxed approach to competition and expectations.

A new Blippi episode shows the popular children's entertainer learning to swim at a pool, using fun and games to teach young viewers basic water skills and pool safety. The educational video has drawn tens of thousands of likes as parents share it as a way to introduce swimming to toddlers and preschoolers.

A presentation of a new book by Novella Calligaris, the legendary Italian swimmer, took place in Rome on Wednesday 30 September. The event drew attention from the sporting world, with federations and fans celebrating the career of one of Italy's most iconic athletes. Calligaris remains a benchmark figure in Italian swimming history.

A photograph of an all-black king penguin is drawing attention, with observers calling the bird a natural 'fashion trendsetter'. The unusual colouring is the result of a natural mutation: where king penguins normally show a black back and white belly for camouflage while swimming, this bird is fully black, making it less concealed from predators. Commenters are marvelling at the rarity of the melanistic penguin.

A wildlife photographer captured a green sea turtle, known in Hawaiian as the honu, swimming beside an outflow pipe along west O'ahu. The image was shared as a photo of the day and is drawing attention from ocean and marine life enthusiasts, with prints offered to interested buyers.

Spanish swimmer Mireia Belmonte has been inducted into the Florida Swimming Hall of Fame, honoured as the best Spanish swimmer, La Vanguardia reports. Belmonte, an Olympic medallist and multiple world champion, is being celebrated in Spain for the international recognition of her career.

Nebraska's athletic teams scored a commanding 197-101 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones, according to the university's athletics department. The lopsided score indicates a dual-meet format, most likely in swimming and diving, where points are awarded across many events. The result extends Nebraska's strong form and gives Cyclone fans plenty to discuss after a heavy defeat.

MIT researchers have developed a swimming robot powered by living muscle cells rather than traditional motors. The biohydraulic device moves through water using contractions from cultivated biological tissue, opening possibilities for soft, biocompatible robots for medical or research applications. The demonstration has drawn attention as a notable advance in biohybrid robotics.

Reef restoration efforts are showing unexpected results: conservationist Jenkins says juvenile whitetip sharks have returned to the reef, a surprise recovery he describes as a great sign. Larger sharks are now seen swimming around the reef day and night, suggesting the ecosystem is healthy enough again to support apex predators after years of decline.

Brine shrimp, commonly sold as sea monkeys, have shown researchers how their collective swimming churns water in ways that overturn long-held assumptions about turbulence. The tiny crustaceans' swarm movements create flows far stronger than expected at their scale, prompting scientists to reconsider a rule describing how turbulence fades in fluids. The findings could influence how mixing is modeled in oceans and other natural systems.