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learning from nature
how whales swim
“The sleek flipper performance was similar to a typical airplane wing. But
the tubercle [imitation of a humpback whale] flipper exhibited nearly 8
percent better lift properties, and withstood stall at a 40 percent
steeper wind angle. The team was particularly surprised to discover that
the flipper with tubercles produced as much as 32 percent lower drag than
the sleek flipper.”
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“ This new understanding of humpback whale flipper aerodynamics has
implications for airplane wing and underwater vehicle design. Increased
lift (the upward force on an airplane wing) at higher wind angles affects
how easily airplanes take off, and helps pilots slow down during landing.
“Improved resistance to stall would add a new margin of safety to aircraft
flight and also make planes more maneuverable. Drag -- the rearward force
on an airplane wing -- affects how much fuel the airplane must consume
during flight.”
how caterpillars crawl
“ Tufts University neurobiologist Barry Trimmer is inching his way to
unlocking the secrets behind the way caterpillars maneuver and climb, and
is using that knowledge to one day build flexible robots that could
explore internal organs, blood vessels and the insides of pipelines.”
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“ Trimmer is working with Tufts colleagues across the University in
physics, mathematics and mechanical engineering, and often employs
undergraduate researchers as well.”
Link for illustrations.
and why flounders do not freeze
“ This finding also opens the possibility of transferring genes from winter
flounder into salmon, for example, to make them more freeze-resistant for
fish farming, or into crops to make them more frost-resistant to extend
their growing season. These applications could be realized with
concentrations of hyperactive AFPs 10 to 100-fold lower than would be
required with the previously discovered fish AFPs.”
Links from ScienceDaily |
